Normandy bed and breakfast farmhouse accommodation, France

Our awareness of environmental issues began in the 1970s. Bringing up a young family, we started a smallholding and pursued organic principles as far as possible, in the growing of fruit and vegetables and the rearing of sheep, pigs and poultry. Although we wished to avoid consuming chemicals, there was also the desire to keep our own patch of earth free from contamination. It has always been hard work, but very rewarding. In many ways, environmental philosophies have begun to reach a wider, more enlightened audience of likeminded people, who are embracing changes in their own ways of life in the interests of the planet.

Garden: Here in Normandy we have slipped very easily into the local habits of keeping a “backyard” or “basse cour”. No self respecting garden is without its vegetable patch and we have extended that principle by planting a plot 16 x 50 metres in size, where all our fruit and vegetables grow. It is cultivated carefully and the rich clay loam soil helps our plants to perform well and reach the table in top condition and full flavour. Our smallholding is the mainstay of our business and functions almost entirely without the use of pesticides or fertilizers. We create our own compost by recycling waste garden materials and turn in cow manure and wood ash where the balance of the soil needs them. Comfrey is a vital part of our fertilizing programme and seaweed is also fed to those plants that respond well to it.

Wildlife: We plant companion plants such as marigolds and summer savoury, to help ward off white and black fly from sensitive crops and linseed, to safeguard against Colorado beetle. Instead of spraying with selective pesticides, we make daily tours through the onion beds, the cabbage patch and the potato rows and remove pests by hand. The careful rotation of all plant groups also helps to produce the best possible crops and maintain a balance in the soil.

We rear sheep, mainly on grass and hay, with some concentrates like linseed, beetroot and locally grown barley. We have laying hens, fed on the wheat that grows in the neighbouring field and rear other birds throughout the year for the table, such as ducks, turkeys and chickens. They, too, are fed on whole grain and enjoy an outdoor existence. We are very interested in the amount of wildlife that comes into the garden: fortunately the benign and beneficial outweigh the unwelcome. Swallowtail butterflies lay their eggs on our dill with resulting spectacular caterpillars: nettles grow in all disturbed areas and we put cuttings on the compost as well as leaving it to encourage hoverflies.

Toads winter in damp ground; bumblebees make holes to live in; red squirrels accommodate the copse at the bottom of the drive; sparrows, blue tits and pipistrelle bats nest in holes in the house and other birds, from woodpeckers to jays and wrens, nest in different kinds of cover around the garden. The area is so large that we couldn’t cultivate it all if we wanted to, so there is always something to watch and enjoy.

Energy: The house faces south with all of its large windows pointing in that direction. This time-tested use of solar power still works as well now as it did when the house was built over 300 years ago. This winter warmth now lingers longer with the modern day addition of insulation and double glazing. For the colder, overcast days, we burn, on extremely efficient wood burning stoves, wood grown on the plot. This is, in the main, sweet chestnut, which the Norman population has been coppicing for generations.

We have future plans for more progressive use of wind power, which at the moment does an extremely efficient job of drying the laundry. 65% of all of our lighting is from energy saving bulbs. Super efficient lighting is during the hours of slumber. No application is left on when not in use. Having no public transport, guests will often walk or cycle from the premises, using footpaths, quiet roads and a local disused railway track.

Water: At the moment half of our toilets have half flush systems, with plans for the remaining half to be fitted similarly, in the pipeline. All guests are encouraged to have showers, which in the main they do. Parents of small children, however, do make use of the baths.

Outside, we collect spring water in a 6000 litre concrete tank, and this is used for the animals and the garden. For the garden it is mainly for the fruits and young plants growing in the polythene tunnel and pots. We cultivate a clay loam for most of the fruit and vegetable growing and only in times of extreme dryness will any of it be watered. The soil retains the moisture well and plants are encouraged to put down long roots, thus benefiting from minerals and trace elements to be found at deeper levels. Rainwater is also collected in 1000 litre and 500 litre containers for similar use. We are too far out of the village to be on the main sewerage system and a “fosse septique” has been installed in the garden. All the water from the house, including any excess from the roof, goes through this filter system before being returned to the garden. We have to be very careful with all products that we use in the laundry and cleaning processes and choose products that are environmentally friendly, both for ourselves and our guests. The fosse septique is also aided by regular applications of bacteria, which need to be increased if our guests are taking antibiotics or other medicines.

Recycling: The French have had recycling opportunities for years and we recycle everything possible at local centres, even clothing which is taken by the Red Cross or other charities. Other, less obvious items, like cartridges, batteries and stamps, are taken for disposal in shops or given to people who send them on to charities. Guests, who stay in our gite, are always keen to add their peelings to our compost bin and they are so in tune with recycling in their own homes now, that they automatically ask for directions to the collection point.

As we are such a small concern, not much paperwork is generated. We do much of our correspondence by email, but I am old fashioned enough to enjoy writing and receiving letters by post. Where recycled stationery is appropriate, it is used, but I am aware that as far as carbon footprints are concerned, recycled paper is not always the best option.

Community: We supported the local community in the first place by making sure that we became part of it. There are many regions of Normandy where British people have come to settle and have soon become part of an ‘English enclave’. We have striven to be apart from any such gatherings, and have seen it as part of our responsibility to make acquaintances with neighbours and village occupants. This has resulted in many good friendships. We support any local activities that the business allows, including offering practical help.

We opened our gardens as part of a local horticultural enterprise, and welcomed during an extremely hot Sunday afternoon, over one hundred visitors. We always respond to local charities on an immediate basis, eg. Christmas charities, church fund raising.

As accommodation owners, we are by default holiday planners on many occasions. Normandy is rich in historic, gastronomic and environmental interest. From Mt. St. Michel to the D-day landing beaches, we advise our guests on a daily basis. Most places can be reached in a half hour journey. Having no public transport, guests will often walk or cycle from the premises, using footpaths, quiet roads and a local disused railway track.

Sometimes we need some help doing jobs, usually the heavier work in building or cutting wood. We have employed local help, but we are fortunate in being able to barter or exchange energy and expertise with our friends, in itself a very sound interpretation of community.

Living in France, it’s hard to buy anything that isn’t French, so everything has a local appeal to it, even if it comes from the other end of the country. However, our guests enjoy dairy produce from the region, with vegetables and meat that we have not produced ourselves coming from close by. The supermarket also has a trading label that shows which goods have travelled least distance, so we make full use of that.

Taking all that is written here into consideration, it must be stressed that the single most important thing to our business is giving everyone a warm welcome and making them feel comfortable and at home. We enjoy meeting new people and receiving former visitors back into our home. Following environmental principles is very important to us and it has to go hand in hand with old fashioned courtesy.