Apparently one of us remembered several occasions on ferry trips to France, the restaurant being very familiar. The other one? No recollection at all, so a joyous discovery. We’ve been on DFDS from Newcastle to Amsterdam, and P&O from Hull to Rotterdam – both overnight crossings and all very pleasant. We both remember a rather terrifying crossing with children, housed in an inside cabin on a ferry’s last journey before the scrapyard, from Hull to Zeebrugge. It was in 1987, and the remains of the Herald of Free Enterprise lay half submerged where it had sank, the crew having left the bow doors open, killing 193 people trapped below decks. It was a chilling sight as we came into the harbour, still jaded from a lack of sleep having listened to the bangs and groans of our own ferry. 

Unlike the miserable executives at P&O, squeezing the crew’s pay ever lower, Brittany Ferries is a cooperative, owned by the Brittany farmers as a way of increasing tourism.

“Founded in 1972 by proud Breton Alexis Gourvennec and a group of fellow Breton farmers wanting to export their cauliflowers and artichokes to the UK, Brittany Ferries is now the leading maritime carrier on the western and central Channel.

So, we board at 19:30, and shortly afterwards we’re seated in the very smart restaurant with a glass of white wine at the ready. There’s a self service restaurant on board, but we’re in the restaurant proper. The menu is simple: 34 euros for a buffet starter, and a buffet cheese and pudding or, you can add a main course (today’s was sea bream). We opted for the buffet deal and it’s simply wonderful, with a really wide choice of seafood and meats, delicious cheese, and a range of puddings that would make you go back again and again (we didn’t, very abstemious).

It’s a great way to travel and, if you’re going as far as Santander with a two night crossing, splash out and have a Commodore cabin. 

Restaurant Brittany Ferries – the quality ferry operator