Return to life at Château-de-la-Motte Husson in the concluding memoir from the Sunday Times bestselling authors Dick and Angel Strawbridge. Picking up from where Living the Château Dream ended, Dick and Angel recount the newest and biggest challenges they faced on the journey to transforming their once derelict and abandoned château in France's Pays de la Loire into a thriving family home and sustainable business. When the Covid-19 pandemic engulfs the world, the château faces a new challenge and must find ways to adapt in order to keep the Strawbridge's dream life in France alive. From the cancellation of the wedding season and finding new ways to fund their Chateau journey, to living in an isolated bubble whilst continuing to film their TV series, being separated from family back in the UK to life after the pandemic, this is Dick and Angel at their most honest and heartfelt, revealing many details never seen on TV. As entertaining, warm and irresistible as ever, this is the final chapter in Dick and Angel's remarkable journey to find their family's forever home.

In January 2015 Dick and Angel Strawbridge embarked on the journey of a lifetime when they swapped their cosy two-bedroom flat in East London for a derelict chateau with 12 acres of land in the Loire valley. Where Sunday Times bestseller A Year At The Chateau told the entertaining and heartwarming beginning of the family's French adventure, as they found their forever home and began to restore and renovate the dilapidated castle, Living The Chateau Dream is about the years of hard graft that followed. Dick and Angel leapt into action transforming Chateau-de-la-Motte Husson into both a thriving family home and a sustainable business, and began making their dream of rural life in a fairytale castle a reality. From throwing open the shutters to new suites to exploring the walled garden, launching their wedding business and hosting guests for food lover weekends, no stone was left unturned. From the day-to-day tasks like installing a lift to the beginnings of lifelong traditions and memories such as investigating the seasonal delights of the surroundings and having a family sleepover on the moat, this much-anticipated follow-up includes many firsts for the Strawbridge family. As Dick and Angel recount stories of the renovations that took place over the next four years at the chateau, we start to understand the true extent of the work and skill that it has taken to make this incredible house into a much-loved home. With stories of remarkable discoveries and unexpected challenges, amazing transformations and once-in-a-lifetime celebrations, this book is sure to delight, entertain and inspire fans in equal measure.

THE ENTERTAINING AND HEARTWARMING SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER. Like many couples, Dick and Angel had long dreamed of living in France, but where others might settle for a modest bolthole in the French countryside, the Strawbridges fell in love with a 19th-century fairytale chateau, complete with 45 rooms, seven outbuildings, 12 acres of land and its own moat. Throwing caution to the wind, Dick and Angel swapped their two-bedroom flat in East London for an abandoned and derelict castle in the heart of the Loire valley and embarked on the adventure of a lifetime with their two young children Arthur and Dorothy. Sharing their full journey for the first time, A Year at the Chateau follows Dick and Angel from when they first moved to France in the depths of winter and found bedrooms infested with flies, turrets inhabited by bats, the wind rattling through cracked windows, and just one working toilet, which flushed into the moat, through to the monumental efforts that went into readying the chateau for their unforgettable wedding and their incredibly special first Christmas. Along the way we'll read glorious descriptions of rural life in France, with charming characters, delicious food and wonderful seasonal produce, together with the extraordinary list of renovations and restorations Dick and Angel completed, many of which were never shown on TV. As warm and entertaining as their much-loved show, A Year at the Chateau is a truly irresistible story of adventure and heart, epic ambitions and a huge amount of hard graft.

THE ENTERTAINING AND HEARTWARMING SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER. Like many couples, Dick and Angel had long dreamed of living in France, but where others might settle for a modest bolthole in the French countryside, the Strawbridges fell in love with a 19th-century fairytale chateau, complete with 45 rooms, seven outbuildings, 12 acres of land and its own moat. Throwing caution to the wind, Dick and Angel swapped their two-bedroom flat in East London for an abandoned and derelict castle in the heart of the Loire valley and embarked on the adventure of a lifetime with their two young children Arthur and Dorothy. Sharing their full journey for the first time, A Year at the Chateau follows Dick and Angel from when they first moved to France in the depths of winter and found bedrooms infested with flies, turrets inhabited by bats, the wind rattling through cracked windows, and just one working toilet, which flushed into the moat, through to the monumental efforts that went into readying the chateau for their unforgettable wedding and their incredibly special first Christmas. Along the way we'll read glorious descriptions of rural life in France, with charming characters, delicious food and wonderful seasonal produce, together with the extraordinary list of renovations and restorations Dick and Angel completed, many of which were never shown on TV. As warm and entertaining as their much-loved show, A Year at the Chateau is a truly irresistible story of adventure and heart, epic ambitions and a huge amount of hard graft.

Embrace off-grid green living with this all-encompassing guide to self-sufficiency alongside Dick Strawbridge and his son James. Introducing Practical Self-Sufficiency, your new go-to survival guide offering step-by-step instructions on all things environment-friendly, jam-packed with tips and tricks for off-grid living to anyone looking to embrace a life of sustainability. So what are you waiting for? Dive straight in to discover: -Detailed step-by-step guide covering diverse aspects of off-grid living -Featuring fully-illustrated step-by-step projecte visually demonstrating how to achieve key aspects of sustainable living from start to finish. -Encyclopaedic knowledge on a range of eco-friendly tasks such as brewing beer and making soap. Featuring full-page artworks showing how to tailor every environment for self-sufficient living Feel like becoming a better version of yourself this New Year? Why not stand out from the crowd and challenge yourself to adopting a healthy eco-friendly lifestyle and unleash your endless potential! Whether your goal is to become a green-fingered gardener or you're looking to lower your carbon footprint like never before, this all-encompassing horticulture book has something for everyone to love, with a diverse range of self-sufficiency skills to suit your individual needs and preferences. In fact, this perfect green gift features detailed advice for achieving a self-sufficient lifestyle no matter your outdoor space, and includes specific guides for getting the most out of urban gardens, allotments and much more! At DK, we believe in the power of discovery. From beer brewing to willow weaving, fermented foods to chicken coops, invest in this sustainability book to give green living a new name, and learn some top tips and handy life skills along the way! Join Dick Strawbridge and his son James as they embark on a journey to lead a greener life, and be inspired to revolutionise your relationship with the planet in your new sustainable all-green way of living. Test your limits and push your boundaries with this riveting read, and discover how to adapt to a zero waste lifestyle from here on out.

It's Not Easy Being Green follows Dick Strawbridge and his family as they leave their comfortable home in the Midlands to tackle a remarkable self-sufficiency project - New House Farm in Cornwall. Their main objective is to have as little negative impact on the planet as possible by producing no waste and removing their dependency upon fossil fuels - all without compromising on their comfortable, modern 21st-century lifestyles. It's a laudable aim, but they are definitely not eco-warriors! With his hands-on, flamboyant approach, Dick offers practical tips on everything, from constructing water wheels, gadgets and greenhouses, to the trials of living with animals and knocking up 'proper' wholesome food. Packed with information about the cost of power, sourcing building materials, taking up permaculture and finding transport alternatives, It's Not Easy Being Green highlights the small steps that can change your life and is a simple, inspirational guide for everyone considering the path to green living.

Growing your own vegetables is one of the easiest ways to transform the way you eat. You have fresh ingredients at your disposal and, with this book, the knowledge to cook with them to create delicious dishes every time. Whether you have a tiny urban patch, a dedicated allotment, or plenty of space in your own garden, you can be productive all year long. With the step-by-step guides to growing and dozens of ideas for cooking your home produce, you'll soon enjoy everything from pea and mint risotto to kohlrabi coleslaw and baked sweet potato and goat's cheese pie.