CALVADOS

An apple brandy that will perk up the mulled cider this Christmas, Calvados is named after the department in Normandy on France’s northern coast, which is also famed for its chalk cliffs, D-Day beaches and the Bayeux Tapestry.

But does the area excite property hunters? “Calvados has many advantages – it’s an accessible location for Channel-hopping and Paris, with affordable property prices, significant towns and stunning, peaceful countryside,” says Lisa Greene of Leggett Immobilier.

“The very striking and picturesque colombage [half-timbered] homes are particularly appealing to buyers, as is the whole area of Suisse Normande, so named because its hills and gorges resemble the Swiss Alps.”

Caen is a thriving university town, while Houlgate, Deauville and Honfleur are traditional seaside towns that offer elegance and year-round activity. Greene adds: “The expat property market is well developed. Buyers spend €150,000 to €300,000 for holiday homes, family houses and hospitality businesses.”

Autumn in Armagnac, above; below, a longère in Valdallière, Calvados, is €167,400 with Leggett Immobilier