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Host rating
100 %
Last replied
25 Jun 2023
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Description
Hello. We are David and Suzette and we live in the outskirts of a small village called Saint Pardoux in the heart of the Gatine.
We have a smallholding with some small animals, including, chickens, ducks, quail & rabbits.
We buy-in pig, beef, lamb and sometimes goat from local free-range farms and butcher/process ourselves.
We have family cats..
We also have a bee hive.
We also run a small boarding kennels/cattery for dogs and cats for both English and French clients who go on holiday.
We moved here in 2008 to get out of the 'rat race' and are now having fun living 'the Good Life'... Although some days Tom and Barbara have a lot to answer for :-)
We spend most of our time outdoors or in with the dogs and cats.
Looking after the animals and maintaining our land is a very busy job. For us our animals are our top priority as well as our source of food which we try to hatch/grow, dispatch/harvest, butcher/process and prepare ourselves.
David does most of our butchery and we enjoy making our own sausages, bacon, ham, burgers, gammon, pate, soups and chutneys.... Time permitting!
We have a poly-tunnel and a large vegetable garden and we try to grow all our own vegetables. Sometimes this is successful ... but not always!!
Early in the season we have salads from the garden and we do have some potatoes left. We eat Brassica nearly all year from the garden too. chillies work well but we're not very good at root veg.. maybe it's the soil?
Tomatoes like the polytunnel and we managed to process enough for the whole year.
I've made sloe gin and rumtoff this year from the fruit around the area and it tastes yummy.. but is very alcoholic!
david made a wonderful sweet chilli sauce and a hot chilli pickle that all our friends like and my pickled quails eggs made it down to Spain with a repeat order for 2019!
We have plans for learning to use the smoker and dry curing meat and salami etc
We have a professional-type kitchen where we have just started to hold cooking lessons - a local chef comes along and teaches different dishes and then we all sit down and eat it - with the obligatory glass of wine....... :-)
we hope to hold some Chinese cooking lessons in 2019, but the chef is not confirmed yet.
I like to make bread, although this is not always successful... but the chickens always eat the 'failures' :0)
I am also involved in some of the local animal charities and help out where I can with rescue and re-homing, fundraising events and sponsoring.
For our 'down-time' we like to chill in the garden with friends, around the bbq and fire pit drinking wine and chatting... We also have a pool which is a lovely necessity in the heat of the summer as the only way to cool down... So midnight, candlelit dips are fab...
It's a lovely area for bike riding and walking with designated routes around the area.... the countryside is beautiful here ... Albeit a bit hilly!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
General Maintenance
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Farmstay help
Help around the house
Animal Care
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Like any smallholding, different times of year give us different jobs and challenges and as you can imagine, there is always plenty of jobs to keep us busy and our 'to-do' lists never seem to get any shorter!
So here is an idea of the some of the jobs you could be helping with...
Animals – feed/water, cleaning out, maintaining housing and general husbandry. As well as certain times of the year, hatching, breeding and the rearing of the youngsters.
Harvesting the honey twice a year is a fun job ...
Garden and poly tunnel – rotovating, digging, planting, maintaining, potting on, watering and weeding (.......lots and lots of weeding)!
Buildings - painting, maintaining, we hope to lime-point a few of the stone walls at some point.. - Another thing on our list :).... constructing new animal houses and shelters. ...
The rest of the land requires hedge cutting and clearing, grass cutting, striking, felling trees, removing brambles/stinging nettles, putting up and maintaining fences and chopping/stacking wood for the winter.
Kennels/cattery- cleaning, dog walking, cleaning, feeding, cleaning, cat cuddling, did I mention cleaning? The kennels is also due to be painted very soon!
The house – the usual stuff, day to day chores cooking, cleaning and from time to time painting and decorating.
you will be treated as part of the family. As such we hope you will help with meal times and general 'home/family' stuff and not count this towards your 'working hours'.
All meals/snacks/drinks will be provided.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Intermediate
Accommodation
Accommodation is either: (subject to availability)
Twin room upstairs in the family home - sleeps up 2
You will share all amenities (kitchen, bathroom, toilet, lounge) with us and my 85 year old Father-in-law.
Converted Grange -sleeps up to 3 .. (2 steps to get into the building, ladder to double bed)
The only down side I'd that you will need to return to the house for the bathroom which is about 40m ..... (we are in the process of making a dry-toilet next to the grange... maybe a solar shower in the summer too?)
What else ...
As with most outdoor jobs It can be VERY hard work and often wet, muddy and very cold in the winter.
We don't expect you to have all the knowledge or skills to help us, but you need to be enthusiastic, hardworking and willing to learn.
We don't mind smokers, but you will have to smoke outside, and away from the house.
You must like and respect all animals.
We will be willing to collect or drop off up to 1 hour of our village, between the hours of 9am and 9pm only
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
25 hrs per week
Feedback (4)
**Short version** My stay with David and Suzette was absolutely amazing, anyone would be lucky to land there and experience life through their eyes!
**Long version** I arrived at their… read more
I remember the first day as it was yestarday: a morning of slabs in their frind's house, an excited way back to the house, dig a hole and a very nice dinner… read more
The Work:
David taught us how to build French fences, interior walls, and a clay oven. He took his time and gave us both equal opportunity to learn pink and blue jobs. We also helped clear some trees which was hard yet rewarding since afterwards we had an AWESOME BBQ.… read more
Feedback
**Short version** My stay with David and Suzette was absolutely amazing, anyone would be lucky to land there and experience life through their eyes!
**Long version** I arrived at their… read more
I remember the first day as it was yestarday: a morning of slabs in their frind's house, an excited way back to the house, dig a hole and a very nice dinner… read more
The Work:
David taught us how to build French fences, interior walls, and a clay oven. He took his time and gave us both equal opportunity to learn pink and blue jobs. We also helped clear some trees which was hard yet rewarding since afterwards we had an AWESOME BBQ.… read more
He fitted in very well to our family and it felt like we had known him for years.
He was hard working and eager to learn new things.... nothing was too much trouble and he was always happy to help with a smile.
Good luck in the rest of your travel/adventures Santi... you are always welcome back to… read more
But, we are happy to say that Claire proved to be a great addition to our household. She fitted in… read more
