Tarn-et-Garonne in south west France is one of the smallest departments in France but that doesn’t mean there’s not plenty to fall in love with. Named for the two mighty rivers which flow through it – the Tarn and the Garonne, it’s an area of outstanding natural beauty, gorges and forests, fields and vineyards pepper the landscape.

Though not as well-known as some departments, its offers a laid back lifestyle, great gastronomy, pretty medieval villages and property at prices not seen in the UK for decades.

We talk to Sue Kelly and Richard Comfort who moved from Kent to Roquecor in Tarn-et-Garonne in 2019 and trained to work as agents for Leggett Immobillier. They share their tips for our expert property guide to Tarn-et-Garonne.

Can you tell us a little about you and where you are from?

Sue: I worked in banking in the city of London, as an estate agent in Kent and as a teacher and Head teacher.

Richard: I worked as a teacher in Kent and took early retirement to move to France.

What inspired you to move to the Tarn-et-Garonne

We previously had a holiday home in an isolated area in North Dordogne. We loved our village but wanted more sunshine and amenities close by. Though we still desired the peace and quiet we also wanted to be able to reach bigger shops and leisure facilities such as a gym in less than 30 minutes.

We decided to look in the Cordes-sur-Ceil, Gaillac, Albi triangle in the Tarn, but were unable to find anything we liked in our price range.

Each time we drove back we stopped in the Lot valley and realised very quickly that we loved the area. Cahors is a beautiful and compact city and the river and vineyards around Luzech and Prayssac are lovely. So we decided to spend more time looking in this area, and the more we came the more we loved it. In the end we discovered that we preferred the more open countryside on the south side of the Lot river rather than the denser forest areas of the north. We found our dream home just over the border in the Tarn-et-Garonne.

What is your house like?

We have a Maison de Maitre, like a miniature mansion. It looks very grand from the outside and is perched half-way up a  hill overlooking the beautiful landscape of Roquecor. It is a traditional stone house, the rooms are all large and have high ceilings and there is a top floor that is unconverted.

We also have a second house, also built into the hill which we run as a gite. Both properties have pools and big gardens, and we’re surrounded by farmers’ fields.

What made you fall in love with Tarn-et-Garonne?

The house was everything that we had been looking for. As we drove up to it in the car for the first time with the agent, I could not believe my eyes. I was totally taken with the view, the location, the space and the size of the rooms. It had the peace and quiet we wanted but was still within easy reach of villages and towns that we liked. Roquecor is an amazing village with a good social life all year round. Montaigu de Quercy, our nearest small town has a great International Club which has weekly activities all year round.

We are within easy reach of 3 different rivers: the Lot, the Tarn and the Garonne. These all have walks, canoes, boats and beaches to explore. There are lovely restaurants all around us. We are also surrounded by the Cahors vineyards, great for tours and tastings.

There’s lots to do and see. Nature lovers will find the Gorges de l’Aveyron truly sensational. Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, which was the location for the film the 100 Foot Journey is picture postcard pretty. The Causses du Quercy National Park is outstanding for hikers.

Expert property Guide to Tarn-et-Garonne

Where are some of the most popular places for expats and why?

Roquecor is a very popular place for expats as well as the French. The Café du Centre is a popular expat drinking and eating place and attracts many British people as well as Belgian, Dutch, American and French. Montaigu de Quercy is also popular with plenty of amenities, and the International Club is visited by people up to an hour’s drive away. Both towns host weekly markets which are very popular.

Most buyers seek isolated properties with no close neighbours. They want character and old stone houses with gites to rent out. Most want a lot of land but to be within walking or easy distance of a village or town with amenities.

Where should property seekers look in the Tarn-et-Garonne?

Tarn-et-Garonne is often overlooked. Like most, we were drawn to the more well-known destinations – Lot, Tarn and Dordogne, but there are hidden gems to be discovered. From where we are, Toulouse and Bergerac airports are just over an hour’s drive. Agen, 30 minutes away has a TGV station with direct links to Paris and Bordeaux. There are quite a few large towns all less than an hour away. It’s knowing where to look that helps you find the best properties in stunning locations.

Are there typical property types in the Tarn- et-Garonne?

Quercy stone – light whiter stone than the Dordogne. Most people seek  traditional stone houses with character. Many houses have pools or enough land to have one installed – and there’s a good choice of excellent companies locally. Some search for a “lock up and leave” type town house and these are available in the local “bastide” towns, often enjoying spectacular views over surrounding countryside. The dream house for many has character, space, is immediately habitable but has scope to improve.

What can home buyers get for their money?

A detached house with land that needs renovating starts from about €100k. A ready to live in house with 2+ bedrooms, an acre of land and pool start around €200k. The majority of our portfolio consists of stone houses in the €230k to €320k price range located in the countryside or in small hamlets and villages. We do have gite complexes and larger houses with gites up to around the million mark.

What 3 key pieces of advice do you give to your clients when they’re looking for property in the area?

Work with an agent you feel comfortable with and give them as much detail as you can about your wish list. Ask you agent to plan your viewing trip to maximise the use of your time.

Look beyond the décor and views when viewing a property. Consider potential coasts of a new roof, electrics, heating and plumbing etc.

Make sure you have enough money to do what you would like to do.

Final word…

If you are worried about retiring early or making the move to France, don’t let that put you off. We have not found it easy but have never regretted it. Our life has changed so much in the space of a year and we now have a much better quality of life, lots of friends and plenty to keep us occupied.

See Sue and Richard’s portfolio of property in Tarn-et-Garonne

Find out about becoming an agent for Leggett: https://www.frenchestateagents.com/pages/recruitment

The post Expert property guide to Tarn-et-Garonne appeared first on The Good Life France.

Katharine Tasker from London upped sticks in the city and moved to the sticks in rural northern France. With her she brought a sprinkling of urban style to her new build home and thriving new business, a café and shop…

Pas de Calais is a region of meadows and forests, the countryside is criss crossed by streams and peppered with villages and hamlets. It’s blessed with the beautiful beaches and dramatic coastline of the Opal Coast as well as fertile agricultural land. It’s a largely rural department despite being the gate way to France for millions who cross the English Channel, many of whom simply exit the ferry or train and zoom off down the auto routes further south. For those who stop and look though, the charms of the far north can be compelling as Katherine Tasker found out when she visited a friend…

A life changing weekend

Katharine Tasker loved her life in London. She ran a successful gourmet food shop with a loyal clientele who adored the speciality products she sourced from France including some world famous jam. At a sales meeting in Lille in 2015, Katherine decided to visit the jam makers in Saint-Rémy-au-Bois, in the Seven Valleys, Pas de Calais, not far away. They’d met in London when British entrepreneurs Judy and Nick Gifford who created the mouth-watering jams at Tea Together delivered a consignment in person and got on well.

Katherine spent just a couple of days with her friends at their beautifully restored farmhouse with their beloved Jack Russells and horses. As well as their jam making enterprise, they also run Le Tea Room from their home, serving scones with their home-made jam and clotted cream to smitten locals. But, it changed the direction of her life.

“It was” says Katharine “love at first sight when I saw how glorious the countryside is. So tranquil and varied, lush valleys, forests and wide-open plateaux, it is just so beautiful. I thought it would be wonderful to have a bolthole here.”

Swapping urban life for a plot in rural France

Katharine returned to London, and when, shortly afterwards, the lease on her shop needed renewing, she sought alternative premises close by. “It was very tough trying to find a new place everything was horribly expensive” she says. She’d kept in touch with Judy who, in the midst of Katharine’s frustrating search in London told her that a plot of land had come up for sale in the village of Gouy-Saint-André near St-Rémy.

“She told me it was special and that I ought to come and see it” Katharine reminisces. The land was well over her budget but Judy encouraged her to speak to the seller to see if there was any wiggle room. He had three cheaper plots for sale and Katherine decided to go and look. After viewing the affordable land, Katharine was persuaded by the seller to take a look at the more expensive plot. “It was” she laughs “a wow moment as soon as I saw it, I felt a connection. I instantly thought, what if I open my business here instead of in London?” Her head buzzed with ideas and London with its expensive rental options didn’t feature. Within hours, a deal was struck in France. And, Katherine had made up her mind. She returned to London and made places to move to France.

Urban dreams in rural France

Faced with a large, empty field which had panoramic views over the countryside, Katharine decided the only way to tackle the need for a home and business was to employ an architect and building team. The resulting three-bedroomed cube is not like any other building in the village. Ultra-modern with sleek lines and no hint of rural cottage. “I was surprised that planning permission wasn’t an issue” she confesses. “But because it can’t be seen from the road, the application went through smoothly. I got the go ahead within two months of applying”.

“A tree in the garden was my first inspiration” says Katharine “It was old, there long before me, I didn’t want to cut it down, so we designed the house around it”.

The first six months of the build went well but the honeymoon period didn’t last. The roofers went bankrupt and the build came to a stop.

Katharine had already sold her house in London to raise funds. She had no choice but to move into her not remotely ready French house. “It wasn’t ideal, but it actually helped me to refine the plans, and feel how the house could be used.”

House built around a tree

The kitchen is located in the centre of the house and serves both the café and residential side. Filled with light, there’s a mezzanine floor and double height sitting room with huge windows that frame the views, and of course, the old tree. The house is one of a kind here for other reasons too. An ecologically built passive house, it utilises a geothermal heating and dual flow ventilation system. It’s so insulated just one wood stove heats the whole house.

“Everything was much more expensive than I thought possible” admits Katharine. “I had to negotiate hard with the construction company to get a price I could afford”.

The house took two and a half years to build. “On the whole” says Katharine “It wasn’t too bad. I have never regretted it. The issues with the roofers weren’t good but were overcome. Some of the systems were new to the builders but they were willing to learn. The architect was Greek and lived in London and admittedly there was a bit of a culture clash with the builders. But they worked it out and I’m really happy with the result”.

L’Encas and L’Echoppe

Katharine had known from the stat that she wanted to open a café and shop with a hint of London style in this rustic part of France. L’encas and l’echoppe are medieval French words for “in case” and “shop”. And, tucked away from the road, it “seemed like the perfect name for my venture” she says.

“I love decorating a table, setting the places and making it look interesting and beautiful with a mix and match approach. I knew that in France there’s a long tradition and love of table dressing”. So she combined a café with a shop in which she sells vintage and new French, British and European china, cutlery and tableware. It’s an eclectic stock that’s appreciated by mainly French, British and Belgian customers who find their way to this little corner of France.

The café has a superb menu of local produce. Pies and tartes, soups, savoury salads, delicious quiches and dishes flavoured with herbs, spices, edible flowers and zingy dressings. Katharine produces delicious gluten free crispbreads. They’re  stocked in gourmet food stores in London and Paris and served with meals at L’Encas et L’Echoppe. Her gorgeous gateaux have gained a reputation with the locals. Especially the gluten free German poppy seed cake and berry bread and butter pudding cake. Her cake take away service is very popular and features all sorts from pumpkin pie to Christmas cake.

An ongoing adventure

Katharine’s journey has been tough at times, but she says “rewarding, a voyage of self-discovery and a real adventure…”

“I love going back to London” she says “though the congestion drives me mad, so many cars. Here I’m used to the only traffic jam being a couple of cows crossing the road to reach a field! I love my little urban oasis in the French countryside… no” she adds emphatically “no regrets at all”.

leleagouy.com for opening times;

Address: 30 bis, Rue de Maresquel, 62870 Gouy-Saint-André

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British stand-up comedian, mod, expat, goat whisperer (maybe) – and now Chambre d’hote host – Ian Moore’s unique insights into life in the Loire Valley will make you laugh out loud…

Hosts, Goats and Chambres d’Hôtes

There’s a point in my first or second book, probably both, where my wife, Natalie, and I sit down and have one of those ‘The future, what shall we do?’ conversations. We’d already lived in France for a few years, but the weekly commute back to the UK to perform stand-up had left its mark; a hollow eyed ‘dead man walking’ stare whenever I had to leave home and the family, a spine so damaged from overuse of budget airlines that it resembled a fairground helter skelter and a mini-bottle rosé addiction from trying to make the Eurostar feel more glamourous than it actually is. It was time for a change, we agreed. Time for a new chapter in our life.

‘Well one thing we’re definitely not doing,’ I said, tapping the table for emphasis, ‘is opening up our house as a chambres d’hôtes! We moved here for peace and quiet, not for other people.’

Natalie laughed, ‘Can you imagine?’ She snorted, ‘You as a host? Having to be nice to people?’ She could barely control herself now, which was slightly insulting. ‘No, definitely not a chambres d’hôtes!’

A comedian with a B&B in France

Our chambres d’hôtes opened in 2018 in a u-turn so dizzying that the term u-turn itself seems inadequate, It was more a triple axel half loop with salchow and our heads still haven’t stopped spinning. So why the change of heart? Had the sardonic stand-up comic, the professional cynic, mellowed? Was I suddenly, that awful thing, a ‘people person’? Well no, not exactly but in the end, you have to take what you have and work out the best way forward. I wanted to be at home more and concentrate on writing and the French house prices meant that, having sold up in Southern England, we had a big property with numerous outbuildings that would make a fine bed and breakfast independent of the family home. And, despite being told too many times for comfort, that maybe I wasn’t ‘genial host’ material, it was still a no-brainer.

‘I can change,’ I kept repeating, ‘not commuting every week will soften me.’ Of course, this was before French bureaucracy got involved, a combination of rabbit warren and threshing machine that has one purpose in mind, and one purpose only – to break you. For example, the necessary courtesy visit to the local Mairie to tell them of our plans added an extra 5,000€ to the bill when it turned out the new stable for the horse, let’s face it a glorified shed, also needed planning permission.

‘Your horse needs planning permission,’ said the Mayoress apologetically.

‘I don’t think we’ll get her upstairs to your office.’ I replied, to no-one’s amusement.

When renovation on the outbuildings eventually began, it was a massive relief. Not just that the project, eight months after that Mairie visit had finally begun, but that our outbuildings were finally being put to some practical use rather than acting as a Brocante recycling depot. For years we had pitched a stall at the local Brocantes and every year, thanks to Natalie and the children, we’d come back with more needless junk than we’d set out with. Now it was time to end this rigmarole and dump the whole nonsense at the dechetterie. (My favourite French word incidentally, dechetterie, it’s the local refuse tip but literally sounds like De-Shittery – which is exactly what it is.)

Eight fraught months later the place was finished, the gravel for the driveway went in on October 28^th and our first guest arrived the following day, ‘This is beautiful,’ the guest said, ‘have you been open long?’

‘About 40 minutes.’ I muttered under my breath.

Goats can sell B&B nights!

The idea of opening in the depths of winter was our canny way of using what would certainly be just a trickle of guests as Guinea-Pigs while we learnt the Chambres d’hôtes ropes, but immediately we were booked up! We had always reckoned that the heart of the Loire Valley was going to be fairly busy what with the chateaux, the wine and the cheese and so on, but the world famous ZooParc de Beauval just 20 minutes away is open all year round and packed out to boot. Plus, Natalie never stops smugly reminding me, our own mini-farm is partly stocked with animals from the zoo itself. Not Pandas, well not yet anyway, but our goats came from the zoo. They are, and I hate to admit this, a selling point. I’ve had a fractious relationship with the goats. I see now why the Zoo Beauval was so keen to be rid of them. They’re constantly finding new ways to escape their paddock and eat the roses, while encouraging the horse to do the same. I once had to wrestle a goat to the ground in our neighbour’s garden when she complained of being attacked. I carried the thing back home, it clinging to me like a hairy rucksack.

I had complained bitterly about their behaviour for years but was now told that they couldn’t be sent back, that they were, in fact, a non-negotiable asset and I had to put up with it. I stormed out to the field to address the goats personally and in no uncertain terms.

‘Now listen goats,’ I began, finger-wagging at the bemused animals, ‘I’ve had enough. But you play fair and I’ll play fair…’

I gave them the dressing down they thoroughly deserved and felt strangely empowered by my futile actions not realising that while doing so, a crowd had gathered. Three families staying in the chambres d’hôtes had assembled quietly to see what the fuss was all about. What they got was a middle-aged man in a tight-fitting suit reading the riot act to three utterly disinterested farm animals. I went red.

‘New members of staff,’ I said striding off like Basil Fawlty, ‘just breaking them in.’

I expected Natalie to be angry at the show too, but no.

‘That’s it,’ she said, ‘give the punters the angry, absurd, pent up man that’s in your books! That’s a great selling point!’

And that’s how it happens. One minute you think you have to calm down to run a BnB like the perfect host and the next you’ve created your own kind of ‘man at odds with the world’ theme park. A sort of Dollywood for expats. But you know what? It works.

Ian has written two books on living in France and travelling as a comedian. In 2019 his first fiction was published, a crime novel set in the Loire Valley. All his books are available here www.amazon.co.uk/Ian-Moore

And if you fancy a few days at Ian’s Chambres d’hôtes and to watch a grown man swear at livestock, you can see the place here www.lapausevaldeloire.com

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June 2005 was a difficult month for Peter Friend and his partner Mark. After a change of jobs, relocation and redundancy they decided they didn’t want the sort of stressful lives they were leading in marketing and business development for much longer. Considering their skills, passion for travel, good food and wine, setting up their own luxury B&B in France by the time were 40 was their goal. Peter Friend tells how they went from their jobs in the UK to running the No. 1 luxury B&B in France…

Looking for a B&B to run in France

Once we decided we were going to move to France we devoted all our spare time to the search for the ideal property and location. Property pages of the Sunday papers were read from top to bottom, scrolling through endless internet sites until the early hours became a new sport. It was, at times, overwhelming – we had only been on holiday to France a few times and, admittedly, did not know the regions well.

We wanted to be in the south of France for the weather and longer tourist season. We wanted a medium sized town with good amenities, open year-round, with lots to see and do within an hour. The location had to be well connected and accessible by road, rail and air and not reliant on one airport nor one airline. Finally, we did not want to be in an area where there was too large an expat community.

An essential requirement for us was that, when the doors to our new business opened, it had to be a viable business.

From research, we knew the maximum number of rooms for a B&B in France was five and so our search for a minimum of 6 bedrooms was key as was the ability to have all of these rooms as ensuites. Added to this, space for sizable dining room, guest lounges, garden and kitchen were givens… with space for a pool and to develop the business further.

After much searching, we decided the Tarn area would be perfect. We looked at several properties and eventually the details for a house in Mazamet seemed to be absolutely perfect. Eight bedrooms, six of which were already ensuite, a town with a population of 12,000 on the edge of a national park; six airports within 2 hours serving many European destinations and an abundance of space. Add to this the fact that it’s close to several major tourist destinations including fabulous Carcassonne, Toulouse and Albi – it ticked all our boxes.

Finding the dream home

As we drove over the Monts de Lacaune from nearby Roquefort on July day, the clouds began to clear, the temperatures started to climb, and we descended into the town of Mazamet – once famous for its international wool trade. The azure blue skies and the stunning Montagne Noire providing a picture-perfect backdrop and, as we were an hour early for our rendezvous at the property, we made our way into the centre ville. We stumbled across an amazing chocolatier with a queue out the door – which, being British, we dutifully joined.

Mazamet felt right. There was a small Sunday morning market selling the essentials and a few bars where French men sat on the terrace – sipping espressos waiting for their wives to come out from morning mass. What struck us was the beautiful architecture of the buildings in the centre of town which would not have looked out of place along the boulevards of a much larger, grander, town.

As we turned into rue Pasteur, there ‘she’ was – standing proud, the burgundy coloured shutters shining in the summer sun. The moment we set foot through the front door we knew that No. 4, rue Pasteur, Mazamet was meant to be ours.

We learnt that the property was built in 1934 by an accountant in Mazamet’s wool industry. The owners explained that the property needed to be re-wired but that was the extent of the major works need (little did we know then that it would take more than three years to complete all the work!).

When it was time to head home to the UK, we were about an hour into the journey when we pulled off the autoroute to make the call to the estate agent to make an offer… by the time we had reached Calais that evening, we had agreed on a price.

Sorting out the basics

We borrowed funds from a French bank and endured what seemed like an endless stream of paperwork by fax and email. We used a specialist bilingual solicitor to assist with the purchase (money well spent for the peace of mind).

We signed the “compromis du vent” in September which also acted as a second-viewing. We also met a local builder to talk through our plans for renovating and an electrician to obtain a ‘devis’ (quote) for the re-wire.

Just before Christmas 2005, we returned to Mazamet to sign the ‘act definitive’ (the final part of the sale which ended with the handing over the keys to 4 rue Pasteur.

As we returned to our new home and entered the vast and empty property, the reality soon sunk in and so began three years of renovations; many sleepless nights, a flood and a fire.

Meanwhile we continued to work in the UK where we enrolled in evening school to learn French.

By Easter 2009, the year we both celebrated reaching 40, and after countless trips to check on progress, we were made the move to France permanent. By then we’d made many friends with our neighbours, French and English, and found Mazamet a friendly, welcoming place.

Open for Business

We set up a website to promote our B&B named La Villa de Mazamet and less than a week later our first guests arrived.

We invited the Mayor and the local press to an opening day. We printed flyers for local businesses offering a favourable rate and we encouraged every guest to leave us a Trip Advisor review.

Reservations started to trickle in and we built up a good reputation as THE place to stay in the area. Being so close to top ranked destinations like Carcassonne, Toulouse and Albi helps.

Running a B&B as a business (and as your sole income) is hard work, with days starting early and finishing late. Serving dinner as we do for several nights a week significantly adds to your workload.

La Villa de Mazamet has been a dream come true for us. We love welcoming guests from around the world and have met some truly wonderful people, from all walks of life, who have become friends. Guests will often say “if you are coming to our city,  where ever that is, you have a place to stay”. They mean it and we have had some wonderful holidays as a result from Melbourne to Manchester.

2018 was our 10th anniversary season and we are immensely proud that, today, La Villa de Mazamet has been rated one of the top B&Bs in France for eight consecutive years on Trip Advisor, is included in Le Guide Michelin, the Good Hotel Guide and the Sawdays’ guide.

www.villademazamet.com

The post The Good Life in the Tarn running a B&B appeared first on The Good Life France.

We talk to Suzanne Sutton who left the UK for Languedoc Roussillon, southern France. She’s an agent for the award-winning Leggett Immobillier French Estate Agents and says this sunny area is great for expats to live.

Where do you live in France?

I live in a little village of around 90 residents, called Granès, in the Haute Vallée, Aude in Languedoc Roussillon (now known as the Occitanie region). I love it for the sunshine, an average of 300 days a year), the fact I can be skiing or swimming in the Mediterranean Sea – both little  more than an hour from here.

There are Cathar castles and lots of historic sites. I love the myths and legends of Rennes-Le-Chateau, and the peace and quiet, the French way of life and no traffic jams!

What is your home like in Haute Vallée?

It’s a plain-pied villa set in 4000m² of land, which we have extended. Having had builders on site for more than a year, its lovely to look out the window and no longer see a digger or cement mixer!

I fell in love with this place for the stunning daily view from our window, the scenery, the foothills of the Pyrenees and of course the lovely weather.

I wanted the standard ‘wish-list’: walking distance to bakers and bar, within 15 minutes of a supermarket and one hour from an airport.  I got the second two, but not the first – I live in a village with no amenities. I buy bread in bulk and freeze it and go out to meet friends in a bar in a local town, 10 minutes away and catch a taxi back if necessary. There’s always a game of petanque in the village on a Friday night in the summer months and I take a bottle of wine to enjoy with our neighbours.

 What do you love about the area where you now live?

I love to visit Rennes-Le-Chateau; La Cité at Carcassonne; Cathar Castles; skiing; walking; the Mediterranean and taking a day trip to Spain.

I go to ‘home fixtures’ of the local rugby team – attending the meal before the match and to the local ‘rugby bar’ to watch the 6 Nations and autumn international matches. Attending as many village events as possible gets you making friends fast!

What tips do you have for those searching for a home?

• Have a note book with you in the car: jot down notes of any villages you pass through or stop in which ‘tick your boxes’.
• Don’t rush: view villages/towns first before properties. Be prepared to compromise (and not talk to your partner for hours!).
• Don’t view too many properties in one day: you won’t remember them

Tell us a little about your job

The best thing about being an estate agent in France is helping people to live their dream.  A couple came to the ‘Place in the Sun’ Show in May, saw a photo of a property, flew out five days later, had an offer accepted and completed in September – a villa in my village.

There are a range of properties here, small and large village houses and elegant Maisons du Mâitre, Mediterranean style villas and even chateaux. The locations are stunning along the valley of the River Aude and the foothills of the Pyrenees and the Corbiere mountains. This is an area that’s just perfect for those who want to live the good life in France.

View Suzanne’s properties in the Aude

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Mike Collins  from the UK went to France as a young man to study languages. He got a job with a large company and in his job he travelled a lot around France. He loved discovering new places and new tastes and developed a penchant for snails, the very French foodie favourite. On a whim, on one of his travels, he decided to visit a snail farm, sure that he’d find the tastiest escargots possible. He was disappointed when he tried the great classic: snails in garlic sauce. “No personality” is how he describes the dish. He says he thought: “This could be so much better”.

So – he became a British snail farmer in France…

The good life for a snail farmer in France

Mike was deeply unhappy in his corporate role and the disappointing snail dish he tried, inspired him to dream of opening a snail farm of his own. He wanted to grow the best snails he could, and create the tastiest recipes.

Mike says he didn’t rush things. He spent a couple of years researching and studying what snail farming entailed. He worked out the ideal location was in the north of France (famous for its rain). In 2008 he took the plunge, gave up his job and started a small snail farm in the village of Râches, Nord, Hauts de France.

Mike’s two big requirements were for a large garden which needed to be marshy, and to be in a place where he could attract customers. As soon as he saw what is now his house, with its big garden near the regional national Park Scarpe-Escaut, he knew it would be perfect.

It’s a lush, gentle area of wetlands, two major rivers, forests, picturesque villages but close to the cities of Lens, Lille and Arras. The house is on a main road, “about 22,000 cars pass by every day which I knew would be great for trade” says Mike. “Plus, this area is like a cultural melting pot with Brits, Belgians (close to the border) Spanish, Flemish and Dutch expats and tourists. People here are open to innovation in cuisine”.

Setting up at a snail farm

Snails are a much-loved food in France where more than 30,000 tons are consumed annually. Surprisingly less than 5% are farmed in France. Most, including the famous “Burgundy snails”, are imported from eastern Europe. Mike felt that home-grown French snails as a business -must have legs. But, when he told the local mayor about his business proposal “he thought I was crazy, but he was courteous about it” recalls Mike. Undeterred, he told the Mayor that he would place an ornamental snail on the roundabout outside the farm when he achieved success. Go there today, and you can’t miss the giant 2.5m snail statue!

Mike created an enclosure for the snails, what he calls a “park” in the back garden. It didn’t cost much financially to set up he says. But, he invested a lot of time studying snail farming and took courses and passed mandatory exams.

Choose your snails

Only two species of snail are farmed in France: small grey snails -petit-gris (helix aspersa aspersa) and big grey snails – gros-gris (helix aspersa maxima). Mike decided to go for the latter, “they’re much meatier and tastier” he says.

Snail farming started at a “snails pace” he admits, starting with breeding. “Mating takes hours, anything up to two days from start to finish; snails are tantric”. When the tiny babies are born in spring, Mike transfers them by hand, very carefully and slowly, onto wooden posts in the enclosure. “There’s never any certainty in this game. I always panic about them at this stage”.

As they grow, the snails roam freely in the park – but they can’t escape as Mike rubs black soap, a natural repellent, along the top of the fence. “Sometimes they do try for a mass break out, but mostly they’re happy here and they stay in situ”.

Some farms use electric fences, but Mike’s philosophy is about keeping things as natural and ethical as possible.

Organic snails

Mike doesn’t use chemicals or pesticides on his farm. Instead he grows plants the snails love, mustard for instance. “It absorbs nitrogen from the air and transfers it to, and improves the soil. It also provides shelter from rain and sun, the leaves are like umbrellas”.

He trained his dog Wanda to work with ferrets to clear out unwanted visitors – scaring off birds and rodents. The snails take 150 days from egg to maturity and are checked daily by Mike, Wanda and the ferrets. “It’s a lot of work” he confesses, “I doubt if I’ll ever get rich doing this, but I love what I do, it’s my passion”.

The snails are harvested in autumn. They are killed by being dipped in boiling water, “it’s immediate” says Mike. The meat is separated from the shells and blanched. Then it’s rapidly chilled or goes into dishes which are frozen “it’s the best way to retain the nutritional value and the taste”. The shells are scrupulously cleaned and used for presentation.

Successful snail farm

“In theory, we can keep the meat for up to 18 months” says Mike “but that never happens, we always sell out well before that”.

All the work at the farm is done by hand, from harvesting to cleaning and preparation of the dishes. Mike does everything himself but has help at busy times of the year from students who gain valuable work experience for planned careers in the catering and restaurant industry.

It didn’t take long for the locals to discover that despite being British, Mike’s snail farm is one of the best. “Yes, they did think it was crazy that a Brit was growing one of the most French things you could possibly get!” he laughs. “I think they came first for the curiosity factor but now they come for the taste”.

His biggest success has been to develop “heat and serve” snail dishes and now offers dozens of recipes. They range from the classic snails in garlic butter that started him on this route, to snail sausages which are very popular. His smoked snails with goats’ cheese and fig, snails with Roquefort and walnut butter in a wafer case, “tikka masala snails” are also loved by the locals. His reputation and his clientele have grown and the little shop at the farm has daily queues.

Mike now also supplies restaurants and markets, and says he was once “flabbergasted to find Chef Steven Raymon of the Michelin star Rouge Barr restaurant in Lille in my shop”. The chef bought 3000 snails!

Success on the snail trail

This British farmer who is changing the taste of snails in France is “cook, farmer, recipe developer, salesman, book keeper, negotiator and a whole lot more. No two days are ever the same and you have to expect the unexpected”.

Details of the farm and shop address and opening times: www.facebook.com/escargotsfermiers/

The post A British snail farmer in France appeared first on The Good Life France.

We talk to American expat and tour guide Sue Aran who tells how her heart was won by a house in Gascony despite many trials and tribulations…

My husband and I first travelled from Seattle, Washington to Gascony in May 2006 with a couple of friends, looking for a house to purchase together. All of us loved rural France. Our criteria included proximity to airport, train services, village life, doctors and a hospital.  We rented a two-bedroom stone cottage in a small hameau (hamlet) in the Gers, (department 32). It’s often called the Tuscany of southwest France thanks to the great weather and bucolic landscapes.

Looking for a dream house in Gascony

For five weeks we spent mornings sightseeing and visiting local farmers’ markets. In the afternoons we enjoyed alfresco meals and long twilight evenings strolling country roads under a panoply of stars. We put 3,500 kilometres on our rental car looking at 25 houses in various stages of disrepair. A week before the trip ended we saw the last house – a 300-year-old ruin built of stone and colombage (half-timbering) sitting on a knoll in the middle of a 500-hectare farm.

The front door faced east, the rising sun cresting the village of Campagne d’Armagnac. To the south we could glimpse the peaks of the Pyrénées mountains. Just across the road to the west were vineyards and to the north, through the branches of an old oak tree, the 11th century Basque church, Cutxan, rose majestically into the azure blue sky. The ruin had no electricity, no water, and no plumbing. The attic was full of old bottles and rusted tools and the barn was stuffed with ancient farm equipment. An overgrown pond was a watering hole for deer, wild boar, crayfish and herons. For some inexplicable reason my husband and I were smitten. Our friends were not interested at all.

We returned to our respective lives, unable to stop daydreaming about the ruin. Often, we reminded each other of meeting the elderly couple, Jeanette and Roger, who owned the ruin, as welcoming to foreigners as any two people could be. They spoke a Gascon patois almost indecipherable, especially Roger, but each possessed a joie de vivre that was clearly communicable. In October we decided to go back to the Gers to see if the magic was still there. We stepped off the plane in Bordeaux, picked up a rental car and drove south. Once actually at the ruin, we felt like we had come home. We hadn’t the faintest idea that 8 years after purchasing the property we would be mired in the French court system, tied up in legal bureaucratic knots and intrigues and separated by more than an ocean.

We purchased our half hectare (1 acre) property for 70,000 euros, approximately 100,000 dollars. The whole process took 6 months. The following year we returned and interviewed local builders and chose one highly recommended by the only other American couple we knew there. As a former architectural designer, I drew up a set of plans and researched local building codes. I submitted six different sets of plans, each summarily rejected by the head of the local building department, Monsieur Lafitte. However, after visiting him in person, the plans were approved.

Renovation began the next year. We arrived at the end of April, hopeful the project would be completed by mid-summer. We planned to sell our house in the States and move permanently to France. After our first walk-through of the house, we discovered our builder was more charming than competent: everything from the foundation to the roof needed to be redone – our renovation needed to be renovated. We fired the builder and subsequently hired two building experts and two attorneys. The second building expert, hired by us but appointed by the court, first found in our favour then, remarkably, retracted his ruling three months later. We waited to sell our house in the States until we had a home to live in. Our dream house sat untouched for the next 4 years.

The following April, in 2011, we filed an appeal and returned to France only to have the judge tell us we had no right to question a court-appointed expert. Our new attorney changed his strategy and we filed for another court hearing. Each year, for two more years, we would return hopeful a final court date would be set, but each year the builder was granted a postponement. In 2013 we were finally allowed to continue work on our house, but the lawsuit lingered, our retirement fund was depleted, and my husband decided he would never return to France.

Expat in Gascony

I made the big leap across the pond, alone. I applied for a visa and hired an international moving company. By returning every year and immersing ourselves into the life of our village, we’d been able to harvest deep and lasting friendships and an appreciation for the quality of life in southwest France which provided the support I now needed to begin my life anew. The lawsuit was finally heard September 2014. My ex-husband and I were awarded rien, nothing.

I was disappointed, to say the least, but not disheartened for this is where my heart truly resides. Who hasn’t felt the urge to drop everything and follow their dream regardless of the cost?

The Gascons genuinely embrace the joy of living. The simple pleasures of life are the most important: family, friends, good cuisine and lively conversation. Well-being is not a luxury but an ordinary, daily prerogative. Economically, the cost of medical care, car and home insurance, utilities, taxes and food are a fraction of what they cost in the States.

I can purchase a freshly baked, mouth-watering almond croissant or a crusty baguette at my local bakery for incredibly good value and a glass of good local wine is cheaper than a glass of sparking water.

My property taxes are a fraction of what they would be in the States, a doctor’s visit 23 euros. Even airline tickets are less expensive when purchased overseas. This has allowed me to travel around the world visiting my stateside children and friends when they are not traveling to visit me.

When I arrived nearly 12 years ago, I assumed the Earth was round and the sun set in the west, but I’ve discovered that lawyers have feelings, tomorrow was yesterday and pigs can fly.

I have had many incredible adventures and learned much about myself through living in another culture. Instead of my world becoming smaller at this stage of my life, it has become larger and I will feel forever grateful.

Sue Aran runs tours of Gascony sharing her insider knowledge of its secret gems, most mouth-watering markets, picturesque villages and glorious countryside at French Country Adventures.

The post The good life in Gascony for expats appeared first on The Good Life France.

The idea began, as many good ideas do, in the pub. Rebecca Randall, a criminal barrister and husband Greg who works in the City came to the realisation that they didn’t want to be commuting to and working in London until they reached 70.

“Several glasses in and one of us (we still aren’t sure who to blame) came up with the bright idea of moving to France and setting up a gite business. Brilliant. Easy. What could possibly go wrong?”

Rebecca had spent time in France as an au pair when she was young. Greg had been on a boys’ holiday to Le Touquet. “I had done French at A Level. My husband could order a beer. We were clearly well equipped to make an incisive, life-changing decision” Rebecca laughs.

Finding the dream in Dordogne

They did though do considerable and in-depth research of the kind that involves holidays staying in chateaux, drinking wine and sitting by a pool. They decided that the Dordogne was the region for them and that they could afford to buy somewhere that needed a little bit of renovation. “We thought we could cope with maybe a new bathroom or kitchen, but nothing – repeat, nothing – major”.

They drove thousands of kilometres but there was nothing that got their hearts racing and butterflies fluttering. That is, nothing until a rainy, miserable day in March 2016.

“On a dull, wet morning we saw an incredibly beautiful house with a large gite. It was designed to perfection and we wouldn’t have had to so much as lift a paintbrush. I wanted it. In the afternoon, our agent persuaded us to go and see one more property that she had on her books. It was a Mill and she uttered the fateful words, “you need a bit of vision” – and my heart sank.

Nevertheless, off we went to see Moulin de Fontalbe not far from Bergerac. We got lost on the way and had a small marital disagreement. By the time we finally drove through the gates I was in no mood to have vision for anything, apart from a glass of wine.

The Mill was enormous and had been abandoned for several years. Roofs needed repairing, there was no kitchen or bath-room. It felt unloved. It was in a nice spot, but that was all. It was too big a project, I told Greg, we should just forget it” says Rebecca.

They returned to their hotel and discussed the day’s viewings. Greg was very taken with the Mill, Rebecca wasn’t, but as they talked, she says she started to come around.

Falling in love with a mill

The next day was beautifully sunny and they decided to revisit the Mill. “What a difference a day makes. We realised that the Mill was effectively on its own private island, with a huge mill pond and lake, plus forest either side. The stone walls glowed in the sun. It was picture perfect and truly unique. We both felt our pulses quicken and knew that our search could be over. What we didn’t know until it had utterly captured our hearts was that there was no mains water, a complicated sluice system and an insufficient and antique electricity supply. But, it was too late by then…”

Rebecca and Greg are now the proud owners of Moulin De Fontalbe and say they feel “privileged to own a beautiful property nestled in the middle of the Dordogne countryside, close to Saint-Avit Senieur with its UNESCO listed medieval abbey, picturesque villages and a long, winding river. Everyone that we have met has been welcoming and helpful”.

Their plan is to turn the Mill into a beautiful home plus a 6-bedroom gite with a yoga studio. It’s an enormous project, not just the house and gite to renovate but 16 acres of land, forest, three fields and a quarry. In the meantime, home is a caravan whilst the work is ongoing. “It is tough, stressful and incredibly expensive but it will all be worth it in the end” says Rebecca.

“The mill is starting to share its secrets with us and I’m looking forward to the days when, once again, it is filled with friends, laughter, chatter and love. Our agent found our original brief the other day.  It says, “don’t mind a bit of painting and decorating, but no major projects”….

Tempted by Bergerac?

Local estate agent Corrie Phillips of Leggett Immobillier says on the surface Bergerac is a quiet and understated city. Look a little closer and it is not difficult to understand what is attractive about living here. It has a temperate climate with longer summers and cool winters, making it conducive to a more outdoor lifestyle. There is something to do for all ages, from Go-​Karting, to canoeing, wine tasting from one of the​ 120​ wine producers​ of the region​, or shopping at one of several weekly markets. If all this becomes too much, then people watching from one of the many cafés offers a welcome rest.

With an International airport and major train station, Bergerac has excellent transport links to the rest of France and further affield.

Rebecca blogs about her adventures when she has time at Fontalbe.com

The post Finding the ideal property in the Dordogne appeared first on The Good Life France.

Years ago, expats in France who wanted an income usually took the gite route. Gites really took off in the 1950s when the French Government introduced a gite classification system to breathe new life into rural economy and British expats in particular saw the attraction. These days expats are becoming more and more entrepreneurial and creating jobs for themselves in less traditional areas of business.

Location location location

Nicknamed the “Tuscany of France”, the Tarn lies north east of Toulouse. Sunflowers cover the rolling hills, picturesque medieval villages abound, and dramatic canyons impress. Charlotte Corner and Marcus Gough and Melanie and James Sewell from Coventry, England, moved to the Tarn in 2015. Charlotte and Mel are sisters and the couples are also great friends who had a vision. They’re in their 30’s and like an increasing number of people, didn’t want to wait until retirement to move to France to live the good life.

After ten years of taking holidays in France, and much planning, they gave up their jobs and moved to the village of Espinas in the Tarn et Garonne, part of the new super region Occitanie.

“We were inspired to move to this area after a wonderful holiday in 2013 – this place just seemed to ‘click’ and we were won over by the beauty of local towns and villages, especially Saint Antonin Noble Val. It felt like there was a lot going on and that it was a place you could live in, not just a place for holidays” says Marcus.

The lure of the Tarn

They knew they had to earn an income and their dream was to run a business they were passionate about – cycling. The scenic and quiet roads of the Tarn make it an ideal place for cyclists. There are more than 2000km of cycling trails in the department and all tourist offices offer free maps. The Véloroute de la Vallée du Tarn, for example, takes cyclists on a 380km-long journey across the northern half of the region. Starting from the roman ruins of Montans, it leads to the Pays Albigeois, home to typical medieval bastides such as Lisle-sur-Tarn or Puycelsi. The route ends in Albi, the largest town in the region, a landscape dominated by the stunning red-bricked Sainte Cécile Cathedral – listed World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2010 – and its episcopal city.

They started with a search for a house big enough for all of them. And they needed space to set up their business with lots of storage and accommodation. And it all needed to be in a really picturesque part of France.

The couples fell head over heels for this area at the junction of three regions Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne and Aveyron. “The landscape is spectacular” Mel enthuses “a combination of rolling hills and oak forests, impressive river gorges and medieval hilltop towns glowing golden in the sunshine”.

They love the impressive Gorges D’Aveyron, perfect to visit by bike, market day in Saint Antonin Noble Val is superb and they love the chance to enjoy wine tasting in the Gaillac vineyards. “Taking a tour of the bastide towns including Cordes sur Ciel, a trip to the city of Albi (a UNESCO world heritage site), a visit to the Royal chateau fortress at Najac, the cascades of the Bonnette river or the lush Foret de Gresigne” are just a few of their favourite things.

Finding the dream

“We searched for hours and hours online making long lists, then short listed those lists until we had a selection of houses we wanted to view” Marcus says. In the end, they had 50 properties that were potential for their home/business goal. It took them a month to view them all until they saw “the one” close to the lovely town of Saint Antonin Noble Val.

Their house is a large, Quercy style farmhouse with the date of 1786 above the door. It sits in six acres with its own woodland and surrounding meadows. The main house was mostly renovated so they were able to move in straightaway allowing them to concentrate their efforts on renovating the barn and creating cabin accommodation for their cycling business.

“We also had to claw back the gardens from a very wet spring which had led to the grass growing six feet high! We spent a lot of those early days, weeding, strimming and mowing!” they say.

Soon after they arrived, they were invited to take part in the Channel 4 TV series, A New Life in the Sun. “The camera crew captured some great footage of our ‘before and after’ transformation which has given us a fantastic record of our achievements but did occasionally distract us from making progress” says Jim.

Starting a cycling business in France

The couple say they knew it wasn’t going to be easy to set up their new business in France. “We had no problems sorting out the sale of our houses in the UK, buying the property in France, finances, setting up websites etc but when it came to the official paperwork we didn’t want to risk getting it wrong” Marcus says. They hired an English-speaking company in France that helps expats resettle, set up business and sort out life in France. Not having to worry about paperwork freed them up to work on making their company exactly what they dreamed of.

Living the dream

The support from the town hall and their neighbours in Espinas has been overwhelming say the couples. They’ve been made to feel welcome and part of the community and really feel as though they belong.  “We’ve definitely adapted” Charlotte says. “Some things take a bit of getting used to like the fact that everything stays closed for lunch and how much form filling there can be! And we miss friends, family, even the rain some days – but those things are outweighed by all of the other special things that living in France offers. We particularly love the French approach to hospitality, there is something very civilised about the time and care taken to prepare and eat a meal – eating in France is an occasion not just a necessity!”

For these young entrepreneurs the move to France has been everything they dreamed of and more.

The post Expat Brits set up cycling business in the beautiful Tarn region, France appeared first on The Good Life France.

Nice might seem like an obvious place to settle if one is planning to move to France. After all, the Cote d’Azur is the second most touristed spot in France, after Paris But it wasn’t even on my list when I decided to fulfill my lifelong dream to live in France.

I never considered moving to Paris. I have lived in New York for the last 50 years and I wanted to get away from the metropolis. I was seeking a more laid-back lifestyle. At 64, newly retired and financially comfortable, I decided to spend 3-4 months each year in a different part of France to decide which area most suited me.

My first scouting trip took me to Brittany and Normandy. I spent a month in each. Beautiful places, but too much rain and not warm enough for me. Also, I couldn’t imagine living in a region that produced no wine. I crossed them off my list.

The second year I went South. First a month in Antibes. Visiting in March, I found it to be authentically French, a great walking town and tempting. But it is a small town (population 75,000). And after a month I wanted somewhere a bit busier.

I went to the even smaller Sanary-sur-mer, (population 17,000) a postcard-perfect seafront town, in the Var region between Toulon and Marseille. I fell in love with it. As one of only  three Americans in town, I was an object of some curiosity and quickly made a circle of friends. My social life was active, including private visits to some of the Bandol estates, but still I wanted something busier.

The following year I discovered Southwest France. First St. Jean de Luz, a delightful beach resort in the Pays Basque close to the Spanish border. One of the nicest beaches I’ve seen anywhere, great food, a welcoming environment. But, in the end, too small for me, even with Biarritz and the very pretty city of Bayonne nearby.

On to Bordeaux, where I spent the month of July on the bassin d’Arcachon, and August in the nearby suburb of Bouliac. Bordeaux seemed perfect to me. I came back the following February. It was cold and wet.

Year 4 I decided to check out Nice, which I knew a little from my stay in Antibes and where I had an old friend from New York. And finally the pieces all fell into place. I fell in love for good.

I came back 3 years in a row, just to make sure. But this is the real thing. Nice (the 5th or 6th largest city in France, depending on whether you count the metro area) has everything I wanted. A lively cultural life. A climate that never gets below freezing. And more. Almost everyone in Nice, including the French, come from somewhere else, so outsiders are easily accepted. An international city where the lingua franca is as much English or Italian as French. Easy public transportation. The second largest airport after Paris with direct flights to everywhere, including New York. A city as much Italian as French and only 40 minutes from Italy. And the laid-back lifestyle I craved. Sort of a southern California lifestyle on the Mediterranean.

I am, finally, home.

Evelyn Ehrlich lives happily in Nice with her dog.

What’s it really like to live in France? 
The good life for expats in Cannes
How to buy affordable property on the Cote d’Azur

The post Choosing a Home in France appeared first on The Good Life France.