The Good Life France Magazine




The Good Life France Magazine brings you the best of France - inspirational and exclusive features, fabulous photos, mouth-watering recipes, tips, guides, ideas and much more...


Published by the award winning team at The Good Life France

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2 years ago

Issue No. 12

Sensational cities to tiny villages, food and wine, culture and heritage. Champagne, an aristocratic saffron grower, Anger, Montparnasse, Morzeine, Carol Drinkwater shares her passion for France. Gorgeous photos and fabulous features will transport you to the heart of France in this brilliant, free magazine...

Where do you live in

Where do you live in France and what do you love most about it? We are very fortunate. We have two homes. Our Olive Farm, the inspiration for many of my books, overlooks the Bay of Cannes and the Mediterranean. It is twenty minutes from Nice airport so terrific for all our travelling yet it is tucked away and we can live a rural idyll when there. I do most of my writing at the Olive Farm having built myself a big studio entirely separate from the rest of house. Actually, it is a garage and stables conversion. The farm has a pool so I can exercise in between daily writing bouts and, of course, the climate is wonderful. The grounds cover almost four hectares so working the land is a relaxation and an imperative. We have over 300 olive trees and produce organic olive oil with an AOC label. We also have a small cottage at the foot of the grounds which we rent out for holiday lets. Our other home is outside Paris, on the edge of the Champagne region. I call this place the Mad Old Chateau. It is a thirteenth-century property with walls as thick as the average car is long. Here is the real bucolic existence where we keep a couple of sheep and take long country walks at the weekends when there. We are twenty minutes to the first of the champagne estates and an hour’s drive to Paris. How bad is that? Carol Drinkwater is a multi-award winning actress who remains best known for her portrayal of Helen Herriot in the BBC television series, All Creatures Great and Small. She is a best-selling author of 21 books,including her quartet of memoirs set on her Olive Farm. Twitter: @Carol4OliveFarm; website: www.caroldrinkwater.com; Win a copy of Carol's latest book The Forgotten Summer - see page 84 Do you dream of living in Provence? Mediterranean sunshine and rolling vineyards, lavender fields and sunflowers. A region where the movie star glamour of the Riviera meets a landscape unchanged since the days of Cezanne and Van Gogh. But there's so much more to this region than just sunshine and scenery. There are wonderful street markets in medieval towns, with fruit so fresh and colours so vibrant that the produce seems to want to leap straight onto the plate. There are the sensational wines of the Côtes du Rhône, the Ventoux, the Luberon and Bandol. And there are sophisticated cultural centres such as Aixen-Provence and Avignon. It's a region that just keeps on surprising, and it's not as expensize as you might think. Provence local property expert Trevor Smith shares three top picks: A totally authentic village property in the heart of the beautiful Luberon Natural Park. Just a few kilometers from the spectacular village of Gordes. Think cobbled streets, lavender fields, olive groves. Price €210,000 Click here for more details

The picture postcard Provencal mas. A stunning five-bedroom property with pool, surrounded by olive groves and vineyards near the famous Mont Ventoux and the delightful villages of Caromb and Le Barroux. Price €760,000 Click to read more details about this sensational house In an unspoiled Provencal Village between the bustling market town of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and the spectacular Fontaine de Vaucluse lies this very spacious four-bedroom stone property, brimming with character and offering huge terrace with breathtaking views of the Provence countryside. Price 399,000€ Click here for more details