Living The Chateau Dream

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.

About the Author

If ever there was a vintage-clad, firey redhead that knew how to bring all the glam of the golden years to life, it's Angel Strawbridge. Angel has written down her well-honed insight for all things 'tea party' so that everyone can share the magic of this timeless era anywhere and for any occasion.

Angel's eye for beautiful things began at the age of thirteen, when she started acquiring fur jackets, jewelled bags and glamorous hats from the vintage eras. A market stall followed and when the stall couldn't cope anymore, Angel moved to a big converted school house in Bethnal Green. It was here in 2001 that she launched The Vintage Experience, where Angel offered advice, styling and hand-picked vintage delights for her clients - as well as providing them with delicious cakes! The Vintage Experience lasted for seven years. When this could grow no more, the Vintage Patisserie brand was born.

Angel appeared on BBC Two's Dragon's Den in 2010 and instantly became the face to remember when she was offered a 100k investment from Deborah Meaden and Theo Paphitis for developing her website and business, The Vintage Patisserie.

In the same year, Angel met and fell in love with ex-Army colonel, engineer, inventor and author, Dick Strawbridge. Life moved quickly! They are now married and have two children, Arthur and Dorothy. The Strawbridges have embarked on the renovation project of a lifetime in rural France, bringing the fairytale 19th-century Chateau-de-la-Motte Husson back to life. Together they make quite a team and their adventures in craft, vintage weddings, engineering and all things DIY can be seen in the popular Channel 4 series Escape to the Chateau.

Dimensions (cm): 2.3 x 12.9  x 19.6