The Barn
Country Pumpkins is situated 6 km from Verteillac, a small hamlet in the Dordogne region of France. only 15 kilometers from the market town of Riberac and 50 km from the cobbled streets of Perigeaux.
Bought as a crumbling, ramshackle ruin, the barn was originally used for storing hay and livestock. It’s meter-thick stone walls and high ceilings have been beautifully restored into a fully furnished home-from-home with the benefits and comforts of modern living. Take a single step outside or glance out of one of the open windows however, and ancient french countryside is everywhere. Look for fossils in the fields, listen to wild boar at night, paint the grape vines dripping off the old crumbling walls and watch swifts duck in and out of the rafters where they have lived for decades. Check out some of the photos in the gallery of this happy little paradise that will become your home for the duration of the course.
The Garden
Fresh food, fresh air and never-ending views stretching across the countryside. Most lunches and dinners (if warm enough) will be eaten outside under the walnut tree. Blackberries, apples, pears, peaches, figs, walnuts, grapes, plums… – we have it all. Our menus will vary depending on the ingredients in season and what we can gather ourselves.
Dinner, when not eaten outside will be a sit-down affair with candles, music and a good bottle or two of local wine. The kitchen where much time will be spent is modern, spacious and offers those hard-working chefs-to-be a mouth-watering glimpse onto the breathtaking french countryside.