A Year at the Chateau: As seen on the hit Channel 4 show

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Her first television appearance was in 2010 when she sought investment for her business venture on Dragon's Den.

At the halfway point, it is fair to say the Strawbridge’s might be a little too focused on the food aspects of France (and you can’t blame them), Thankfully, the aspects of the chateau eventually come back to the forefront and their journey continues. It had the beautifully balanced towers we'd been dreaming about, the walled garden, the orangery, the moat; even the trees were symmetrical. A Year at the Château covers just that—the first year of ownership and renovations and, finally, their first event. 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 not shown on TV. I have watched some of their show but their attitude really puts me off, I guess that should have been a warning against this book but was hoping they would be more humble and kinder in print.The book recounts the couples first year at the chateau and their wedding preparations and of course the wedding it self. There are some delightful secondary characters, especially the last chatelaine who always brings a smile to your face.

Reading the nitty gritty of renovating a château had me enthralled and learning about window glazing and kitchen benches was great hands-on advice. She is the founder of The Vintage Patisserie, a glamorous hospitality company, and author of the bestselling Vintage Tea Party series. Angels parts of the book were a tad easier to to read although she seemed to think she is only person in the world with alternative taste (I’m having mismatched chairs at my wedding oh my god I’m so wacky) she sees Dick with rose coloured glasses and can also join in with him on his bullying. Their love for each other, their families and their chateau shines through with this book being dedicated to Arthur and Dorothy.There are talks of shins of beef, slow cooked ‘Boeuf bourguignon’ and mussels cooked in white wine sauce. This book is a must read for anyone who is a fan of Escape to the Chateau or anyone who is looking to make their own Chateau dream a reality. As warm and entertaining as their much\-loved show, A Year at the Château <\/i>is a truly irresistible story of adventure and heart, epic ambitions and a huge amount of hard graft. All the characters have different expectations of life in France and different ties back in Britain. Le Bonaparte brasserie glows with red warmth in the fall and winter and is a great place to eat right in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près.

By the end of the story I envied the friendships and the possibilities that being brave enough to follow your dream could create. I liked a good amount of this book but kind of skipped ahead over much of the last couple chapters (which are broken down into months) as it was mostly made up of wedding preparations, sentimental lovey-dovey stuff and family and friends info which I was not as interested in.I hate it when some reviews tell you what the story is about so I won't do that but a 10 out of 10 book. This book is fairly faithful to the first season of Escape to the Chateau but fleshed out with a lot more details.

and they just happened to fall in love with a 19th-century fairytale château, complete with 45 rooms, seven outbuildings, 12 acres of land and even its own moat! The way Dick and Angel narrated the book is exactly like watching them on TV, you feel it all, so you will laugh and at one point you will look for a tissue, -they tell there storie with so much love in their voice, so you se it all before your eyes as you listen. This novel memoir does show however how a team of two, who have the same dream, can seemingly conquer all, and create a new and amazing life for themselves and their children. Irreverent, witty and emotionally charged, Long's rollercoaster ride zones in with exquisite precision and perception on the dreams, despairs and dilemmas of all middle-aged women getting ready to say a final goodbye to their youth and looking forward to new beginnings. If you really want to watch and experience nice people restoring a chateau I suggest going on YouTube and watching “The Chateau diaries” and “Doing it ourselves” both are likeable and kind to the people around them, oh and the focus is less on themselves and more on the chateau.

They did talk of a few meetings with their neighbors, but there were very few details, which may have been at the neighbor’s request since she wouldn’t allow her children on TV. I would have liked a more "real" account of the struggles of owning and renovating a derelict château, managing a family and being essentially broke (their word). We hadn't really followed the television series but (naively) assumed that this was a couple with a vision who had acted on their own. 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 château, complete with 45 rooms, seven outbuildings, 12 acres of land and its own moat. I did not sign up for a book about wedding planning but literally over half this book is them talking about their wedding, the food for the wedding, the clothes for the wedding etc etc it does not stop and for a moment if they start talking about the chateau or renovating again the sentence will end with something along the lines of “ but that can wait.