Escape to the Chateau DIY (2018–2021): Season 5, Episode 5 - Episode #5.5 - full transcript
Dick: I'm Dick Strawbridge.
Along with my wife Angel
and our two children...
Arthur: Welcome aboard, mateys!
Dick: we're now 5 years
into restoring
this once-abandoned chateau.
Angel: Oh, it's beautiful.
Dick: It's brought
its challenges...
Angel: Oh! Oh!
Dick: and some
amazing rewards...
Angel: Thank you for my
flower garden, Mr. Strawbridge.
Dick: and across France,
there are dozens of other Brits
who are on their own
chateau adventure.
Woman: Yay!
Dick: We'll meet
some old friends...
- Smile.
- I am.
Dick: and new faces...
Man: These rooms really haven't
been touched in 60 years.
Dick: and we'll reveal more
about our own chateau life.
Angel: It is so much better
in real life.
Dick: There'll be highs...
Woman: Yes!
Dick: and lows...
- Oh, no!
- Oh!
Man: God, what a disaster.
Dick: as these plucky Brits...
Woman: Time is money.
Dick: transform these
once-unloved buildings
into incredible homes...
Woman: I just cannot believe
how much work you put in for us.
Dick: as well as businesses
and get to live the dream
as custodians
of their very own castle.
Woman: Cheers, everybody.
Dick: Today...
Julia: Bonjour.
Melissa: How's
my bedroom coming along?
Dick: one chateau owner's
under pressure
to get ready
for family get-togethers.
Julia: It's a very rewarding
feeling, actually,
doing this bit.
Dick: A couple's search
for a chateau
with music-venue potential
continues...
Joshua: This is lovely.
I can see it already,
string quartets or piano.
It's the perfect size, really.
Dick: and it's the launch
of a fine dining
and floristry weekend.
Tim: OK, so we'll forget this.
We'll do this later.
Ooh, crikey.
It's show time.
Ah, I'm not ready.
Ah! OK.
Dick: When turning
a neglected French castle
into a much-loved home
and thriving business,
it helps to have a vision
and a passion for the project,
but before renovations
can begin,
a very important decision
has to be made--
choosing the right place to buy.
Manchester couple
Joshua and Lee,
who both work in finance,
have been on the hunt
for their fairytale home
since they met 3 years ago.
Joshua: Yeah, I think we've
probably looked
at every online advert for
every chateau in all of France,
but it's exciting now that
we're really sort of getting
to the next phase of hopefully
finding that dream property.
Dick: They've come
to Western France
to focus their search
and hope their £450,000 budget
finds them space enough
for paying guests
and allows pianist Joshua
to set up a music venue.
Lee: The major thing
is the land
and the outbuildings,
having the scope
of not just having the chateau,
but also having
other business potentials,
as well.
Dick: So far,
they've seen two options.
The first chateau
offered plenty of room,
but proximity to a busy road
left worries about noise.
Joshua: Is this the back
of the house with the garden?
Man: This is the back
of the house. Yeah. Yes.
That's why you hear the road,
because the road
is not far from here.
Joshua: OK.
Dick: The second chateau,
though over budget,
had period features
that hit the mark.
Joshua: This is amazing.
The floor is incredible
and the windows so bright.
The light coming in
is really nice.
Dick: Now there are two more
chateaus lined up to see.
The first is a 4-bedroom,
19th-century beauty
on the market for £370,000.
It's located in the center
of the village
of Argenton L'Eglise...
- Good morning.
- Morning.
Dick: where they're meeting
agent Tamasin.
Joshua: Thank you.
It's beautiful.
Tamasin: Well, I'm glad you like
it on this gorgeous morning.
The chateau was built
for a local landowning family
in 1872, so this was the sign
of their wealth.
Joshua: There's a lot of history
with the house.
Tamasin: Yes. Yeah.
There is a lot of history.
Joshua: Yeah.
Dick: 1 1/4 acres of land
comes with the sale,
which includes outbuildings
as well as a gite
plus a private stretch of canal.
Now to see
what's on offer inside.
Tamasin: Come on in
to the main hall.
That's your classic entrance
into the middle,
so the rooms go to the left
and to the right,
and you go from one room
into the next,
which is called in anfilade.
Joshua: Yeah, those lovely,
typical, French hallways,
is it, with the doors
either side, like you said.
Tamasin: OK, so
we're into the salon,
or the drawing room.
Joshua:
Beautiful fireplace. Wow.
Tamasin: Yeah.
Joshua: The color is lovely,
I think, as well.
Actually, it's quite my taste.
Tamasin: A lovely
chandelier there.
Joshua: A lovely chandelier
would be fantastic there,
wouldn't it?
Dick: As long as the electrics
are in good order,
light fittings
can be sorted out.
More important
to keen host Joshua
is the size
of the chateau kitchen.
Tamasin: OK, so we got
the lovely, big, eat-in kitchen.
Joshua: Yeah. It's beautiful.
This is what I imagine
a big, French,
country kitchen to be like.
Lee: It's a good size.
It's lovely.
Tamasin: It's mains water.
There's also a well here,
so you can water the garden
without worrying
about your water bill.
Joshua: Oh, that's very good.
Lee: And the central heating,
is that oil?
Tamasin: Yeah. It's oil-fired.
Dick: They're asking
the right sort of questions.
The cost of central heating
is very important,
and it's good to know
what you've got.
Lee: First impressions,
it's a handsome property.
The only thing is the location.
With us hosting events outside,
maybe the neighbors
would get a little bit annoyed
with the noise.
Dick: Not sounding
very positive, but who knows?
There's still upstairs to see.
Around 200 miles southeast
is Chateau La Mas de Pradie.
The 17-room property sits
in a 15-acre estate
and comes with outbuildings,
including two gites,
a pigeonnier, and a barn.
Last occupied by renowned,
French artist Bernard Dufour,
it was bought 3 months ago
by artist
and interior designer Julia
for £278,000,
who has slowly been
transforming it into her home.
Julia: My background
is as an artist,
and I bought a property
of an artist here,
and it's just really nice
to keep that going.
The property has huge potential.
I'm going to be gardening.
I'm gonna be decorating,
doing the place up.
Dick: Located 68 miles
from Toulouse,
with the help
of her visiting sisters,
Julia's already transformed
the kitchen
and the dining room.
Julia: This place felt
like home straightaway,
and even my sister Melissa
has commented
that, even after we'd been here
only a couple of days,
we both actually said
to each other,
"It feels like
we've always been here."
It really does feel like home.
Dick: Her sisters are returning
to the chateau later in the year
for a big family Christmas
and are keen to find out
if the guest rooms
will be ready.
- Hello.
- Bonjour.
Sarah: So how's it all
going, Julie?
Melissa: How's my bedroom
coming along?
Julia: I'm going to start
painting very pale pink.
It's going to look amazing
with this wallpaper
which I've ordered.
Sarah: You're really into
the wallpapers all of a sudden.
Julia: I know.
They're exceptional.
Sarah: Oh, there's not parrots
in every room?
Julia: It's not parrots.
Sarah: OK. Good.
Can't have parrots
in every room.
Julia: No.
Melissa: Fantastic. Can't wait.
Sarah: All righty. Bye.
Julia: Bye. Bye.
- Bye.
- Bye. Good-bye.
Julia: Bye.
The goal is,
they're all coming out
with the families
for Christmas.
I want to get
their rooms finished.
I want to get as much
as I can done with the chateau
so it's looking
as good as possible.
Dick: Julia needs to crack on
if she's going to get her
sisters' rooms finished in time,
but there's
an even more urgent job
she needs to get done
before their stay.
Julia: The septic system
I have here,
it overflowed a few weeks ago,
not pretty.
I had to get a man in
to pump it all out.
He kept pointing at my house,
saying, "Big house,"
and then pointing at my system,
saying, "Little system,"
and then laughing.
Dick: With 4 bathrooms as well
as a kitchen to cope with,
an overflowing septic tank
is no joke,
especially as Julia will be
opening her chateau
to paying guests.
Julia: The original tanks
that are here are not compliant
with today's systems
and regulations,
so I knew it was one of the
first jobs that had to be done.
Dick: New, two-meter-tall tanks
are due to be installed.
Julia: The tanks are much bigger
than I expected
when I saw them delivered.
They're huge.
Dick: And there's
another problem.
The local area is known
for an extensive,
prehistoric cave system,
and Julia's chateau estate
is right on top of it,
meaning the local authorities
have asked for a change of plan.
Julia: They had a concern
about the drain water
coming out of the septic.
They don't want it draining
down into the caves,
and cave paintings
is what they're actually
concerned about.
There are some amazing
cave paintings down there,
so, obviously,
it's very important
to preserve these things.
They find skeletons down there.
They've found pottery
down there.
They've found artifacts,
so there's amazing history
in these caves
that they need to preserve.
Dick: To play
her part in preservation,
Julia suggested rerouting
the expelled water
away from the cave.
Julia: So instead
of running down here,
which is the obvious place
because it drains downwards,
we're going to need to take it
across into that paddock,
so we've had
the water people here,
and they got people here.
They've all agreed
on what we can do,
and it has to be signed off
by the head person,
and I think the mayor
has to sign off, as well.
We are hoping nothing else
gonna go wrong
and they don't change
their mind. Who knows?
Dick: With a new proposal
in the pipeline,
let's hope there's no more
unwelcome escapes
from the chateau
wastewater system
and Julia can lay
her groundwork soon.
In Northern France
is the magnificent
19th-century Chateau des Lys.
With over 50 rooms,
it's situated
in a 15-acre wooded estate.
Tim, Margreeth,
and their son Joe
have lived here for 6 years.
They're still growing their B&B
and events business
and getting to grips
with their massive home.
Tim: It depends
how you count it.
I mean, I count it, I think
we--I had about 84 rooms.
Margreeth: And I had about 12.
[Laughter]
Tim: I mean, how many kitchens
there are,
that's an interesting question.
- 1, 2, 3, 4...
- About 6?
Tim: yeah, 5, 6,
so 7 kitchens.
Yep. Ha ha ha!
Dick: Located an hour
from Calais,
this year, they've turned
their library
into a new events space...
Tim: It's got the wow factor
a bit, hasn't it, this one now?
Margreeth: Oh, definitely.
Dick: and created
a potager garden
to grow produce for themselves
and guests.
Margreeth: It's very exciting.
You just really feel
like you're getting there.
Dick: The first harvest
is needed for the launch
of the £450-a-head
flower weekend
when 14 guests are booked
for floristry workshops
and fine dining
in the renovated library.
Tim: So what do you think?
Margreeth:
Oh, it's looking lovely.
It's looking really good.
Dick: Tim's the chateau's
regular chef,
but to take things up a notch,
he's calling on the expertise
of a local professional
to help with a 5-course meal
as a culinary highlight.
Tim: He's one of the best cooks
I've come across
for a long, long time.
We'll be designing
a menu together,
and he'll probably teach me
how to cook
some of the stuff
I don't know how to cook.
Dick: They've traveled 5 miles
to meet Chef Etienne
at his restaurant
in Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
for some ideas on how to use
their bumper crop of pumpkins.
Tim: Voila. Ha ha ha!
- Wonderful. Ha ha!
- Yes.
Tim: [Speaks French]
Margreeth: Oui.
Etienne: We can make
a lot of things with that.
We can make a soup for sure,
and then we can add some mussels
because I think
that that's the best season
for the mussels now,
and when I see the color,
I imagine the mussels with that.
Dick: Etienne's also
giving them a lesson
in how to prepare
the rest of the meal.
Etienne: Follow me.
We're gonna make...
a starter, so we have
wonderful tomatoes here.
- Beautiful.
- Oh, they're lovely.
Etienne: We just make
a small tomato sauce
that's very tasty.
Then we have
organic goat cheese.
Dick: Tim wants to feature
their estate-reared ducks
in the main course.
Etienne's demonstrating
how he cooks
individual portions of meat
in his kitchen.
Etienne: So we're just gonna
put some salt,
and we're gonna cook it slowly.
The fat's gonna melt a bit,
and it's gonna become crispy.
Tim: Yes, and this
is the same technique
you're going to use
for the duck?
- Yes...
- Yeah.
Etienne: so now you can see
that the fat is crispy.
- Wow. Looking good.
- Wow. It's perfect.
Etienne: Here, we have
some flowers of oregano.
Tim: I'm really learning
a lot with this.
This is my favorite thing,
watching other cooks work.
You know, I really like that.
- And eating.
- Yeah, and eating.
[Laughter]
Dick: Getting perfect dishes
out to 14 discerning diners
is no mean feat,
and Etienne won't be there
for service on the night.
Etienne: And after, we're just
gonna finish the cooking
in the oven,
still with the herbs and garlic.
Margreeth: Mm.
Dick: While the meat
finishes cooking,
Etienne shows them how
to prepare the tomato starter.
Etienne: So here, we just had
to cut the skin of the tomatoes.
- Then we have some basil.
- Wow.
Etienne: Take the flowers of it,
gonna add some crunch,
so just some seeds
that we're gonna add
to have some crunch.
Margreeth: It looks so amazing.
Tim: Oh...
Margreeth: What is that crunch?
That's great.
Etienne: And in the sauce,
we have what we call caillette.
It's, like, all the parts
you don't use, nobody.
Mix it with garlic, herbs.
French cooking
is really the juice.
When you don't have the juice,
you lost part of the taste.
Tim: Yeah. Well...
Dick: All looks delicious.
Etienne: Thank you very much.
You're welcome.
Dick: Let's hope Tim
can use what he's learned today
for the guests
at the flower weekend's
5-course gourmet meal.
- Thank you so much.
- Thank you so much.
Tim: Yep.
Dick: 235 miles southwest,
couple Joshua and Lee
are viewing
a 19th-century chateau
with agent Tamasin.
Tamasin: First floor...
Joshua: Yes.
Tamasin: which is a bit
less finished.
Dick: Close proximity
to the neighbors
has raised concerns.
What about the bedrooms?
Tamasin: This is
the main bedroom.
Joshua: OK. Yeah.
Tamasin: This side
is south-facing.
Joshua: OK, so that's
why it's getting
the lovely light
bathing in through the windows,
very nice,
the typical, French fireplace
in the bedroom, as well.
It's lovely.
Tamasin: Probably not been used
for a very long time,
not since there was staff
in the house.
Joshua: I don't think
we can afford staff.
Lee: I am the staff.
Dick: I know the feeling, Lee.
On this floor,
there are 3 more bedrooms
and two bathrooms,
plus the floor above
has a 750-square-foot attic.
Joshua: The beams
are actually quite high.
Tamasin: Yeah.
Joshua: Some of them
that we've seen,
the beams are sort of
at waist height,
so you can't really do
very much with it.
Tamasin: Yeah.
You could definitely add
extra space up here.
Dick: Whilst Joshua
has his eyes upwards,
Lee may have spotted
a downside.
Lee: I guess this
is over rotten...
Tamasin: I don't know,
to be honest.
Lee: spongy floor.
- Yes!
- Yes. Yes. It is. OK.
- A hole.
- Surprise hole, so, yeah,
Lee: so has the building been
treated for woodworm?
Tamasin: Not that I know of, no.
Lee: Right. OK.
Dick: Very observant, Lee,
and woodworm
isn't the only threat
to untreated timbers.
Termites are something
to watch for
in more southerly parts
of France.
Joshua: I've seen enough
up here, I think, yeah?
Dick: Time to reflect on whether
this village-center chateau
cuts the mustard.
Lee: It's a lovely chateau.
The interior's been done up
quite well.
I think the only thing
that lets it down
is the fact that it's
in the middle of a town.
Joshua: What we've realized now
is that no close-by neighbors
is what we need just to ensure
that we don't disturb anyone.
Dick: Looks like the couple's
hunt for space and seclusion
to run their musical
business venture continues.
Like most of our fellow Brits
with dreams
of owning a castle in France,
being able to share
the adventure with others
is a big part
of the appeal for Angel and I.
It smells good, looks good.
This counts as a result.
At our place, that's also meant
turning the old coach house
into a home for Angel's parents.
This is a very different
building
from the one that was there
this morning.
Creating space outside
has given us challenges.
Delivering materials
for the new coach house patio
was a hardcore problem,
but now we're getting
the gravel, the sand,
the cement delivered so we can
mix it and pour it in there.
We would actually have got
one of the big--
you know, the big, turning
around lorries full of it,
just put a big tube in there,
but unfortunately,
getting it in through
the building and out the back
is just that little bit
too far.
Putting a patio
in the walled garden
wasn't something the original
builders allowed for,
so the raw materials
had to be lifted up and over...
but the end result make
all the hard work worthwhile.
- What do you reckon?
- I can't believe it.
- Hey, look outside.
- Ha ha ha!
- Mwah!
- Thank you.
Dick: Nearly 300 miles
southeast,
the groundwork for Julia's
sewage system upgrade has begun.
Julia: We got permission
first thing yesterday morning
after being held up
from last week,
when it was withdrawn.
Our septic tanks
are finally going in.
I've been waiting for this day
since I got here
to get these tanks in,
and once they're in,
once they're working,
I'll be very happy.
Pipes bring waste
from the chateau to the tanks.
The output is then sent
well away from the caves.
Julia: Since we've
started digging,
work's going pretty well,
but we have hit bedrock
with the digger,
so that has slowed things down,
so they had to get
what's called a pecker in
to peck away at the rock
to try and break it up.
Dick: The plumbing engineer
in charge of the project
is Simon, a Brit who's lived
locally for 15 years.
Julia: Hi, Simon.
How's it going?
Simon: Yeah, not so bad,
thanks, not so bad.
After a day of breaking rock,
we're level
and ready to put
the filter system in,
but we're having to go
really carefully
because of the cave system.
Although we know that there's
a big gallery underneath,
we don't know about
the depth of the ceiling,
so we're gonna have to be
really, really careful
on the rock there because
the last thing we want
is an unexpected visit into
the prehistoric cave system.
Dick: With the main
tank pit now dug,
the risk to the cave below
has passed,
and after leveling the ground...
the second tank is lowered in.
Simon: It's gone in really well.
In terms of the levels,
it's gone in perfectly,
which I'm really happy about.
Dick: Tanks in place, they're
covered with sand and gravel,
and Julia can look forward
to relandscaping the grounds
in front of her home.
Julia: I'm really excited
because the terrace
is going to be created
over the top of the tanks
and running along
the whole front of the house,
and I think it's gonna make
a huge difference
to how the whole
front of the house looks.
Dick: Whilst Julia awaits
to start her outdoor terrace,
she's making headway
with sister Melissa's bedroom.
As well as revealing
original timbers,
Julia plans to showcase
a vintage find
that belonged
to the previous owner.
Julia: This is a beautiful,
old chaise lounge
that we found up in the attic
covered in dust.
We brought it down.
We vacuumed it for hours.
Melissa just loves it,
so she wanted it in her room.
The artist who used
to live here, Bernard Dufour,
this chaise lounge was a prop
for the artist,
and it's very, very beautiful.
Dick: This piece on which
artist's models
posed for paintings
will sit alongside
a four poster bed that was once
owned by Julia's father.
Julia: I think it's wonderful
to have this bit of history,
and it's a lovely bit
of furniture.
Dick: It is, Julia.
Can't wait to see
Melissa's room finished.
In Northern France,
with one day to go
before the 14 guests arrive
for Tim and Margreeth's
first gourmet flower weekend,
they still need
to dress the library
for the 5-course meal
and harvest produce
from the potager garden.
Margreeth: I always have
healthy nerves, I think,
because I always want it
to go well.
Tim: Butterflies
before show time.
Margreeth: Yeah.
Tim: Got to cut all the flowers,
cook for 14 people
a 5-course, Michelin meal.
What could go wrong?
Margreeth: Ha ha ha!
Dick: On the menu is a dish
Tim's never cooked before--
pumpkin and mussel soup.
Margreeth: So I'll take
this big one...
Tim: That one. Yep.
Margreeth: and then there's
a huge one over there, as well.
- Oh, man.
- And there's two here,
and I think there's another one
somewhere in the middle here.
Tim: Well done.
That's about 15 kilos,
I think.
Margreeth: Wow. OK.
Well, let's try
and wheel them back.
Tim: Yeah.
Margreeth: It's probably
about 30, 40 kilos on there.
Tim: I imagine there is, yeah.
Dick: Let's hope they've got
all the ingredients
for a successful meal.
Chef Etienne has come
to the chateau to make sure
Tim has the know-how to
take charge of service later...
Etienne: Voila.
Dick: starting with
the correct way
of plating up the duck
for the main course.
Etienne: So you just have
to follow the bone
in the middle,
and we're gonna wrap it
in a fresh figs leaf,
and like that,
you can warm it up
in the oven...
- Right.
- and serve it like that.
Dick: The soup will showcase
the homegrown pumpkins...
Tim: This is my pumpkin,
this is,
that he's chopping up there.
Look at that.
Dick: with some going with
mussels for the soup itself
and more being roasted
to use as a garnish.
Tim: It's, already--it's
a pretty complete dish
just in the air.
It smells great.
Etienne: Yeah.
Dick: Instructions given...
Tim: I know what I need to do.
No. It's gonna be fine.
Etienne: OK.
You're gonna do a great job.
- Thanks, man.
- Thank you very much.
Dick: Tim's now on his own
with an ambitious menu
to deliver for the first time.
The library is looking
the business.
Expert florist Laura
has done arrangements
for Hollywood films
and celebrity weddings.
She'll be giving
the guest workshops
and has already waved
her magic wand
over tonight's dining room.
Laura: Most things have got
something to do with books
because it's the library.
The whole theme is the library,
showing off
this beautiful, beautiful room.
Dick: If the £450-a-head
weekend is a success,
Tim and Margreeth hope Laura
will work with them again,
so a lot's at stake, making sure
everything goes to plan.
- Hello, everybody.
- Hello.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Dick: For their
floral design lesson,
the guests are creating
chateau foliage candlesticks
for tonight's table setting.
Laura: So what we're going to do
is that we're going to actually
make this beautiful out
of all the natural greenery
and the mosses that
we've got, and then
that'll match the rest
of the room upstairs.
Dick:
The library-cum-dining-room
looks all set to be
an oasis of calm,
but it's another story
in the chateau kitchen.
Tim: I'm not quite sure
how to do this, so
this is one of these things
we shouldn't go wrong.
Dick: Time for the guests to put
their creations in place and see
the chateau's newly refurbished
library events space.
Laura: Last bit done.
So pleased with these.
Look at them.
Come in, come in,
come in.
So if you want to find
your own space,
there's another table here,
there's going to be
a table over there,
by the looks of it, yeah,
There's up here.
Look, see, up on the shelves.
Woman: On the shelf.
[Indistinct chatter]
Laura: It looks fantastic.
It's just how I wanted it, and
everybody's just been amazing.
I'm so pleased,
I can't tell you.
Dick: Teacher and students won
over by their workshop aspect
of the weekend,
the pressure's now on Tim
to seal the deal with
a show-stopping meal,
as Margreeth keeps everyone
in good spirits.
Margreeth: We're going to have
some bubbles outside
'cause it's a lovely,
lovely evening.
I've got some bubbles.
Man: Hostess with the mostest.
Margreeth: Cheers. Thanks for
being here today, guys.
Been lovely.
Man: Thank you.
Dick: Let's hope Tim
can remember
his professional
chef lessons.
Nearly 300 miles southeast,
Julia's new septic-tank
system is in.
Pipes running from the tanks
into the basement
are being linked
to take wastewater
from the bathrooms and kitchen.
- It's only one, yeah?
- Yeah.
Dick: Because there's been
a lot of disturbance
to put in the new system,
Julia has decided to completely
re-landscape to create
a good first impression.
Julia: We're going
to create a terrace
going off the corners,
so two lovely half-circles
will run off the corners
and back, so we'll have
a lovely, big terrace area
in front of the house.
I will be planting
around the edges
and then planting down.
Can't wait to get this soil in
around here so I can landscape.
This front's looking a little
bit more dressed up now.
Going to have its terrace area,
little bit more formal, which
is what I was trying to achieve.
Dick: It's not just the outside
that needs work.
In the bedroom that she's
preparing for sister Melissa,
Julia's ready to put up
the wallpaper
she's been keeping
under wraps.
Julia: The wallpaper,
it is gorgeous.
It looks very luxurious.
It's called "Paradise,"
and I really hope
Melissa will like it.
I've highlighted the apricot
down the side of the walls,
so we're going to see
the edge of that.
So hopefully the idea is,
when the wallpaper's up,
it's going to look like
a Chinese screen dropping down.
Dick: Julia's first-ever attempt
at hanging wallpaper
is now on show downstairs
in the dining room.
With some experience
under her belt,
she's beginning to look
like a dab hand.
Julia: I think this is
the hardest bit, is actually
wallpapering the whole
long piece
and then having
to lift it to the wall.
It's actually also really hard
to see where you've glued.
Dick: Last time, she was
very aware of air bubbles.
Julia: It's a very
rewarding feeling,
actually, doing this bit.
Dick: Julia's improved
her technique
to get a good, even bond
between paper and wall.
Julia: It's looking good.
Oh, my God.
It's so beautiful.
It's gorgeous.
Dick: Melissa's room is coming
together, and outside,
with the terrace laid,
furniture creates
an alfresco
dining space.
Julia: I'm happy with it,
and creating
the symmetry
is really important.
Yeah, slowly we're
getting there.
Dick: She still needs to create
flowerbeds and areas of foliage,
but it's a great foundation
to work from.
A hundred and 90 miles
northeast,
Joshua and Lee are still
looking for a chateau
with the right location
and space to run a music venue,
and they have one
more viewing.
Joshua: Hi.
Tamasin: Hi. Hi again.
Lee: Good to see you again.
Tamasin: Yeah, you, too.
Dick: Agent Tamasin will be
showing them around
a 4-bedroom manor house that's
on the market for £460,000.
Tamasin: The house has been
renovated completely.
It's double-glazed,
it's got all comforts.
It's got electric heating
throughout, with solar panels,
which bring in
over 1,000 euros a year
in selling the electricity
back to the grid...
Joshua: OK, that's great.
Tamasin: which is great.
Dick: An income.
That's an encouraging start.
Now to see inside.
Joshua:
The stained-glass window.
That's beautiful.
Tamasin: Yeah.
Lee: And it's
a lovely floor as well.
Joshua: Yeah, the tiles are
beautiful, aren't they?
Lee: Yeah.
Dick: Next is
into the first
of two reception rooms
on the ground floor.
Tamasin: OK.
They have it as the dining room.
It can be a living room as well.
One of the reception rooms.
They've kept
the traditional feel,
but made it comfortable.
Lee: Yeah.
Dick: With the couple keen
to host parties,
a large entertaining kitchen
is high on the wish list.
Tamasin:
Into the kitchen...
Joshua: Oh.
Tamasin: which is full
of original features as well.
Lee: That's beautiful.
Joshua: It's a lovely mixture
of the old and new
in here, isn't it?
They've kept all the features,
but then it's a very modern
kitchen and it's lovely.
Tamasin: Yeah.
Dick: So far so good.
Joshua: I wasn't really sure
what to expect, but it is
a beautiful property that's been
really well-renovated.
It's very interesting.
Dick: With such
a positive start, the couple
are curious to see all
4 bedrooms on the first floor,
which have en suites.
It's currently being
used as a B&B.
Joshua: It's beautifully
decorated, isn't it?
Tamasin: Yes, it has
a really nice feel.
Joshua: Love--
it's gorgeous.
Dick: Having accommodation
that's good to go
as part of an established
B&B business
is a big plus, and outside,
in the private two-acre grounds,
the outbuildings offer
something else
that could hit the right note
for their music-venue plans.
Tamasin: The really interesting
thing about this place is
that the owners are very much
involved in an association
that promotes
and encourages music...
Joshua: Really?
Tamasin: in the area,
Lee: OK.
Tamasin: and they host concerts
in the barn.
Joshua: Wow. Heh!
Tamasin: So the contacts
are there
and the precedent has
been set, if you like.
Joshua: OK.
That's amazing.
Tamasin: So this is where
they've hosted their concerts.
Joshua: Lovely.
I can see it
already, how you could
set this up really nicely.
Yeah, I mean,
just the size is perfect
for chamber music, which is
what I had in mind.
Tamasin: Right.
Joshua: So, you know,
string quartets or piano, and...
Tamasin: Yeah.
Joshua: 2 or 3 other
musicians or a singer.
It's the perfect size,
really.
Tamasin: Great.
Joshua: Gosh. Yeah.
I'm a bit blown away.
Sorry.
I've just gone a bit quiet.
Tamasin: Ha ha!
[Joshua chuckling]
[Tamasin chuckling]
Joshua: Oh.
Lee: It's everything that he
wants, basically,
so hit the nail on the head--
ha ha!--I think, yeah.
Joshua: Minor emotional
moment there. Sorry.
Lee: It's all right.
I deal with this twice a day.
It's fine.
[All laugh]
Dick: Looks like, after
3 years of searching,
Joshua and Lee might have
found the one.
Joshua: This proxy has been
a real surprise
and a bit of
an emotional journey. Ha ha!
I just felt a real emotional
connection to this place,
um, so yeah,
I'm just a little bit
overcome at the moment.
Lee: I think it's a property
that we've both
felt an attachment to
and an emotion over.
I think if Joshua had his way,
he'd be here next week. Ha ha!
Thank you very much for
showing us round the property.
Tamasin: Well, it's been
a great pleasure.
Lee: It's been an experience.
Thank you.
Dick: This sounds
very promising.
Fingers crossed it goes well,
and there's a possibility
of a moving-in date
on the cards.
Back in southern France,
Julia is putting
the finishing touches
to her first guest
accommodation, where she plans
to host sister Melissa
on visits to the chateau.
Julia: Just putting
the right combinations
of colors and things that I
know Melissa likes,
but also things that are going
to go well with the room.
All right, so I'm going
to put some gilding wax
on top of these
little finials.
Dick: Julia's adding her
crowning glory to the 4-poster
that once belonged
to her father.
Julia: I love this stuff.
Dick: The interior designer
and artist has some
of her own ceramic creations
to add to the room.
Julia: These are 3
of my father's.
'95 is when I made that one,
so a long time ago,
and this one would have been
around the same time, and then
this one I made just about
two years ago, I think,
not very long ago at all.
Dick: She's promised her sisters
there'd be no more parrots.
Julia: There we go.
I think we're done.
Dick: Perhaps those
are lovebirds.
Julia: I'm very happy with how
this room's come out.
Really soft and subtle,
so I hope she likes it.
Dick: When Julia moved in to
her chateau just 4 months ago,
nothing had been touched for
almost half a century.
What was a shabby shell
is now an elegant bedroom,
combining family heritage
with her father's 4-poster
and the chateau's
artistic history.
Julia: Melissa, she's waiting
until she comes out
at Christmas with the family,
and she's going to have
the reveal of the room
then, but it's
her Christmas present to see
the room finished.
Dick: It's another feather
in the cap
for the chateau renovation.
The kitchen is ready
to cook up a storm,
the dining room is set
to host memorable meals,
and she started
re-landscaping work outside.
Julia's achieved
an incredible amount already.
Julia: I think that's
pretty good for 4 months.
A lot has happened.
Dick: She's now set
a target of 6 months
to get her accommodation
ready for paying guests
and events
to generate income.
Julia: By Easter, I will have
my two-bedroom cottage
and the one-bedroom cottage
ready for rental,
so we'll have the function space
in the large barn for events.
Dick: I wish you
every success, Julia,
and if what you've done so far
is anything to go by,
I've got every hope you
can hit your deadline.
Julia: It's been
a wonderful experience.
It's the best thing
I've ever done.
Dick: Almost 400 miles north,
the guests at Tim
and Margreeth's first-ever
gourmet flower weekend
are enjoying
pre-dinner drinks,
whilst behind the scenes,
Tim is focused on plating up
the first course,
ready to serve.
Tim: We are...
making these little
amuse-bouches.
So we have a bit of radish, bit
of sour cream, some fish eggs.
So the happy accident
of missing a few
and getting them sort of
slightly off-center
means that I can scatter them
about the plate
for people to munch later.
Dick: Combining polished
presentation with speedy service
is a real art in
a professional kitchen.
Tim: I don't want
to fall behind.
I've got to get crack on
and make sure that
everything's ready to go
when they're ready to go.
Dick: Margreeth brings hubby
a little Dutch courage
and helps coordinate proceedings
with the evening's
waiting staff.
Tim: Yeah, how are we
going to do this?
Now, we get 3 waters,
they put them on the table.
Margreeth: I'll be upstairs.
Tim: I need about 15,
20 minutes to get all
that stuff together
and then get the...
yeah, to give me some time
between courses.
Margreeth: So 10 minutes
for the amuse-bouche,
something like that,
and then 10 minutes after that,
and they come up
to clear, and then--
Tim: Yeah, get
the salads going.
OK, great.
Margreeth: Perfect.
Dick: Order of events settled,
Margreeth realizes she
needs to give
the place settings
a last-minute tweak.
Margreeth: Tim's changed
the order of the menu,
so I have to change
the order of the cutlery.
The way it is, but luckily
he told me now.
Dick: The diners can be
summoned chateau-style...
Margreeth:
Dinner is served. Heh!
Dick: to the candlelit library.
[Overlapping chatter]
Man: Oh.
Woman: Oh, my God.
Man 2: Oh, this is a wow.
Margreeth: Yes. Heh heh!
Dick: As Chef Tim is
feeling the heat...
Tim: Yeah, OK, so we'll forget
this, we'll do this later.
Man: Mm-hmm.
Tim: Oh, crikey. It--
Man: What?
Tim: It's show time.
Ah! I'm not ready!
Ah! Heh! OK.
Dick: Blissfully unaware
of what's
happening in the kitchen...
Tim: Can you take
3 each, you guys?
Dick: the guests tuck in
to tomato salad,
as Tim prepares to showcase
his prized pumpkins
in a soup with mussels
and roasted garnish.
Tim: There's the mussels...
there's pumpkins.
Don't want that to burn.
Patrick, if you can get me
the plates, mate,
I need 14 plates.
Thank you.
Dick: Good kitchen management
is about priorities.
Tim: Girls, you can take out
the breads, please...
Dick: and delegation.
Tim: And, um, Patrick,
if you can join me
with this--oh, no.
You can't take out the breads.
We're doing--sorry.
Oh, no, forget that.
Forget the breads, no.
They go with the soup.
You OK with that, you guys?
Dick: Tim juggles time
in the kitchen
with helping Margreeth
play host to the guests.
Tim: Just to let you know,
the next course is coming,
and, um, it's pumpkins
from our own garden.
Everything you're eating tonight
is actually very local.
It's all regional and--
Margreeth: Organic.
Tim: And organic.
Yes, it's--yes.
Dick: Tim's left
his waiting staff to dish up in
the kitchen, then he remembers
the prized pumpkin pieces
for the soup garnish are still
roasting in the oven.
Tim: Oh, no.
OK, we'll just have to get a--
[Pieces clatter]
I can't do it. I--burnt the
pumpkins talking to the guests.
Burnt the pumpkins, as well
as running downstairs. OK.
OK. That's a shame.
Damn. Um...
Dick: A few minutes' distraction
can be the difference
between culinary triumph
and disaster.
At least the soup itself
has survived,
so the guests will never know
what they've missed.
Tim: You know, if that's
the worst thing
that happens tonight,
that's not so bad.
Dick: Very true, Tim...
Woman: Here you are.
Dick: and it still looks
pretty as a picture.
Tim: Guys, you've got duck
in fig leaf.
[Overlapping chatter]
Tim: I think this has to be the
nicest room I've ever been in
'cause I've never seen
anything like this before,
and that's all down
to Laura, so thank you.
Laura: Oh, thank you.
Dick: Floristry and food
have delivered
a winning combination.
Man: Wonderful food,
wonderful surroundings,
beautiful chateau.
Couldn't ask for more.
Woman: I feel like I'm sitting
in a fairy castle.
Well done, Tim.
Well done, Margreeth.
Man: Hear, hear.
Dick: And it looks like
this event and florist Laura
are now set to return
to the chateau.
Margreeth: We're definitely
going to host more
of these kind of events.
It's a great way
of people to connect
and get to know each other.
It's an amazing feeling
because we've spent 6 months
working on this project.
That's an efficient way
of weeding.
Working on creating
a new garden.
Strawberries.
Tim: Hey!
Oh, I love strawberries.
Margreeth: Me, too.
Working on the library
that was a bit sad...
Tim: Oh, I can't wait
for other people to see this.
Margreeth: and now it has
come back to life.
I'm glad you enjoy it.
It was really nice meeting you.
We celebrated all
the hard work.
Tim: What a way
to finish the year.
Margreeth: Yeah.
Dick: Tim and Margreeth,
you deserve
every success after all
the work you've put in.
We wish you a blooming
marvelous future.
Tim: Yeah, good.
Let's do it again.
Next Tuesday. Heh heh!
Margreeth: Yeah.
Dick: Next time...
Anna: Oh, my goodness.
Philipp: Yeah.
Dick: we follow another bunch
of intrepid chateau owners.
Man: It looks to be
a massive undertaking.
Dick: A couple leave it
down to the wire...
Johnny: It should be
a joyous day, right?
It's the opening of
our gallery.
Dick: as they launch
their new business.
Johnny: She never gets
stressed, Ashley.
Ashley: I'm not stressed,
I'm annoyed.
Dick: A family new
to chateau life
aim to win over the locals...
Man: Ah, bon soir!
Dick: and at another chateau...
[Cheering]
- Don't panic.
- Oh, you're going.
Dick: the wedding hostess
goes into labor.
Woman: Two seconds.
I'm getting a contraction.
Along with my wife Angel
and our two children...
Arthur: Welcome aboard, mateys!
Dick: we're now 5 years
into restoring
this once-abandoned chateau.
Angel: Oh, it's beautiful.
Dick: It's brought
its challenges...
Angel: Oh! Oh!
Dick: and some
amazing rewards...
Angel: Thank you for my
flower garden, Mr. Strawbridge.
Dick: and across France,
there are dozens of other Brits
who are on their own
chateau adventure.
Woman: Yay!
Dick: We'll meet
some old friends...
- Smile.
- I am.
Dick: and new faces...
Man: These rooms really haven't
been touched in 60 years.
Dick: and we'll reveal more
about our own chateau life.
Angel: It is so much better
in real life.
Dick: There'll be highs...
Woman: Yes!
Dick: and lows...
- Oh, no!
- Oh!
Man: God, what a disaster.
Dick: as these plucky Brits...
Woman: Time is money.
Dick: transform these
once-unloved buildings
into incredible homes...
Woman: I just cannot believe
how much work you put in for us.
Dick: as well as businesses
and get to live the dream
as custodians
of their very own castle.
Woman: Cheers, everybody.
Dick: Today...
Julia: Bonjour.
Melissa: How's
my bedroom coming along?
Dick: one chateau owner's
under pressure
to get ready
for family get-togethers.
Julia: It's a very rewarding
feeling, actually,
doing this bit.
Dick: A couple's search
for a chateau
with music-venue potential
continues...
Joshua: This is lovely.
I can see it already,
string quartets or piano.
It's the perfect size, really.
Dick: and it's the launch
of a fine dining
and floristry weekend.
Tim: OK, so we'll forget this.
We'll do this later.
Ooh, crikey.
It's show time.
Ah, I'm not ready.
Ah! OK.
Dick: When turning
a neglected French castle
into a much-loved home
and thriving business,
it helps to have a vision
and a passion for the project,
but before renovations
can begin,
a very important decision
has to be made--
choosing the right place to buy.
Manchester couple
Joshua and Lee,
who both work in finance,
have been on the hunt
for their fairytale home
since they met 3 years ago.
Joshua: Yeah, I think we've
probably looked
at every online advert for
every chateau in all of France,
but it's exciting now that
we're really sort of getting
to the next phase of hopefully
finding that dream property.
Dick: They've come
to Western France
to focus their search
and hope their £450,000 budget
finds them space enough
for paying guests
and allows pianist Joshua
to set up a music venue.
Lee: The major thing
is the land
and the outbuildings,
having the scope
of not just having the chateau,
but also having
other business potentials,
as well.
Dick: So far,
they've seen two options.
The first chateau
offered plenty of room,
but proximity to a busy road
left worries about noise.
Joshua: Is this the back
of the house with the garden?
Man: This is the back
of the house. Yeah. Yes.
That's why you hear the road,
because the road
is not far from here.
Joshua: OK.
Dick: The second chateau,
though over budget,
had period features
that hit the mark.
Joshua: This is amazing.
The floor is incredible
and the windows so bright.
The light coming in
is really nice.
Dick: Now there are two more
chateaus lined up to see.
The first is a 4-bedroom,
19th-century beauty
on the market for £370,000.
It's located in the center
of the village
of Argenton L'Eglise...
- Good morning.
- Morning.
Dick: where they're meeting
agent Tamasin.
Joshua: Thank you.
It's beautiful.
Tamasin: Well, I'm glad you like
it on this gorgeous morning.
The chateau was built
for a local landowning family
in 1872, so this was the sign
of their wealth.
Joshua: There's a lot of history
with the house.
Tamasin: Yes. Yeah.
There is a lot of history.
Joshua: Yeah.
Dick: 1 1/4 acres of land
comes with the sale,
which includes outbuildings
as well as a gite
plus a private stretch of canal.
Now to see
what's on offer inside.
Tamasin: Come on in
to the main hall.
That's your classic entrance
into the middle,
so the rooms go to the left
and to the right,
and you go from one room
into the next,
which is called in anfilade.
Joshua: Yeah, those lovely,
typical, French hallways,
is it, with the doors
either side, like you said.
Tamasin: OK, so
we're into the salon,
or the drawing room.
Joshua:
Beautiful fireplace. Wow.
Tamasin: Yeah.
Joshua: The color is lovely,
I think, as well.
Actually, it's quite my taste.
Tamasin: A lovely
chandelier there.
Joshua: A lovely chandelier
would be fantastic there,
wouldn't it?
Dick: As long as the electrics
are in good order,
light fittings
can be sorted out.
More important
to keen host Joshua
is the size
of the chateau kitchen.
Tamasin: OK, so we got
the lovely, big, eat-in kitchen.
Joshua: Yeah. It's beautiful.
This is what I imagine
a big, French,
country kitchen to be like.
Lee: It's a good size.
It's lovely.
Tamasin: It's mains water.
There's also a well here,
so you can water the garden
without worrying
about your water bill.
Joshua: Oh, that's very good.
Lee: And the central heating,
is that oil?
Tamasin: Yeah. It's oil-fired.
Dick: They're asking
the right sort of questions.
The cost of central heating
is very important,
and it's good to know
what you've got.
Lee: First impressions,
it's a handsome property.
The only thing is the location.
With us hosting events outside,
maybe the neighbors
would get a little bit annoyed
with the noise.
Dick: Not sounding
very positive, but who knows?
There's still upstairs to see.
Around 200 miles southeast
is Chateau La Mas de Pradie.
The 17-room property sits
in a 15-acre estate
and comes with outbuildings,
including two gites,
a pigeonnier, and a barn.
Last occupied by renowned,
French artist Bernard Dufour,
it was bought 3 months ago
by artist
and interior designer Julia
for £278,000,
who has slowly been
transforming it into her home.
Julia: My background
is as an artist,
and I bought a property
of an artist here,
and it's just really nice
to keep that going.
The property has huge potential.
I'm going to be gardening.
I'm gonna be decorating,
doing the place up.
Dick: Located 68 miles
from Toulouse,
with the help
of her visiting sisters,
Julia's already transformed
the kitchen
and the dining room.
Julia: This place felt
like home straightaway,
and even my sister Melissa
has commented
that, even after we'd been here
only a couple of days,
we both actually said
to each other,
"It feels like
we've always been here."
It really does feel like home.
Dick: Her sisters are returning
to the chateau later in the year
for a big family Christmas
and are keen to find out
if the guest rooms
will be ready.
- Hello.
- Bonjour.
Sarah: So how's it all
going, Julie?
Melissa: How's my bedroom
coming along?
Julia: I'm going to start
painting very pale pink.
It's going to look amazing
with this wallpaper
which I've ordered.
Sarah: You're really into
the wallpapers all of a sudden.
Julia: I know.
They're exceptional.
Sarah: Oh, there's not parrots
in every room?
Julia: It's not parrots.
Sarah: OK. Good.
Can't have parrots
in every room.
Julia: No.
Melissa: Fantastic. Can't wait.
Sarah: All righty. Bye.
Julia: Bye. Bye.
- Bye.
- Bye. Good-bye.
Julia: Bye.
The goal is,
they're all coming out
with the families
for Christmas.
I want to get
their rooms finished.
I want to get as much
as I can done with the chateau
so it's looking
as good as possible.
Dick: Julia needs to crack on
if she's going to get her
sisters' rooms finished in time,
but there's
an even more urgent job
she needs to get done
before their stay.
Julia: The septic system
I have here,
it overflowed a few weeks ago,
not pretty.
I had to get a man in
to pump it all out.
He kept pointing at my house,
saying, "Big house,"
and then pointing at my system,
saying, "Little system,"
and then laughing.
Dick: With 4 bathrooms as well
as a kitchen to cope with,
an overflowing septic tank
is no joke,
especially as Julia will be
opening her chateau
to paying guests.
Julia: The original tanks
that are here are not compliant
with today's systems
and regulations,
so I knew it was one of the
first jobs that had to be done.
Dick: New, two-meter-tall tanks
are due to be installed.
Julia: The tanks are much bigger
than I expected
when I saw them delivered.
They're huge.
Dick: And there's
another problem.
The local area is known
for an extensive,
prehistoric cave system,
and Julia's chateau estate
is right on top of it,
meaning the local authorities
have asked for a change of plan.
Julia: They had a concern
about the drain water
coming out of the septic.
They don't want it draining
down into the caves,
and cave paintings
is what they're actually
concerned about.
There are some amazing
cave paintings down there,
so, obviously,
it's very important
to preserve these things.
They find skeletons down there.
They've found pottery
down there.
They've found artifacts,
so there's amazing history
in these caves
that they need to preserve.
Dick: To play
her part in preservation,
Julia suggested rerouting
the expelled water
away from the cave.
Julia: So instead
of running down here,
which is the obvious place
because it drains downwards,
we're going to need to take it
across into that paddock,
so we've had
the water people here,
and they got people here.
They've all agreed
on what we can do,
and it has to be signed off
by the head person,
and I think the mayor
has to sign off, as well.
We are hoping nothing else
gonna go wrong
and they don't change
their mind. Who knows?
Dick: With a new proposal
in the pipeline,
let's hope there's no more
unwelcome escapes
from the chateau
wastewater system
and Julia can lay
her groundwork soon.
In Northern France
is the magnificent
19th-century Chateau des Lys.
With over 50 rooms,
it's situated
in a 15-acre wooded estate.
Tim, Margreeth,
and their son Joe
have lived here for 6 years.
They're still growing their B&B
and events business
and getting to grips
with their massive home.
Tim: It depends
how you count it.
I mean, I count it, I think
we--I had about 84 rooms.
Margreeth: And I had about 12.
[Laughter]
Tim: I mean, how many kitchens
there are,
that's an interesting question.
- 1, 2, 3, 4...
- About 6?
Tim: yeah, 5, 6,
so 7 kitchens.
Yep. Ha ha ha!
Dick: Located an hour
from Calais,
this year, they've turned
their library
into a new events space...
Tim: It's got the wow factor
a bit, hasn't it, this one now?
Margreeth: Oh, definitely.
Dick: and created
a potager garden
to grow produce for themselves
and guests.
Margreeth: It's very exciting.
You just really feel
like you're getting there.
Dick: The first harvest
is needed for the launch
of the £450-a-head
flower weekend
when 14 guests are booked
for floristry workshops
and fine dining
in the renovated library.
Tim: So what do you think?
Margreeth:
Oh, it's looking lovely.
It's looking really good.
Dick: Tim's the chateau's
regular chef,
but to take things up a notch,
he's calling on the expertise
of a local professional
to help with a 5-course meal
as a culinary highlight.
Tim: He's one of the best cooks
I've come across
for a long, long time.
We'll be designing
a menu together,
and he'll probably teach me
how to cook
some of the stuff
I don't know how to cook.
Dick: They've traveled 5 miles
to meet Chef Etienne
at his restaurant
in Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
for some ideas on how to use
their bumper crop of pumpkins.
Tim: Voila. Ha ha ha!
- Wonderful. Ha ha!
- Yes.
Tim: [Speaks French]
Margreeth: Oui.
Etienne: We can make
a lot of things with that.
We can make a soup for sure,
and then we can add some mussels
because I think
that that's the best season
for the mussels now,
and when I see the color,
I imagine the mussels with that.
Dick: Etienne's also
giving them a lesson
in how to prepare
the rest of the meal.
Etienne: Follow me.
We're gonna make...
a starter, so we have
wonderful tomatoes here.
- Beautiful.
- Oh, they're lovely.
Etienne: We just make
a small tomato sauce
that's very tasty.
Then we have
organic goat cheese.
Dick: Tim wants to feature
their estate-reared ducks
in the main course.
Etienne's demonstrating
how he cooks
individual portions of meat
in his kitchen.
Etienne: So we're just gonna
put some salt,
and we're gonna cook it slowly.
The fat's gonna melt a bit,
and it's gonna become crispy.
Tim: Yes, and this
is the same technique
you're going to use
for the duck?
- Yes...
- Yeah.
Etienne: so now you can see
that the fat is crispy.
- Wow. Looking good.
- Wow. It's perfect.
Etienne: Here, we have
some flowers of oregano.
Tim: I'm really learning
a lot with this.
This is my favorite thing,
watching other cooks work.
You know, I really like that.
- And eating.
- Yeah, and eating.
[Laughter]
Dick: Getting perfect dishes
out to 14 discerning diners
is no mean feat,
and Etienne won't be there
for service on the night.
Etienne: And after, we're just
gonna finish the cooking
in the oven,
still with the herbs and garlic.
Margreeth: Mm.
Dick: While the meat
finishes cooking,
Etienne shows them how
to prepare the tomato starter.
Etienne: So here, we just had
to cut the skin of the tomatoes.
- Then we have some basil.
- Wow.
Etienne: Take the flowers of it,
gonna add some crunch,
so just some seeds
that we're gonna add
to have some crunch.
Margreeth: It looks so amazing.
Tim: Oh...
Margreeth: What is that crunch?
That's great.
Etienne: And in the sauce,
we have what we call caillette.
It's, like, all the parts
you don't use, nobody.
Mix it with garlic, herbs.
French cooking
is really the juice.
When you don't have the juice,
you lost part of the taste.
Tim: Yeah. Well...
Dick: All looks delicious.
Etienne: Thank you very much.
You're welcome.
Dick: Let's hope Tim
can use what he's learned today
for the guests
at the flower weekend's
5-course gourmet meal.
- Thank you so much.
- Thank you so much.
Tim: Yep.
Dick: 235 miles southwest,
couple Joshua and Lee
are viewing
a 19th-century chateau
with agent Tamasin.
Tamasin: First floor...
Joshua: Yes.
Tamasin: which is a bit
less finished.
Dick: Close proximity
to the neighbors
has raised concerns.
What about the bedrooms?
Tamasin: This is
the main bedroom.
Joshua: OK. Yeah.
Tamasin: This side
is south-facing.
Joshua: OK, so that's
why it's getting
the lovely light
bathing in through the windows,
very nice,
the typical, French fireplace
in the bedroom, as well.
It's lovely.
Tamasin: Probably not been used
for a very long time,
not since there was staff
in the house.
Joshua: I don't think
we can afford staff.
Lee: I am the staff.
Dick: I know the feeling, Lee.
On this floor,
there are 3 more bedrooms
and two bathrooms,
plus the floor above
has a 750-square-foot attic.
Joshua: The beams
are actually quite high.
Tamasin: Yeah.
Joshua: Some of them
that we've seen,
the beams are sort of
at waist height,
so you can't really do
very much with it.
Tamasin: Yeah.
You could definitely add
extra space up here.
Dick: Whilst Joshua
has his eyes upwards,
Lee may have spotted
a downside.
Lee: I guess this
is over rotten...
Tamasin: I don't know,
to be honest.
Lee: spongy floor.
- Yes!
- Yes. Yes. It is. OK.
- A hole.
- Surprise hole, so, yeah,
Lee: so has the building been
treated for woodworm?
Tamasin: Not that I know of, no.
Lee: Right. OK.
Dick: Very observant, Lee,
and woodworm
isn't the only threat
to untreated timbers.
Termites are something
to watch for
in more southerly parts
of France.
Joshua: I've seen enough
up here, I think, yeah?
Dick: Time to reflect on whether
this village-center chateau
cuts the mustard.
Lee: It's a lovely chateau.
The interior's been done up
quite well.
I think the only thing
that lets it down
is the fact that it's
in the middle of a town.
Joshua: What we've realized now
is that no close-by neighbors
is what we need just to ensure
that we don't disturb anyone.
Dick: Looks like the couple's
hunt for space and seclusion
to run their musical
business venture continues.
Like most of our fellow Brits
with dreams
of owning a castle in France,
being able to share
the adventure with others
is a big part
of the appeal for Angel and I.
It smells good, looks good.
This counts as a result.
At our place, that's also meant
turning the old coach house
into a home for Angel's parents.
This is a very different
building
from the one that was there
this morning.
Creating space outside
has given us challenges.
Delivering materials
for the new coach house patio
was a hardcore problem,
but now we're getting
the gravel, the sand,
the cement delivered so we can
mix it and pour it in there.
We would actually have got
one of the big--
you know, the big, turning
around lorries full of it,
just put a big tube in there,
but unfortunately,
getting it in through
the building and out the back
is just that little bit
too far.
Putting a patio
in the walled garden
wasn't something the original
builders allowed for,
so the raw materials
had to be lifted up and over...
but the end result make
all the hard work worthwhile.
- What do you reckon?
- I can't believe it.
- Hey, look outside.
- Ha ha ha!
- Mwah!
- Thank you.
Dick: Nearly 300 miles
southeast,
the groundwork for Julia's
sewage system upgrade has begun.
Julia: We got permission
first thing yesterday morning
after being held up
from last week,
when it was withdrawn.
Our septic tanks
are finally going in.
I've been waiting for this day
since I got here
to get these tanks in,
and once they're in,
once they're working,
I'll be very happy.
Pipes bring waste
from the chateau to the tanks.
The output is then sent
well away from the caves.
Julia: Since we've
started digging,
work's going pretty well,
but we have hit bedrock
with the digger,
so that has slowed things down,
so they had to get
what's called a pecker in
to peck away at the rock
to try and break it up.
Dick: The plumbing engineer
in charge of the project
is Simon, a Brit who's lived
locally for 15 years.
Julia: Hi, Simon.
How's it going?
Simon: Yeah, not so bad,
thanks, not so bad.
After a day of breaking rock,
we're level
and ready to put
the filter system in,
but we're having to go
really carefully
because of the cave system.
Although we know that there's
a big gallery underneath,
we don't know about
the depth of the ceiling,
so we're gonna have to be
really, really careful
on the rock there because
the last thing we want
is an unexpected visit into
the prehistoric cave system.
Dick: With the main
tank pit now dug,
the risk to the cave below
has passed,
and after leveling the ground...
the second tank is lowered in.
Simon: It's gone in really well.
In terms of the levels,
it's gone in perfectly,
which I'm really happy about.
Dick: Tanks in place, they're
covered with sand and gravel,
and Julia can look forward
to relandscaping the grounds
in front of her home.
Julia: I'm really excited
because the terrace
is going to be created
over the top of the tanks
and running along
the whole front of the house,
and I think it's gonna make
a huge difference
to how the whole
front of the house looks.
Dick: Whilst Julia awaits
to start her outdoor terrace,
she's making headway
with sister Melissa's bedroom.
As well as revealing
original timbers,
Julia plans to showcase
a vintage find
that belonged
to the previous owner.
Julia: This is a beautiful,
old chaise lounge
that we found up in the attic
covered in dust.
We brought it down.
We vacuumed it for hours.
Melissa just loves it,
so she wanted it in her room.
The artist who used
to live here, Bernard Dufour,
this chaise lounge was a prop
for the artist,
and it's very, very beautiful.
Dick: This piece on which
artist's models
posed for paintings
will sit alongside
a four poster bed that was once
owned by Julia's father.
Julia: I think it's wonderful
to have this bit of history,
and it's a lovely bit
of furniture.
Dick: It is, Julia.
Can't wait to see
Melissa's room finished.
In Northern France,
with one day to go
before the 14 guests arrive
for Tim and Margreeth's
first gourmet flower weekend,
they still need
to dress the library
for the 5-course meal
and harvest produce
from the potager garden.
Margreeth: I always have
healthy nerves, I think,
because I always want it
to go well.
Tim: Butterflies
before show time.
Margreeth: Yeah.
Tim: Got to cut all the flowers,
cook for 14 people
a 5-course, Michelin meal.
What could go wrong?
Margreeth: Ha ha ha!
Dick: On the menu is a dish
Tim's never cooked before--
pumpkin and mussel soup.
Margreeth: So I'll take
this big one...
Tim: That one. Yep.
Margreeth: and then there's
a huge one over there, as well.
- Oh, man.
- And there's two here,
and I think there's another one
somewhere in the middle here.
Tim: Well done.
That's about 15 kilos,
I think.
Margreeth: Wow. OK.
Well, let's try
and wheel them back.
Tim: Yeah.
Margreeth: It's probably
about 30, 40 kilos on there.
Tim: I imagine there is, yeah.
Dick: Let's hope they've got
all the ingredients
for a successful meal.
Chef Etienne has come
to the chateau to make sure
Tim has the know-how to
take charge of service later...
Etienne: Voila.
Dick: starting with
the correct way
of plating up the duck
for the main course.
Etienne: So you just have
to follow the bone
in the middle,
and we're gonna wrap it
in a fresh figs leaf,
and like that,
you can warm it up
in the oven...
- Right.
- and serve it like that.
Dick: The soup will showcase
the homegrown pumpkins...
Tim: This is my pumpkin,
this is,
that he's chopping up there.
Look at that.
Dick: with some going with
mussels for the soup itself
and more being roasted
to use as a garnish.
Tim: It's, already--it's
a pretty complete dish
just in the air.
It smells great.
Etienne: Yeah.
Dick: Instructions given...
Tim: I know what I need to do.
No. It's gonna be fine.
Etienne: OK.
You're gonna do a great job.
- Thanks, man.
- Thank you very much.
Dick: Tim's now on his own
with an ambitious menu
to deliver for the first time.
The library is looking
the business.
Expert florist Laura
has done arrangements
for Hollywood films
and celebrity weddings.
She'll be giving
the guest workshops
and has already waved
her magic wand
over tonight's dining room.
Laura: Most things have got
something to do with books
because it's the library.
The whole theme is the library,
showing off
this beautiful, beautiful room.
Dick: If the £450-a-head
weekend is a success,
Tim and Margreeth hope Laura
will work with them again,
so a lot's at stake, making sure
everything goes to plan.
- Hello, everybody.
- Hello.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Dick: For their
floral design lesson,
the guests are creating
chateau foliage candlesticks
for tonight's table setting.
Laura: So what we're going to do
is that we're going to actually
make this beautiful out
of all the natural greenery
and the mosses that
we've got, and then
that'll match the rest
of the room upstairs.
Dick:
The library-cum-dining-room
looks all set to be
an oasis of calm,
but it's another story
in the chateau kitchen.
Tim: I'm not quite sure
how to do this, so
this is one of these things
we shouldn't go wrong.
Dick: Time for the guests to put
their creations in place and see
the chateau's newly refurbished
library events space.
Laura: Last bit done.
So pleased with these.
Look at them.
Come in, come in,
come in.
So if you want to find
your own space,
there's another table here,
there's going to be
a table over there,
by the looks of it, yeah,
There's up here.
Look, see, up on the shelves.
Woman: On the shelf.
[Indistinct chatter]
Laura: It looks fantastic.
It's just how I wanted it, and
everybody's just been amazing.
I'm so pleased,
I can't tell you.
Dick: Teacher and students won
over by their workshop aspect
of the weekend,
the pressure's now on Tim
to seal the deal with
a show-stopping meal,
as Margreeth keeps everyone
in good spirits.
Margreeth: We're going to have
some bubbles outside
'cause it's a lovely,
lovely evening.
I've got some bubbles.
Man: Hostess with the mostest.
Margreeth: Cheers. Thanks for
being here today, guys.
Been lovely.
Man: Thank you.
Dick: Let's hope Tim
can remember
his professional
chef lessons.
Nearly 300 miles southeast,
Julia's new septic-tank
system is in.
Pipes running from the tanks
into the basement
are being linked
to take wastewater
from the bathrooms and kitchen.
- It's only one, yeah?
- Yeah.
Dick: Because there's been
a lot of disturbance
to put in the new system,
Julia has decided to completely
re-landscape to create
a good first impression.
Julia: We're going
to create a terrace
going off the corners,
so two lovely half-circles
will run off the corners
and back, so we'll have
a lovely, big terrace area
in front of the house.
I will be planting
around the edges
and then planting down.
Can't wait to get this soil in
around here so I can landscape.
This front's looking a little
bit more dressed up now.
Going to have its terrace area,
little bit more formal, which
is what I was trying to achieve.
Dick: It's not just the outside
that needs work.
In the bedroom that she's
preparing for sister Melissa,
Julia's ready to put up
the wallpaper
she's been keeping
under wraps.
Julia: The wallpaper,
it is gorgeous.
It looks very luxurious.
It's called "Paradise,"
and I really hope
Melissa will like it.
I've highlighted the apricot
down the side of the walls,
so we're going to see
the edge of that.
So hopefully the idea is,
when the wallpaper's up,
it's going to look like
a Chinese screen dropping down.
Dick: Julia's first-ever attempt
at hanging wallpaper
is now on show downstairs
in the dining room.
With some experience
under her belt,
she's beginning to look
like a dab hand.
Julia: I think this is
the hardest bit, is actually
wallpapering the whole
long piece
and then having
to lift it to the wall.
It's actually also really hard
to see where you've glued.
Dick: Last time, she was
very aware of air bubbles.
Julia: It's a very
rewarding feeling,
actually, doing this bit.
Dick: Julia's improved
her technique
to get a good, even bond
between paper and wall.
Julia: It's looking good.
Oh, my God.
It's so beautiful.
It's gorgeous.
Dick: Melissa's room is coming
together, and outside,
with the terrace laid,
furniture creates
an alfresco
dining space.
Julia: I'm happy with it,
and creating
the symmetry
is really important.
Yeah, slowly we're
getting there.
Dick: She still needs to create
flowerbeds and areas of foliage,
but it's a great foundation
to work from.
A hundred and 90 miles
northeast,
Joshua and Lee are still
looking for a chateau
with the right location
and space to run a music venue,
and they have one
more viewing.
Joshua: Hi.
Tamasin: Hi. Hi again.
Lee: Good to see you again.
Tamasin: Yeah, you, too.
Dick: Agent Tamasin will be
showing them around
a 4-bedroom manor house that's
on the market for £460,000.
Tamasin: The house has been
renovated completely.
It's double-glazed,
it's got all comforts.
It's got electric heating
throughout, with solar panels,
which bring in
over 1,000 euros a year
in selling the electricity
back to the grid...
Joshua: OK, that's great.
Tamasin: which is great.
Dick: An income.
That's an encouraging start.
Now to see inside.
Joshua:
The stained-glass window.
That's beautiful.
Tamasin: Yeah.
Lee: And it's
a lovely floor as well.
Joshua: Yeah, the tiles are
beautiful, aren't they?
Lee: Yeah.
Dick: Next is
into the first
of two reception rooms
on the ground floor.
Tamasin: OK.
They have it as the dining room.
It can be a living room as well.
One of the reception rooms.
They've kept
the traditional feel,
but made it comfortable.
Lee: Yeah.
Dick: With the couple keen
to host parties,
a large entertaining kitchen
is high on the wish list.
Tamasin:
Into the kitchen...
Joshua: Oh.
Tamasin: which is full
of original features as well.
Lee: That's beautiful.
Joshua: It's a lovely mixture
of the old and new
in here, isn't it?
They've kept all the features,
but then it's a very modern
kitchen and it's lovely.
Tamasin: Yeah.
Dick: So far so good.
Joshua: I wasn't really sure
what to expect, but it is
a beautiful property that's been
really well-renovated.
It's very interesting.
Dick: With such
a positive start, the couple
are curious to see all
4 bedrooms on the first floor,
which have en suites.
It's currently being
used as a B&B.
Joshua: It's beautifully
decorated, isn't it?
Tamasin: Yes, it has
a really nice feel.
Joshua: Love--
it's gorgeous.
Dick: Having accommodation
that's good to go
as part of an established
B&B business
is a big plus, and outside,
in the private two-acre grounds,
the outbuildings offer
something else
that could hit the right note
for their music-venue plans.
Tamasin: The really interesting
thing about this place is
that the owners are very much
involved in an association
that promotes
and encourages music...
Joshua: Really?
Tamasin: in the area,
Lee: OK.
Tamasin: and they host concerts
in the barn.
Joshua: Wow. Heh!
Tamasin: So the contacts
are there
and the precedent has
been set, if you like.
Joshua: OK.
That's amazing.
Tamasin: So this is where
they've hosted their concerts.
Joshua: Lovely.
I can see it
already, how you could
set this up really nicely.
Yeah, I mean,
just the size is perfect
for chamber music, which is
what I had in mind.
Tamasin: Right.
Joshua: So, you know,
string quartets or piano, and...
Tamasin: Yeah.
Joshua: 2 or 3 other
musicians or a singer.
It's the perfect size,
really.
Tamasin: Great.
Joshua: Gosh. Yeah.
I'm a bit blown away.
Sorry.
I've just gone a bit quiet.
Tamasin: Ha ha!
[Joshua chuckling]
[Tamasin chuckling]
Joshua: Oh.
Lee: It's everything that he
wants, basically,
so hit the nail on the head--
ha ha!--I think, yeah.
Joshua: Minor emotional
moment there. Sorry.
Lee: It's all right.
I deal with this twice a day.
It's fine.
[All laugh]
Dick: Looks like, after
3 years of searching,
Joshua and Lee might have
found the one.
Joshua: This proxy has been
a real surprise
and a bit of
an emotional journey. Ha ha!
I just felt a real emotional
connection to this place,
um, so yeah,
I'm just a little bit
overcome at the moment.
Lee: I think it's a property
that we've both
felt an attachment to
and an emotion over.
I think if Joshua had his way,
he'd be here next week. Ha ha!
Thank you very much for
showing us round the property.
Tamasin: Well, it's been
a great pleasure.
Lee: It's been an experience.
Thank you.
Dick: This sounds
very promising.
Fingers crossed it goes well,
and there's a possibility
of a moving-in date
on the cards.
Back in southern France,
Julia is putting
the finishing touches
to her first guest
accommodation, where she plans
to host sister Melissa
on visits to the chateau.
Julia: Just putting
the right combinations
of colors and things that I
know Melissa likes,
but also things that are going
to go well with the room.
All right, so I'm going
to put some gilding wax
on top of these
little finials.
Dick: Julia's adding her
crowning glory to the 4-poster
that once belonged
to her father.
Julia: I love this stuff.
Dick: The interior designer
and artist has some
of her own ceramic creations
to add to the room.
Julia: These are 3
of my father's.
'95 is when I made that one,
so a long time ago,
and this one would have been
around the same time, and then
this one I made just about
two years ago, I think,
not very long ago at all.
Dick: She's promised her sisters
there'd be no more parrots.
Julia: There we go.
I think we're done.
Dick: Perhaps those
are lovebirds.
Julia: I'm very happy with how
this room's come out.
Really soft and subtle,
so I hope she likes it.
Dick: When Julia moved in to
her chateau just 4 months ago,
nothing had been touched for
almost half a century.
What was a shabby shell
is now an elegant bedroom,
combining family heritage
with her father's 4-poster
and the chateau's
artistic history.
Julia: Melissa, she's waiting
until she comes out
at Christmas with the family,
and she's going to have
the reveal of the room
then, but it's
her Christmas present to see
the room finished.
Dick: It's another feather
in the cap
for the chateau renovation.
The kitchen is ready
to cook up a storm,
the dining room is set
to host memorable meals,
and she started
re-landscaping work outside.
Julia's achieved
an incredible amount already.
Julia: I think that's
pretty good for 4 months.
A lot has happened.
Dick: She's now set
a target of 6 months
to get her accommodation
ready for paying guests
and events
to generate income.
Julia: By Easter, I will have
my two-bedroom cottage
and the one-bedroom cottage
ready for rental,
so we'll have the function space
in the large barn for events.
Dick: I wish you
every success, Julia,
and if what you've done so far
is anything to go by,
I've got every hope you
can hit your deadline.
Julia: It's been
a wonderful experience.
It's the best thing
I've ever done.
Dick: Almost 400 miles north,
the guests at Tim
and Margreeth's first-ever
gourmet flower weekend
are enjoying
pre-dinner drinks,
whilst behind the scenes,
Tim is focused on plating up
the first course,
ready to serve.
Tim: We are...
making these little
amuse-bouches.
So we have a bit of radish, bit
of sour cream, some fish eggs.
So the happy accident
of missing a few
and getting them sort of
slightly off-center
means that I can scatter them
about the plate
for people to munch later.
Dick: Combining polished
presentation with speedy service
is a real art in
a professional kitchen.
Tim: I don't want
to fall behind.
I've got to get crack on
and make sure that
everything's ready to go
when they're ready to go.
Dick: Margreeth brings hubby
a little Dutch courage
and helps coordinate proceedings
with the evening's
waiting staff.
Tim: Yeah, how are we
going to do this?
Now, we get 3 waters,
they put them on the table.
Margreeth: I'll be upstairs.
Tim: I need about 15,
20 minutes to get all
that stuff together
and then get the...
yeah, to give me some time
between courses.
Margreeth: So 10 minutes
for the amuse-bouche,
something like that,
and then 10 minutes after that,
and they come up
to clear, and then--
Tim: Yeah, get
the salads going.
OK, great.
Margreeth: Perfect.
Dick: Order of events settled,
Margreeth realizes she
needs to give
the place settings
a last-minute tweak.
Margreeth: Tim's changed
the order of the menu,
so I have to change
the order of the cutlery.
The way it is, but luckily
he told me now.
Dick: The diners can be
summoned chateau-style...
Margreeth:
Dinner is served. Heh!
Dick: to the candlelit library.
[Overlapping chatter]
Man: Oh.
Woman: Oh, my God.
Man 2: Oh, this is a wow.
Margreeth: Yes. Heh heh!
Dick: As Chef Tim is
feeling the heat...
Tim: Yeah, OK, so we'll forget
this, we'll do this later.
Man: Mm-hmm.
Tim: Oh, crikey. It--
Man: What?
Tim: It's show time.
Ah! I'm not ready!
Ah! Heh! OK.
Dick: Blissfully unaware
of what's
happening in the kitchen...
Tim: Can you take
3 each, you guys?
Dick: the guests tuck in
to tomato salad,
as Tim prepares to showcase
his prized pumpkins
in a soup with mussels
and roasted garnish.
Tim: There's the mussels...
there's pumpkins.
Don't want that to burn.
Patrick, if you can get me
the plates, mate,
I need 14 plates.
Thank you.
Dick: Good kitchen management
is about priorities.
Tim: Girls, you can take out
the breads, please...
Dick: and delegation.
Tim: And, um, Patrick,
if you can join me
with this--oh, no.
You can't take out the breads.
We're doing--sorry.
Oh, no, forget that.
Forget the breads, no.
They go with the soup.
You OK with that, you guys?
Dick: Tim juggles time
in the kitchen
with helping Margreeth
play host to the guests.
Tim: Just to let you know,
the next course is coming,
and, um, it's pumpkins
from our own garden.
Everything you're eating tonight
is actually very local.
It's all regional and--
Margreeth: Organic.
Tim: And organic.
Yes, it's--yes.
Dick: Tim's left
his waiting staff to dish up in
the kitchen, then he remembers
the prized pumpkin pieces
for the soup garnish are still
roasting in the oven.
Tim: Oh, no.
OK, we'll just have to get a--
[Pieces clatter]
I can't do it. I--burnt the
pumpkins talking to the guests.
Burnt the pumpkins, as well
as running downstairs. OK.
OK. That's a shame.
Damn. Um...
Dick: A few minutes' distraction
can be the difference
between culinary triumph
and disaster.
At least the soup itself
has survived,
so the guests will never know
what they've missed.
Tim: You know, if that's
the worst thing
that happens tonight,
that's not so bad.
Dick: Very true, Tim...
Woman: Here you are.
Dick: and it still looks
pretty as a picture.
Tim: Guys, you've got duck
in fig leaf.
[Overlapping chatter]
Tim: I think this has to be the
nicest room I've ever been in
'cause I've never seen
anything like this before,
and that's all down
to Laura, so thank you.
Laura: Oh, thank you.
Dick: Floristry and food
have delivered
a winning combination.
Man: Wonderful food,
wonderful surroundings,
beautiful chateau.
Couldn't ask for more.
Woman: I feel like I'm sitting
in a fairy castle.
Well done, Tim.
Well done, Margreeth.
Man: Hear, hear.
Dick: And it looks like
this event and florist Laura
are now set to return
to the chateau.
Margreeth: We're definitely
going to host more
of these kind of events.
It's a great way
of people to connect
and get to know each other.
It's an amazing feeling
because we've spent 6 months
working on this project.
That's an efficient way
of weeding.
Working on creating
a new garden.
Strawberries.
Tim: Hey!
Oh, I love strawberries.
Margreeth: Me, too.
Working on the library
that was a bit sad...
Tim: Oh, I can't wait
for other people to see this.
Margreeth: and now it has
come back to life.
I'm glad you enjoy it.
It was really nice meeting you.
We celebrated all
the hard work.
Tim: What a way
to finish the year.
Margreeth: Yeah.
Dick: Tim and Margreeth,
you deserve
every success after all
the work you've put in.
We wish you a blooming
marvelous future.
Tim: Yeah, good.
Let's do it again.
Next Tuesday. Heh heh!
Margreeth: Yeah.
Dick: Next time...
Anna: Oh, my goodness.
Philipp: Yeah.
Dick: we follow another bunch
of intrepid chateau owners.
Man: It looks to be
a massive undertaking.
Dick: A couple leave it
down to the wire...
Johnny: It should be
a joyous day, right?
It's the opening of
our gallery.
Dick: as they launch
their new business.
Johnny: She never gets
stressed, Ashley.
Ashley: I'm not stressed,
I'm annoyed.
Dick: A family new
to chateau life
aim to win over the locals...
Man: Ah, bon soir!
Dick: and at another chateau...
[Cheering]
- Don't panic.
- Oh, you're going.
Dick: the wedding hostess
goes into labor.
Woman: Two seconds.
I'm getting a contraction.