Château de Longcol ★★★★

The Aveyron valley is home to some of the most officially beautiful villages in France, dramatic gorges and wonderful scenery, and best of all, the world-famous Roquefort cheese. We knew we would love it here! We had taken a couple of days to get here by car to add a little holiday of our own to the big event. Following our rule when driving in France, we had taken every opportunity to sample the local cheeses, and any other local speciality for that matter, with the result that we had already had a mini-gastronomic tour by the time we arrived, and were starting to consider ourselves experts in the subject.

The Château de Longcol is off the beaten track, but easy enough to find with a map. We discovered a classic French stone château with high concave roof, mullioned windows and a separate little princess tower to one side. It is surrounded by a stone-paved courtyard, pretty flower-decked gardens and a lovely little pool beside a patch of lawn complete with sun loungers in the partial shade of a stately mimosa tree. All around are the rocky hills and verdant countryside of the lovely Aveyron valley.

We met with a warm reception from the young woman on duty, and we found throughout our stay that everyone was consistently friendly and helpful. We thought they had probably had a good example set for them by the owner, Anna, who was delightful, and obviously proud of the château, grounds and particularly the restaurant.

We spent a happy few days around the main event, which was a great success with tears and smiles all round. Getting to know Emilie’s family, we were in the perfect place to sit and chat, or go for a walk together in the lovely trails in the countryside around. My favourite place for a little tête-à-tête was sitting on a soft white settee in the walled garden, a sun-trap full of potted flowers and a rustic stone fountain. It was fun strolling around the outbuildings and hidden terraces and pergolas too, where there was always a new little sheltered corner to discover. When we were inside the château the lounge was conducive to family chats as well. It had a real French comfortable country house feel, with exposed oak beams in the ceiling and a pair of enormous leather chesterfields and lots of other leather chairs for family gatherings.

The indisputable highlight of our stay, aside from the ceremony for the happy couple of course, was the restaurant. Chef Jérôme Burel really is an asset. The food was beyond delicious! It was simply a consistent work of art; course after course of absolute perfection. For me and my husband, having considered ourselves almost connoisseurs, it was something of a humbling experience. We realised there is so much more to the best that French cuisine can offer. We have every intention of returning to the Château de Longcol to continue our culinary education!