All language subtitles for Escape to the Chateau DIY S05E05.HDTV.540p.x264.Subs-GTi.English

I'm Dick Strawbridge and along
with my wife Angel

and our two children...

Welcome aboard, maties!

..we're now five years... Woo!

..into restoring this once-abandoned
chateau.

It's beautiful.

It's brought its challenges...

Oh!

..and some amazing rewards.

Thank you for my flower
garden, Mr Strawbridge.

And across France, there are dozens
of other Brits

who are on their own chateau
adventure.

Yay!

We'll meet some old friends...

Smile! I am.

..and new faces.

These rooms really haven't been
touched in 60 years.

And we'll reveal more about our own
chateau life.

It is so much better in real life!

There'll be highs...

Yay!

..and lows.

Oh! Oh, no.

God, what a disaster!

As these plucky Brits...

Time is money.

..transform these once-unloved
buildings into incredible homes...

I just cannot believe how much work
you've put in for us.

..as well as businesses.

And get to live the dream as
custodians of their very own castle.

Cheers, everybody!

Today...

Bonjour. How's my bedroom coming
along?

One chateau owner's under pressure

to get ready for family
get-togethers.

It's a very rewarding feeling
actually, doing this bit.

A couple's search for a chateau with
music venue potential continues.

This is lovely. I can...I can see it
already.

String quartets or piano. It's the
perfect size, really.

And it's the launch of a fine dining
and floristry weekend.

OK, so we'll forget this, we'll do
this later.

Oh, crikey...it's show time.

Ah! I'm not ready!

Agh!

OK.

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
fairy tale home

since they met three years ago.

Yeah, I think we've probably looked
at

every online advert for every
chateau

in the whole of France.

Erm, but it's exciting now that
we're really

sort of getting into the next phase

of hopefully finding that dream
property.

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.

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.

So far, they've seen two options.

The first chateau offered plenty of
room,

but proximity to a busy road left
worries about noise.

OK, this is the back of the house
with the garden.

This is the back of the house, yeah.
Yes, that's right.

That's why you hear the road,
because it's not far from here. OK.

The second chateau, though over
budget,

had period features that hit the
mark.

This is amazing, the floor is
incredible

and the windows, so
bright, the light coming in,

it's...it's really nice.

Now, there are two more chateaus
lined up to see.

The first is a four-bedroom
19th-century beauty

on the market for £370,000.

It's located in the centre of the
village of Argenton-l'Eglise...

Good morning. Morning.

..where they're meeting agent
Tamasin.

It's beautiful.

Well, I'm glad you like it on this
gorgeous morning.

The chateau was built for a local
landowning family in 1872. OK.

So this was the sign of their
wealth.

There's a lot of history with the
house.

Yes. Yeah, there is a lot of
history. Yeah.

One and a quarter 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.

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 "en enfilade."

Yeah, it's lovely.

Typical French hallway, isn't it?
Yeah.

With the doors either side,
like you said.

OK, so we're into the salon.

The drawing room.

Beautiful fireplace, wow. Yeah.

The colour's lovely in here as well.
Actually, it's quite my taste.

Lovely chandelier there.

A lovely chandelier would be
fantastic there, wouldn't it?

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.

OK, so we've got the... OK.

Lovely big eat-in kitchen.

Yeah. It's beautiful.

This is what I imagine a big,
French, country kitchen to be like.

Yeah, yeah. It's a good size, it's
lovely.

It's mains water. There's also a
well here,

so you can water the garden without
worrying about your water bill.

Oh, that's very good.

And the central heating, is that...?

Yeah, it's oil-fired.

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.

First impressions, it's a handsome
property.

The only thing is the location.

With us hosting events outside,

maybe the neighbours would get a
little bit...

..annoyed with the noise.

Not sounding very positive, but who
knows?

There's still upstairs to see.

Around 200 miles south-east is
Chateau Le 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 three months ago

by artist and interior designer
Julia for £278,000,

who has slowly been transforming it
into her home.

My background is, um, as an artist,

and I've bought a property of an
artist here

and it's just really nice to keep
that going.

The property has huge potential.

I'm gonna be gardening, I'm gonna be
decorating, doing the place up.

Located 68 miles from Toulouse,

with the help of her visiting
sisters,

Julia's already transformed the
kitchen...

..and the dining room.

This place felt like home straight
away

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,

"This feels like we've always been
here."

It really does feel like home.

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! So, how's it all
going, Julie?

How's my bedroom coming along?

I'm going to start painting very
pale pink

that's going to look amazing with
this wallpaper, which I've ordered.

You're really into the wallpapers
all of a sudden, aren't you?

I know, they're exceptional.

Oh, there's not parrots in every
room?

It's not parrots. OK, good.

Cos you can't have parrots in every
room.

No.

Fantastic, can't wait.

Bye! Bye! Bye!

Bye! Bye!

The goal is, they're all coming out
with their families for Christmas

so 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.

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.

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.

With four 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.

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.

New two-metre-tall tanks are due to
be installed.

The tanks are much bigger than I
expected when I saw them delivered.

They're huge.

And there's another problem.

The local area's 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.

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've found skeletons down there,

they've found pottery down there,
they've found artefacts,

so there's...amazing history in
these caves

that they need to preserve.

To play her part in preservation,

Julia suggested re-routing the
expelled water away from the cave.

So, instead of running down here,
which is the obvious place,

cos it drains downwards,

we're going to need to take it
across into that paddock.

So, we've had the water people here
and the grotte 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 is gonna
go wrong

and they don't change their minds,

who knows?

With the new proposal in the
pipeline,

let's hope there's no more
unwelcome escapes

from the chateau waste water system,

and Julia can lay her groundwork
soon.

Coming up...

Welcome!

..Tim and Margreeth call on the
professionals

for their flower weekend menu.

I'm really learning a lot with this.

It's my favourite thing, watching
other cooks work.

And eating. Yeah, and eating.

And Joshua and Lee unearth the
good...

Lovely light bathing in through the
window,

it's very nice.

..and the not so good.

A hole. Surprise hole.

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 six years.

They're still growing their B&B
and events business

and getting to grips with
their massive home.

It depends how you count it.

I counted...
I think I had about 84 rooms.

And I had about 12. You...
THEY LAUGH

Counting how many kitchens there
are. It's an interesting question.

One, two, three... About
six? ..four.

Yeah, five, six, seven kitchens.

Yeah.

Located an hour from Calais,

this year, they've turned their
library into a new events space...

It's got the wow factor a bit,
hasn't it, this one?

Definitely.

..and created a potager garden

to grow produce for themselves
and guests.

It's very exciting.

You just really feel like
you're getting there.

The first harvest is needed for
the launch

of a £450-a-head
flower weekend,

when 14 guests are booked for
floristry workshops

and fine dining
in the renovated library.

So, what do you think?

Oh, it's looking lovely.

It's looking really good.

Tim's the chateau's regular chef,

but to take things up a notch,

he's calling in the expertise
of a local professional

to help with a five-course meal
as a culinary highlight.

He's one of the best cooks I've
come across for a long, long time.

We'll be designing
the menu together,

and he'll probably teach me how to
cook stuff I don't know how to cook.

They've travelled five 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.

Voila! Wonderful.

Yes.

Un potiron de notre jardin.
Voila. Oui.

We can make a lot of things with
that. We can make soup, for sure.

Then we can add some mussels,

because I think that's the best
season for the mussels now.

Wow. And when I see the colour,

I imagine the mussels with the duck.

Etienne's also giving them a lesson

in how to prepare the rest
of the meal.

Follow me. We're gonna make...

..a starter. So, we have
wonderful tomatoes here.

Beautiful. Aren't they lovely?

We just make a small tomato sauce,
but it's very tasty.

Then we have an organic
goat's cheese.

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.

So, we're just gonna put some
salt...

..and we're gonna cook it slowly.

The fat's gonna melt a bit... Yeah.

..and it's gonna become crispy.

Yes. And this is the same technique
you're going to use for the duck?

Yes. Yeah.

So, now you can see that
the fat is crispy.

Wow. Wow, that's perfect.

Looking good.

Here, we have some flowers
of oregano.

I'm really learning a lot with this.

It's my favourite thing, watching
other cooks work, you know.

I really like that. And eating.
Yeah, and eating.

Getting perfect dishes out
to 14 discerning diners

is no mean feat

and Etienne won't be there
for service on the night.

And after, we're just gonna finish
the cooking in the oven.

Still with the herbs and garlic.

While the meat finishes cooking,

Etienne shows them how to prepare
the tomato starter.

So, here we just took off
the skin of the tomatoes.

Then, we have some basil. Wow.

Take the flowers out.

You can add some crunch.

So, just some seeds that we're gonna
add to draw out some crunch.

It looks so amazing.

Oh!

Oh. Gorgeous. That crunch!

That's great. And in the sauce,
we have what we call caillette.

It's like all the parts you don't
use normally,

mix it with garlic, herbs.

French cooking is really the juice.
Yeah.

When you don't have the juice,
you've lost part of the taste. Yeah.

Wow. All looks delicious.

Thank you very much.

You're welcome.

Let's hope Tim can use what
he's learnt today

for the guests at the flower
weekend's five-course gourmet meal.

Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.

235 miles south-west,

couple Joshua and Lee are viewing
a 19th-century chateau

with agent, Tamasin.

First floor. Yes.

Which is a bit less finished.

Close proximity to the neighbours
has raised concerns,

but what about the bedrooms?

This is the main bedroom.

OK.

Yeah, yeah.
This side is south-facing.

OK, so that's why it's getting
the lovely light beaming in

through the window. Yeah.
It's very nice.

The typical French fireplace
in the bedroom as well.

It's lovely. Probably not been used
for a very long time.

Not since there were staff
in the house.

I don't think we can afford staff.

I am the staff.
THEY CHUCKLE

I know the feeling, Lee.

On this floor, there are three more
bedrooms and two bathrooms,

plus the floor above has
a 750-square foot attic.

The beams are actually quite high.
Yeah.

Some of them that we've seen, the
beams are sort of... Waist height.

..waist height, so you
can't really do very much with it.

Yeah, you could definitely add
extra space up here. Definitely.

Whilst Joshua has his eyes upwards,

Lee may have spotted a downside.

I guess this is over rotten...
I don't know... ..spongy floor.

..to be honest.

Yes. Yes, yes. It is. OK.
A hole.

Surprise hole.

So, yeah. So, is the building being
treated for woodworm?

Not that I know of, no. Right.

OK.

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.

I've seen enough up here, I think.
Yeah.

Time to reflect on whether this
village centre chateau

cuts the mustard.

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.

What we've realised now is that
no close-by neighbours

is what we need,

just to ensure that
we don't disturb anyone.

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.

Smells good, looks good.

It's classed 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 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 and the cement delivered

so we can mix it and pour it in.
We would have got one of...

You know the big turning
around lorries?

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 made all
the hard work worthwhile.

Whoa! What do you reckon?

I can't believe it!

Thank you.

Nearly 300 miles south-east,

the groundwork for Julia's sewage
system upgrade has begun.

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.

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 five-course meal

and harvest produce
from the potager garden.

I always have healthy nerves,
I think,

because I always want it
to go well.

Butterflies before showtime. Yeah.

Got to cut all the flowers,
cook for 14 people... Oh, no!

..five-course Michelin meal.

What could go wrong?
SHE CHUCKLES

On the menu is a dish
Tim's never cooked before -

pumpkin and mussel soup.

So, I'll take this big one.

That one, yeah. 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 of here.

Well done.

That's about 15 kilos,
I think. Wow.

OK, well, let's try
and wheel them back. Yeah.

It's probably about 30, 40 kilos
on there. I imagine there is, yeah.

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.

Voila.

Starting with a quick way of
plating up the duck

for the main course.

So, you just have to follow the bone
in the middle

and we're gonna work
it in fresh figs' leaves

and like that you can warm it up
in the oven. Right.

And serve it like that.

The soup will showcase
the home-grown pumpkins...

This is my pumpkin, this is!

That he's chopping up there.
Look at that!

..with some going with mussels
for the soup itself...

..and more being roasted
to use as a garnish.

It's... Already, it's a pretty
complete dish just in my head.
ETIENNE LAUGHS

It smells great. Yeah.

Instructions given...

I know what I need to do.

It's going to be fine,
to be honest. OK.

You're gonna do a great job.
Thanks, man. Thank you very much.

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.

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.

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!

For their floral design lesson,

the guests are creating chateau
foliage candlesticks

for tonight's table setting.

What we're going to do is
we're going to actually make

this beautiful out of all the
natural greenery and mosses

that we've got and then that'll
match the rest of the room upstairs.

The library come dining room looks
all set to be an oasis of calm,

but it's another story
in the chateau kitchen.

I'm not quite sure how to do this,

so this is one of these things
which is gonna go wrong.

Time for the guests to put
their creations in place

and see the chateau's newly
refurbished library event space.

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.

There's up here.
See, up on the shelves.

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.

Teacher and students won over by
the 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.

We're going to have some bubbles
outside,

cos it's a lovely, lovely evening.

I've got some bubbles.
Hostess with the mostest. Cheers.

Cheers, everybody.
Thanks for being here today, guys.

It's been lovely.
It's been a lovely day.

Let's hope Tim can remember
his professional chef lessons.

Nearly 300 miles south-east,

Julia's new septic tank system
is in.

Pipes running from the tanks into
the basement

are being linked to take waste water
from the bathrooms and kitchen.

It's only one, yeah? Yeah.

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.

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.

I 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.

It's going to have its terrace area.

A little bit more formal,

which is what I was trying
to achieve.

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.

The wallpaper 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 wall,

so we're gonna see the edge of that,

so hopefully the idea is when
the wallpaper's up,

it's gonna look like
a Chinese screen dropping down.

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.

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.

Last time, she was very aware
of air bubbles.

It's a very rewarding feeling,
actually, doing this bit.

Julia's improved her technique
to get a good, even bond

between paper and wall.

This is looking good.

Oh, my God. It's so beautiful.

I think it's gorgeous.

Melissa's room is coming together

and outside, with the terrace laid,

furniture creates an alfresco
dining space.

I'm happy with it.

And creating the symmetry is really
important.

Yeah, slowly we're getting there.

She stills needs to create
flowerbeds and areas of foliage,

but it's a great foundation
to work from.

190 miles north-east,

Joshua and Lee are still looking
for a chateau

with the right location and space
to run a music venue.

They have one more viewing.

Hi. Hi. Hello.

Hi, again. Good to see you again.
And you.

Agent Tamasin will be showing them
around a four-bedroom manor house

that's on the market for £460,000.

The house has been renovated
completely.

It's double-glazed.

It's got all comforts. All right.
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.

OK. Which is great. That's great.

An income!
That's an encouraging start.

Now to see inside.

A stained glass window.

That's beautiful. Yeah.
And it's a lovely floor, as well.

Yeah, the tiles are beautiful,
aren't they? Yeah.

Next, it's into the first of two
reception rooms on the ground floor.

OK.

They have it as a dining room.

Could be a living room as well.
Yeah. One of the reception rooms.

They've kept the traditional feel,
but made it comfortable. Yeah.

With the couple keen to host
parties,

a large entertaining kitchen is high
on the wish list.

Into the kitchen.

Ah.

Which is full of original features
as well.

That's beautiful.

It's a lovely mixture of the old
and new in here, isn't it? Yeah.

They've kept all the features,
but then it's a very modern kitchen

and it's lovely. Yeah.

So far, so good.

I wasn't really sure what to expect,

but it is a beautiful property that
has been really well renovated.

It's very interesting.

With such a positive start,

the couple are curious to see all
four bedrooms on the first floor,

which have en suites.

It's currently being used as a B&B.

It's beautifully decorated,
isn't it?

Yes, there's a really nice feel.

It's gorgeous.

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.

The really interesting thing
about this place

is that the owners
are very much involved

in an association that promotes
and encourages music

in the area. Really?

OK. And they host concerts
in the barn.

Wow.

So, the contacts are there

and the precedent has been set,
if you like.

OK.

That's amazing.

So, this is where they hosted
their concerts.

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, so...
Right.

You know, string quartets or...
Yeah.

..piano and two or three other
musicians or a singer.

It's the perfect size, really.

Great. Gosh, yeah.

I'm a bit blown away, sorry.
I've just gone a bit quiet.

THEY CHUCKLE

It's everything that he wants,
basically,

so you hit the nail on the head.

I think, yeah.

Minor emotional moment there, sorry.

It's all right.
I deal with this twice a day.

It's fine.

Looks like after three years
of searching

Joshua and Lee
might have found the one.

This property has been
a real surprise

and a bit of an emotional journey.

I just felt a real emotional
connection to this place.

Erm...

So, yeah. I'm just a little bit
overcome at the moment.

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.

Thank you very much
for showing us round.
It's been a great pleasure.

An experience. Thank you. Thank you.

This sounds very promising.

Fingers crossed it goes well

and there's a possibility of
a moving-in date on the cards.

Coming up...

..Julia crosses the finish line

getting the bedroom ready
for sister Melissa.

There we go. I think we're done,

so I hope she likes it.

And the flower weekend's five-course
fine dining...

Dinner is served.

..sees Chef Tim feel the heat.

There's the mussels.
There's the pumpkins.

Oh, no.

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.

It's getting the right combinations
of colours

and things that I know Melissa likes

but also things that are going to
go well with the room.

All right, so, I'm gonna put some
gilding wax

on top of these little "finnacles."

Julia's adding her crowning glory to
the four-poster

that once belonged to her father.

I love this stuff.

The interior designer and artist has
some of her own ceramic creations

to add to the room.

These are three of my vases.

'95 is when I made that one.

So, a long time ago.

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.

She's promised her sisters
there'd be no more parrots.

There we go. I think we're done.

Perhaps those are lovebirds.

I'm very happy with how this room's
come out.

Really soft and subtle,
so I hope she likes it.

When Julia moved into her chateau
just four 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 four-poster...

..and
the chateau's artistic history.

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.

It's her Christmas present to see
the room finished.

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's started re-landscaping
work outside.

Julia's achieved an incredible
amount already.

I think that's pretty good,
for four months.

A lot has happened.

She's now set a target of six months

to get her accommodation ready
for paying guests

and events to generate income.

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.

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.

It's been a wonderful experience,

it's the best thing I've ever done.

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.

We are...

..making these little amuse-bouches.

So you've a bit of radish,
bit of sour cream, some fish eggs.

So, the happy accident
of missing a few

and getting them slightly off-centre

means that I can scatter them
about the plates

for people to munch later.

Combining polished presentation
with speedy service

is a real art in
a professional kitchen.

I don't wanna fall behind.

I've gotta get... Crack on
and make sure that

everything's ready to go
when they're ready to go.

Margreeth brings hubby
a little Dutch courage

and helps co-ordinate proceedings
with the evening's waiting staff.

Yeah, how we gonna do this then?

We get three waters, um,
they put them on the table.

Or... I'll be upstairs.

I need about 15, 20 minutes
to get all that stuff together

and then get the, um...
Yeah, there's gonna be some

time between courses. So, ten
minutes for the amuse-bouches.

OK. Something like that. And then...

Ten minutes after that, they come
up to clear. So...yeah.

And then... Yeah, the salads
are going, OK. Great.

Order of events settled,
Margreeth realises she needs

to give the place
settings a last-minute tweak.

Tim's changed the order of the menu,

so I have to change
the order of the cutlery.

That's the way it is!

But luckily, he told me now.

The diners can be summoned
chateau-style...

Dinner is served.

..to the candlelit library.

Whoa. Wow. Whoa. Oh, my gosh.

Beautiful. Oh, this is...this
is a wow. Yes.

As chef Tim is feeling the heat...

Yeah, OK, so we'll forget this,
we'll do this later.

Oh, crikey. It's...it's show time.

Agh! I'm not ready!

Agh!

OK.

Blissfully unaware of what's
happening in the kitchen...

Can you take three each, you guys?

..the guests tuck into tomato salad,

as Tim prepares to showcase
his prized pumpkins

in a soup with
mussels and roasted garnish.

There's the mussels.

There's the pumpkins.

Don't want that to burn.

Patrick, if you could get me
the plates, mate.

I need 14 plates. Thank you.

Good kitchen management
is about priorities...

Girls, you can take up the breads,
please.

..and delegation.

And, um, Patrick if you
could join me with this.

Oh, no, you can't take up the
breads, we're doing... Sorry.

Forget that, forget the breads,
they go with the soup.

You OK with that, you guys?

Tim juggles time in the kitchen

with helping Margreeth play host
to the guests.

Just to let you know, the next
course is coming and, erm,

it's pumpkins from our own garden.

Everything you're eating tonight
is actually very local.

It's all regional and... Organic.
And organic, yes, it's...yes.

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.

Oh, no.

OK, we'll just have to get it...

I can't do it, I've...burned the
pumpkins, talking to the guests.

I've burned the pumpkins.

That's why I was running downstairs.
OK.

OK, that's a shame.

Damn.

Um...

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.

You know, if that's the worst thing
that happens tonight,

that's not so bad.

Very true, Tim.

And it still looks pretty
as a picture.

Guys, you've got duck in fig leaf.

I think this has to be the nicest
room I've ever been in.

Cos I've never seen anything
like this before,

and that's all down to Laura, so...
Thank you.

Floristry and food have delivered
a winning combination.

Wonderful food,
wonderful surroundings,

beautiful chateau.
Couldn't ask for more.

I feel like I'm sitting
in a...fairy castle.

Well done, Tim.
Well done, Margreeth.

Here, here.

And it looks like this
event and florist Laura

are now set to return
to the chateau.

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 spent six months

working on this project.

That's an efficient way of weeding!

Working on creating a new garden...

Strawberries! Hey, I love
strawberries! Me, too.

..working on the library,
that was a bit sad.

Oh, I can't wait for other people
to see this.

..and now, it has come back to life.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks,
yes. it was really nice meeting you.

We celebrated all the hard work.

What a way to finish the year.

Yeah.

Tim and Margreeth,
you deserve every success

after all the work you've put in.

We wish you a blooming
marvellous future.

Yeah, good. Let's do it again.
Next Tuesday.

Yeah.
THEY LAUGH

Next week...

Oh, my goodness! Look!

..we follow another bunch
of intrepid chateau owners.

It looks to be a massive
undertaking.

A couple leave it down
to the wire...

It should be a joyous day, right?
It's the opening of our gallery.

..as they launch their new business.

She'll only get stressed, Ashley.
She does.

I'm not stressed. I'm annoyed.

A family new to chateau life aim
to win over the locals...

Ah, bonsoir!

..and at another chateau...

Yay!

Don't panic, but... You're going?

..the wedding hostess
goes into labour.

Two seconds, I'm getting
a contraction.

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