_edited_edited_edited.png)
a GaRDeN iN FRaNCe
16-23 april 2027
A Garden in France is a good food & gardening retreat led by Briana Bosch, from Blossom & Branch Farm.
-
Travel with purpose & get active
-
Spend the week living the chateau dream: learn, create & share the journey with curious, like-minded people
-
Discover La Douce France and learn from our local experts like beekeepers, beerbrewers and lavender farmers.
-
Luxury accomodation & gourmet organic food and wines.
-
From €1200, including meals, wine, accomodation, transfers and all workshops.
The retreat
A perfect getaway for gardeners AND foodies
A Garden in France is a 7 day retreat combining gardening & great local food. The retreat is hosted by Chateau de Freyssinet - a castle nestled in the quiet green hills of the Limousin - an undiscovered part of France.
Treat yourself to a holiday with purpose! Make new friends, get active in the garden and leave your phone on the bedside table. Get to know the real France, while enjoying the comfort of our luxurious holiday homes and gorgeous local food every day.
Build your knowledge about sustainably growing flowers and produce, improving soil health and weed prevention strategies. Then put your newly learned skills to practise in the Chateau park and organic orchard.
Mornings are spend in gardening workshops led by expert gardener & regenarative farmer Briana Bosch on topics such as Soil Blocking, Cover Cropping, Regenerative Gardening, and Ecosystem Balance.
In the afternoon you'll discover the pleasures of La Douce France guided by local & organic food producers & connaisseurs. From winetasting to beekeeping - this retreat combines a love for gardening with a love for good, honest and local food.
The retreat includes excellent gourmet meals by our host John. Hearty, healthy meals, prepared with veggies from the chateau garden and the best local ingredients from local producers. John's cooking is flavourful and creative. He offers excellent vegan & vegetarian dishes as well.
From breakfast to dinner - all meals will be hosted in the Chateau's Big Barn or outside if the weather permits.
This year we offer a little extra: you can start out your retreat week by joining Briana in Paris for a visit to one of its famous gardens.
The workshops workshop calendar subject to change
FRIDAY | A DAY IN PARIS (OPTIONAL - Arrange your own hotel)
Afternoon: Briana takes you on a visit to a famous garden in Paris.
SATURDAY | TO THE CHATEAU!
Morning: Travel to the chateau by train
Afternoon: Organic wine & cheese tasting
SUNDAY | EARTH & CRAFT DAY
Morning: Regenerative gardening, soil health and covercropping and time in the garden
Afternoon: Build a garden structure with reclaimed wood/Craft a floral with a local flower farmer.
Evening: Movie night
MONDAY | CUTTINGS & COCKTAILS DAY
Morning: Workshops on propogating, dividing & creating a resilient garden with what you've got. Time in the garden.
Afternoon: Garden cocktail mixology session
TUESDAY | WANDER & DISCOVER DAY
Morning & Afternoon: Spend the day in medieval Limoges
Late afternoon & evening: Free time or massage
WEDNESDAY | SHAPE & SOURCE DAY
Morning: Workshops on pruning & shaping the garden
Afternoon: Workshops at a local organic farm: Visit to a brewery, visit to a cheesemaker.
THURSDAY | A DAY AT THE CHATEAU
Morning: A day spent in the garden, finshing the week's project
Afternoon: Choose your own adventure: Creative workshop making plaster garden reliefs | Get a massage | Herbal hand treatment using wild plants | Reading & relaxation.
FRIDAY | DEPARTURE DAY
What you'll get
-
Full board accommodation in the luxurious holiday homes surrounding Chateau de Freyssinet
-
All meals: daily gorgeous gourmet food, straight from our garden and local suppliers.
-
Expert gardening workshops by Briana Bosch on sustainable gardening.
-
Get your hands dirty in the chateau park and orchard to practise the skills you've learned.
-
Lots of time spent outside surrounded by the gorgeous green hills of the Limousin.
-
An organic wine and cheesetasting.
-
A day exploring the beautiful medieval city of Limoges.
-
Visits and workshops to local food producers.
-
All equipment and seeds/plants provided.
-
A visit to a famous garden in Paris.
-
Transport to and from Limoges Train Station and to and from all workshops.
a typical day
8 AM. Leisurely breakfast with fresh pastries & lots of other tasties.
9 AM. Clean-up & Get ready
9.30 AM. Gardening Workshop with Briana & working in the garden
11 AM. Coffee/Tea break, fruit & snacks
11.15 AM. Working in the garden with Briana
12.30 PM. Lunch (outside with a view over the fields if weather permits)
2 PM. Craft, tasting or local produce workshop #1
4PM. Workshop #2 or free time
6.30 PM. Dinner
8 PM. Conversations, reading, craft or alone time.
pricing
Pricing includes accomodation, all workshops, food & drink*, transportation between the chateau & to Limoges Central Train Station and to and from workshops. It does not include travel to France and accomodations the first night in Paris.
Shared double room with shared bathroom - €1200 per person
Private double room with shared bathroom - €1725 per person (€3200 per couple)
Private double room with private bathroom - €2000 per person (€3600 per couple)
Most shared bathrooms are shared between only 2 rooms.
*with the exception of 1 lunch during our day spent in Limoges.
Briana Bosch
Briana Bosch is a fifth-generation farmer who has taken regenerative agriculture practices and spun them to apply to small market farms and home gardens. She has consulted on over 100 homes and private gardens, helping heal soils all over the world. Briana runs Blossom and Branch Farm and recently published a book on regenerative gardening practices called “The Regenerative Gardener’s Handbook.”
Eloise & John
Eloise and John are the owners of Chateau de Freyssinet and your hosts for the week. They bought the Chateau in 2021 and are slowly transforming it back to its former glory. John is a great cook and will be surprising you each day with his healthy meals packed with flavor. Eloise is the retreat organizer and will be there to make sure everyone has a brilliant time.
How To GeT THeRe
Traveling from the USA
Traveling from the Netherlands
Traveling from the UK
International Airport: Paris CDG
Train from Paris Gare d'Austerlitz to Limoges Benedictins (3.5 hours)
Transfer from the train station to the chateau will be arranged by your host.
Driving: 9 hours from Rotterdam
Train to Limoges Benedictins. In Paris, transfer from Gare du Nord to Gare d'Austerlitz by metro 5 (20 minutes). Leave 45 minutes between trains to be sure.
Transfer from the train station to the chateau will be arranged by your host.
Driving: 10 hours from London
Airport: Limoges
Transfer from the airport to the chateau will be arranged by your host.
address
33 Freyssinet
87800 Saint-Priest-Ligoure
France
Email & phone
+33 6 31 86 72 19
Follow
