How best to bring cheese/meat from France to the UK on AF?
 

Checked or hand luggage? Special packaging instructions? To declare or not?

Would really appreciate any advice.

Hi Feggy and welcome to the bizarre and wonderful world of FT ;)

If you want to bring meat products try and get it vacuum packed and place it in your checked baggage. The temperature in the hold is usually cold enough to keep it going for a good long time. I did this all the time when brining (the best in the world) meat from Ireland to France when I lived on the emerald Isle.

If you can get the these vacuum packed as well you're golden. I do this when I bring cheese from Switzerland to Scandinavia and works a treat every time. Also, I pack this in the checked baggage.

No need to declare farm produce as long as it is EU stamped and/or you can show that EU tax has been paid should it come from abroad.

Hope this helps :)

Thanks Cupart - that's really helpful. My family will be very pleased if I can get some cheeses through for them...!

For cheese, out of courtesy for fellow passengers, in the hold, please. :)

You can get these Freezer-cooling blocks for literally 1 euro each, they will help to keep the temperature down.

You keep these for about 6 hours in the freezer, after which they are frozen solid and will stay cold for a long time. You can pack them together with the food and keep it for quite some hours of travel. This way I have successfully transferred cheeses on a 5 hour bustrip + 3 hour flight, and 2 hour train ride. (all in a row). :)

Only downside is that, due to the extra liquid, you will need to check your bags.

Not all cheeses are smelly 'cause they're French! :D ;)

When I lived in Sweden, and was usually asked to bring back cheese from France, I simply put cheese in hermetic plastic boxes (and took it as carry-on luggage).

I would not do the same thing with meat (as temperature may not be cold enough).

I recommend http://www.techniice.com/2011/icepacks/models.html and freezer bags.
Intra-EU you will be fine with customs without declaration: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/banned-restricted.htm#3
From outside of EU is another matter.
Does LHR even have separate customs for EU and non-EU? I seem to remember that at T4, past immigration, the flows get merged.