Like many couples, we had long dreamed of living in France. We fell in love with a 19th-century fairytale chateau with 45 rooms, seven outbuildings, 12 acres of land, and even a moat! Swapping our two-bedroom flat in Southend on Sea for an abandoned and derelict castle in the heart of the Pays de la Loire, we embarked on the adventure of a lifetime with our children, Arthur and Dorothy.

A Year at the Chateau follows us from the moment we moved to France in the depths of winter. We discovered bedrooms infested with flies, turrets inhabited by bats, the wind rattling through cracked windows, and just one working toilet, which flushed into the moat. Our story takes you through the monumental efforts that went into readying the Chateau for our wedding and the incredibly special first Christmas.

Along the way, you'll find glorious descriptions of rural life in France, with charming characters, delicious food, seasonal produce, and extraordinary renovations and restorations, many of which did not appear in the TV series.

This book is printed in paperback.

ISBN 978-1841884639