After falling in love with the Charente region of France, Mary Cadogan and husband Mick moved there and opened a cookery school. Words Catherine Goddard
"We have always enjoyed coming to France on holiday. As a food writer, one of the attractions for me is the wonderful local produce in every region. Five and a half years ago, we decided to buy a holiday home so we could spend more time here. We wanted somewhere close enough to the Channel to be easily accessible, far enough south to get better weather, but not too well known. 0 0 0
Initially, we looked to the north, in the Vienne region, but couldn't find any interesting towns or countryside that really attracted us. Then we found The Charente, a hidden gem that seemed to have it all.
The region is largely rural, with rolling hills as well as flatter plains. The river Charente, which snakes through the landscape, is never far away. The Atlantic coast is in comfortable reach and the stretch from La Rochelle to Royan is very beautiful, with the bonus of providing superb oysters and shellfish.
Having looked at some remote farms, we decided that being too far off the beaten track would be a culture shock. The beautiful stone property we chose is on the edge of a lively village with a daily market and essential shops. And the large town of Angouleme is only 20 minutes away.
We are right by the river and count ourselves lucky to live close to its tranquillity and calmness, not to mention its wildlife and impeccably clean waters, which we use for swimming and canoeing.
When we bought the house, there was quite a bit of work to do, but thankfully nothing structural. Even in its poor state, it felt like somewhere we could be happy. We managed most of the renovation ourselves, but whenever we were out of our depth we enlisted help from local artisans.
Read the full article in our August 2009 issue.
