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A British couple are bidding adieu to their French château and heading back to the UK, with dreams of a Sunday roast in a cosy pub. Natalie and Andrew Solomon swapped their Shropshire home for a grand French château and 20 hectares of land about 10 years ago.
Natalie and Andrew Solomon, along with their parents and young children, embarked on this adventure seeking a fresh start in a new country, and they do not regret a single moment. After settling down, they constructed two luxurious, handcrafted treehouses on their property, complete with hot tubs and serving full English breakfasts and butter chicken curries, a departure from the usual continental fare.
Now, the family has decided to return to Britain, drawn by the pull of friends and family and after establishing a successful business. Their Château de Memanat and its expansive grounds are now up for grabs at €1.35m.
Mrs Solomon, 38, reveals that the two treehouses – erected in 2017 and 2023 – were always part of their grand vision, having initially rented a nearby gite and operated their château as a BNB.
The castle-themed Castel De L’arbre and Cabanon Perche treehouses can be booked starting from €245 a night for two guests. The family believes their quintessentially British touch, contrasting with the slightly less accommodating French hospitality, has been key to their business flourishing in the central Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
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“It will be a bit of a change, returning home,” said mother-of-two Mrs Solomon. “The kids were two and four when we came here, and my parents came as well.
“It was an adventure: an out-of-our-comfort-zone type situation. We wanted the kids to be bilingual; my daughter was learning English and French at the same time. It was the age-old challenge: how do you work and have kids?
“But here, that has worked very well for us. We gutted our house in Shropshire, sold it and could buy this château with 20 hectares in France. It’s going to be an emotional upheaval for us when we leave – this is where we raised our family.”
Mrs Solomon also touched on the financial aspect of their journey: the majority of funds for their €800,000 château acquisition came from selling their English home, alongside some support from her parents. She candidly discussed the initial struggles they faced in rural France.
“If something happens at home, you know who to call,” she pointed out. “But here, it was like, ‘How do you even say ‘plumber’? We have overcome all of that. The kids have been able to be free and just be kids here.”
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Reflecting on their extensive experience abroad, she said, “We’ve not just dipped our toes in – we’ve done 10 years here, we’ve built these two treehouses. It’s very rural and spread out here. There’s nobody on the roads and there’s rolling hills and valleys… It’s beautiful.”
After 10 years of living the dream in France, the Solomon family has decided to return to British shores. Despite cherishing their adventure, they are thrilled at the prospect of embracing British traditions once more.
Mrs Solomon shares her anticipation for returning to simple pleasures like a Sunday roast in a local pub: “If you turn up somewhere here at like, half one, they would be like: ‘Dream on, kitchen’s closed’. To walk to a pub and get a Sunday roast will be great.”
She reflects on the tranquil life in rural France, noting, “It’s a slower pace of life in France. Where we live, we are probably about 30 years behind the UK. I do think there’s more of a community here.”
Education also plays a significant role in their move back to the UK. Mrs Solomon explains that the extended French school days contrast sharply with British timetables: “Where we send our kids to school is another big influence (on our move). Here, school runs until 6pm, but the holidays are shorter in the UK.
“Obviously, the kids are going to be great at French, but when they started school, they didn’t speak French and the teachers didn’t speak English. We are grateful to have had this adventure, but now it’s time for our next adventure.”
Reflecting on the success of their hospitality business, Mrs Solomon believes their British approach has endeared them to their guests: “English hospitality is much better,” she admits. “I try to give everything to the guests: I am the host and you are the guest.
“French guests say, ‘Thank you for being so accommodating’, but I’m like, ‘That’s my job!’. It gets mentioned all the time in our reviews because the French are probably surprised and not used to it.”
Mrs Solomon has revealed that their return to the UK hinges on the sale of Château de Memanat, and finding a new home could influence the timing. She expressed a desire to replicate their luxury treehouse venture in Britain but didn’t dismiss the possibility of living overseas again.
“I could see us retiring abroad,” Mrs Solomon admitted. “We are going back to England with an open mind. In an ideal world, we would love to do something similar to what we’ve done here in England.”