Bruges: a shopping guide

This little number puts Bruges’ chocoholism to new use. What’s better than a mouth full of chocolate? One that tastes like it, too. Less Willy Wonka, more Wilhelmina, this sweet-treat boutique sells lipsticks made from the finest cocoa butter and origin chocolate. Wear it, smell it or add it to ice-cream, as the city’s most experimental chocolatier helpfully suggests.

Belgians take beer as seriously as the French take Champagne. And, thanks to their fondness for re-fermenting, their brews share similarities with the bubbly French tipple. Familiarise yourself with lip-smacking local favourites at the Bottle Shop – and take home some amber-coloured Kwak Ale, plus a traditional tankard or two. Proost.

Worship at the altar of cheese at De Kaasbolle, which stocks a deliciously whiffy array of dairy treats. Dreamy options include the house-favourite Lucullus, tangy fetas and the cow’s milk Tartarin Cognac, studded with cognac-marinated Turkish raisins. Obliging staff carefully wrap purchases, so that they can journey home safely (and without offending fellow passengers’ nostrils).

Add a dash of Euro-flash to your two-wheel commute by investing in a brand-new helmet. Exceller Bikes has an eye-catching stash of bikes, bike gear and accessories. There are plenty of natty numbers to choose from, including the cosmic-cool Tin Robot. Show it off on Bruges’s tranquil canalside paths before you head home.

Cookies: yes. Butter: yes. It was only a matter of time before cookie butter came on the scene. Speculoos spread stars cinnamon-laced Belgian holiday biscuits, crushed up and made spreadable thanks to lashings of delicious butter. Juliette bakery sells a lekkere jar of the stuff – plus original-format cookies galore.