A beautiful french holiday home with a pool in the french countryside

Idylic French Living & Boutique Luxury

“Les Caulins” built in the 18th century, is a typical French country house, formerly a vineyard and a farm. Peacefully located among the rolling hills of the Lot-et-Garonne countryside & the perfect place to relax and unwind by the sun soaked pool or under cool shady terraces, with far reaching views, clear blue skies and a long warm Spring, Summer & Autumn. Les Caulins was purchased in December 2015 by Emma and John Gilchrist and after a 15 month restoration opened in June 2017.

“Before we moved to France our hectic work load was often overwhelming and we, as everyone does, craved for the Summer to arrive when we could look forward to a break to re-charge our batteries. All we wished & dreamed of when searching for a holiday was somewhere nice to sit in the sun and in the shade,  a nice comfortable bed, spacious bathrooms, with “posh” hotel showers  & a nice glass of wine with some good food alfresco ……”

 

“The idea of spending a morning at a local market or sampling some wine at a nearby vineyard, followed by a afternoon by the pool and supper watching the sunset was a dream we could not resist. We craved a simpler, less materialistic life, decided France was for us, sold our restaurant & house & our search began for a home & a holiday gite”

“We made it our goal to offer our guests a holiday home that is charmingly French, totally relaxing, informative, a little rustic, very comfortable and affordable with surprises of luxury. A typical French house that hadn’t had the life and soul ripped out of it, a little piece of France that you could, upon arrival, feel right at home in. Sooooo…..”

Great food, great showers & great beds……
oh! And a little wine.

 

This area is one of the best in France for our passions, food and wine. The quality of the produce: truffles, strawberries, plums prunes, melons, figs, pork, beef, duck, foie gras, the list goes on……… This combined with some of Frances best markets and the abundance and diversity of some of the best known and least known wine regions in France. Places to explore, new sights to see, a simpler life and the glorious weather were too much for us to ignore.

 

France Holiday

Beautiful french holiday home, swimming pool and al fresco dining

3 superior bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, New 10×5 metre pool. Detached, surrounded by gardens and open countryside, historical towns and Chateaux nearby, vineyards and great markets.

The house has been sympathetically restored keeping all the features you would expect from a 300 year old stone house. Stone sinks, oak beams, large fireplaces, hidden terraces and sunny vistas. Continue reading “France Holiday”

About Us

We have been living here, at Les Caulins, in the beautiful South of France since March 2016. Our home is a separate small house so if needed we can be available to give local information or help in any way we can to make your holiday enjoyable and memorable.

The area is one of the best in France for our passions, food and wine. The quality of the produce: truffles, strawberries, plums prunes, melons, figs, pork, beef, duck, foie gras, the list goes on……… This combined with some of Frances best markets and the abundance and diversity of some of the best known and least known wine regions in France. Places to explore, new sights to see, a simpler life and the glorious weather were too much for us to ignore. Here it is relaxing, peaceful, with far reaching views and, if we want, plenty around us to do and the opportunity to share our passions is our perfect way of life.

We have been in the catering and hospitality industry for 35 years. Emma since the age of 9 wanted to be a chef and John is nuts about wine. Emma began her cooking career at Midsummer House in Cambridge then honed her skills with spells in Italy, Switzerland, Barbados and London restaurants: Blanford Street, Sally Clarke, l’Oranger & Nicole Farhi. Emma is passionate about seasonal, fresh food with her gutsy approach to enhancing simple flavours.
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John a former UK Sommelier of the year and winner of the Mondavi award for the best wine list in the world met Emma at Midsummer House before working at some of the Worlds best restaurants and hotels. Sandy Lane Barbados, In London: The Berkley, Browns Hotel, Nico’s, The Savoy, Scotts of Mayfair, Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Hambourg and Raffles Singapore. John is bonkers about wine with some 35 years experience in the industry. An enthusiast for the little wine producers and seeker of unknown gems.

Prior to aquiring Les Caulins in 2016 Emma and John ran their own successful restaurant in Buckinghamshire. Winning many awards including the 50 best destination restaurants in the UK, Wine pub of the year, British Cheeseboard of the year and Buckinghams best restaurant for 8 years to name a few.

We love to entertain and cook for our guests. If you would like any prepared for you when you arrive, need a special meal to celebrate a special occasion, want us to cook in our wood fired oven or just a simple lunch then this is the ideal place for you.

Good food, some wine and great company.

French Gourmet Food Weekend & Cookery School schedule 2023

If you are after Cooking Holidays, Gourmet Breaks & Relaxed Holidays in France then you have arrived at the correct page.

Enjoy French gourmet food breaks, the fun of one of the best cookery holidays in France or just relax by the pool with a glass of wine.

Our residential Cookery School breaks and Gourmet Weekends start in March through until July and then October & November. Our Cookery Courses and Gourmet Breaks are Friday or Saturday arrivals unless otherwise stated.

The 5 day Cookery Courses are relaxed and informative, very hands on and the lessons are conducted around our large kitchen table or, weather permitting, out on the covered terrace. Together we prepare dishes, talk a lot, share experiences and we show you the tips of the trade. We sit down and eat together, enjoy the food, share opinions and sample the local wines and drinks. Our cookery courses are designed to demonstrate and teach how easy & relaxed entertaining is. In France many an hour is spent around the table enjoying local, fresh food, simple local wine and great company. We are not just teaching cooking; we are showing you our way of life, French life. We visit markets, wineries, chocolate factories, drink coffee in cafes and visit the beautiful Bastide towns and countryside of the Lot-et-Garonne region of South West France.

Our Gourmet Weekends are three night all inclusive breaks and a snapshot of our life in France. We eat and drink local food and wines, Visit one of Frances most beautiful markets, Visit a winery and relax.

All the itineraries are below.

Please sign up to our newsletter to get advanced notice our Holiday availability, our Gourmet Weekends & our 5 day residential cookery school dates HERE.

Allergies & Intolerances. We will be tasting and eating many different products that the area we live in is well known for. Clearly if you have an allergy to mushrooms do not book a course that involves mushrooms and truffles; Equally if you do not eat seafood there is no point attending our fish and shellfish course. WE must be informed of all allergies before you book and pay any deposit. Itineraries cannot be changed with short notice.


Gourmet Weekends & Cookery Courses 2023

Date Description and possible course content No. nights Rooms available
25th Feb Gourmet Weekend  – Winter Truffles, Beef, Oysters, King Prawns, 3 Full
4th March Gourmet Weekend – Winter Truffles, Lobster, Fresh Pasta, & Duck 3 Full
18th March  Gourmet Weekend  – Winter Truffles, Beef,  King Prawns, 3 Full
1st April Gourmet Weekend – Asparagus season, Lamb, Fish & Shellfish 3 Full
8th April Gourmet Weekend – Strawberry season, Asparagus, Duck & Shellfish 3 Full
22nd April Entertaining Made Easy”5 Day Cookery Course 3 Full
29th April Gourmet Weekend – Strawberry season, Asparagus, Duck & Shellfish 3 Full
6th May “Entertaining Made Easy” 5 Day Cookery Course 5 Full
20th May Gourmet Lobster Weekend – Lobster, new season vegetables, pork belly 3 Full
27th May Gourmet Beef & Lobster Weekend  – Lobster & beef 3 Full
10th June BBQ Lobster Weekend – BBQ Lobster, Duck, summer vegetables 3 Full
17th June Gourmet Weekend BBQ – BBQ Lamb & Shellfish 3 Full
30th June 3 Night Lifestyle Weekend-A taste of what we do in the Summer Friday arrival 3 Full
8th July 3 Night Lifestyle Weekend-a taste of what we do in the Summer Friday arrival 3 Full
       
15th July  – 2nd Sept 7 & 14 Night Holidays or more. Yes we can cook on some evenings.
Visit VRBO Booking site for details. Weekly rates are significantly cheaper when you book directly with us
   
       
       
16th Sept 5 Day Cookery school 3 Full
30th Sept Gourmet Weekend –  Duck, Pasta, Fish, Shellfish 3 Full
14th Oct “Entertaining Made Easy” 5 Day Cookery- Scallops season 5 Full
21st Oct Gourmet Weekend – Scallop season, Duck, Fish, Shellfish 3 Full
28th Oct Gourmet Weekend – Scallop season, Duck, Fish, Shellfish 3 Full
11th Nov Gourmet Weekend -Christmas day made easy 3 Full
       

DAY COURSES

For locals living around the Duras area we will be organising half day and full day courses. Please sign up to our local newsletter HERE to receive information about future courses.

Term & Conditions/Rental Agreement

We may use your email address to send you information. We may also use your contact information to send you marketing messages. If you don’t want to receive these messages, you can opt out by following the instructions in any email you receive from us. If you correspond with us by email, we may retain the content of your email messages, your email address and our responses.

 

Renting our house, availability calendar & booking Inquiries

Our house is available to rent on a self catered or catered basis for a 7 or 14 nights, or more, during July, August & September.

If you would like to book directly with us then please search our calendar for availability then contact us using the form below. Prices start at £2200 per week. If you prefer to reserve using a booking agent then scroll down the page for the links.

Prefer to reserve using a booking agent.

If you would prefer to book through a booking agent then no problem. please visit the VRBO booking site using the link below. The prices on booking sites, because of their booking fees, will be up to five hundred pounds per week more than we charge if you booked directly with us.

If you wish to contact us directly;

UK Mobile 0044 (0)7714467213

French Landline 0033 (0)553208411

Mail info@lescaulins.com

Address 261 Les Caulins d’En Haut, 47120, Saint Sernin de Duras, France

Terms & Conditions/ Rental Agreement

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