Page 24 - Enjoy-It 2023

Talking to Matt Ford aka Fordy is easy. He can make Champagne out of dishwater; sun out of rain and, everyone he meets feel like a lottery winner.
On closer examination it is himself that says he feels like a lottery winner, as Ford explains how blessed he is to be the proud custodian of a piece of French history.
Now ensconced for the fifth year in a seven-acre estate in middle France, in a majestic 17th century chateau, he and his wife Helen and their two beloved cats Astbury and Duffy, (and the odd stray local feline who makes the palatial grounds of Chateau la Briance its own home), welcome guests from all over the planet. The stray
cats are not alone, as anyone visiting the Chateau and experiencing Matt and Helen’s hospitality for the first time want to move in too – so budge over kitty as there’s a queue!
Rewinding a few years, the couple were taken by the Channel 4 TV series ‘Escape to the Chateau DIY’ and when Matt is taken by something he will, you mark my words, make it happen!
And sure enough, as many of you will have seen on
TV, the breathtaking results of months and years of incredibly hard work put into the run-down building, which has allowed it to evolve into what is now, one of the most stunning renovations on the show and indeed in its marketplace.
Its marketplace is an interesting one. There are the couples that overnight. There are the groups that book out the entire 10-bedrooms estate for celebrations and weddings, and there are the overseas operators taken by the history of the chateau and the energy and welcome offered by Matt and Helen who are already booking into 2025 and beyond!
And there are those who just want a Fordy welcome, some legendary Ford wining, and some delicious Ford dining from (as Matt fondly refers to), Hel’s Kitchen! Helen is indeed in the kitchen being her ever-amazing self, presenting restaurant standard food four nights a week, thereafter, inviting guests to go out and enjoy what the local area has to offer in terms of fine dining, history, and atmosphere on the other three nights.
From his roots in Poole and as the most famous promoter in the high-octane sport of Speedway, to chateau proprietor in France, Matt’s goals have changed. He still oversees Poole Pirates, recently flying into the UK to take the throttle for one meeting and flying back to France within 18-hours! He is more rock star than Glastonbury! He is also very aware of time passing and has plans for the couple’s future life together...
Back to life in the chateau – it is dreamy for guests, make sure you get over to visit while the Fords are still running the joint – they are responsible for a rating of over 9.4
in what is only their second year of trading, as covid hit them hard.
Matt is rated a 10/10 from the Enjoy-It camp, and he says that from over 200 reviews anyone rating their stay at
a 9 is under their average – that’s pretty impressive but not surprising as nothing that Matt Ford does is under average!
You can enjoy the opulence of the meticulously designed and decorated rooms, the 14m swimming pool, tennis court, sauna, and Jacuzzi, which to be fair one can find
in many other similarly positioned establishments around the planet, what you can’t find anywhere else is the infectious joie de vivre and inspiring way in which Matt and Helen host – it’s a super-power!
And currently that super-power is welcoming you to France into what is their home, so our advice would be book a trip while Matt and Helen are still curating this precious piece of French history – before your good intentions also become history themselves, as they won’t be there forever!
www.chateaulabriance.com
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