Anyone watching The Great B and B Challenge?

[Bulbsbulbsbulbs]

I'm absolutely loving it so came looking for a thread. Some of them are SO irritating and the rookie mistakes are very funny. It's really made me want to move to the Dordogne though!

I would never expect a cooked breakfast in France regardless of the nationality of the hosts

I know you weren't addressing me, but I agree with Bulbsbulbsbulbs that people wouldn't expect a fry up. I live in the same département as the B & B, not many British tourists, little demand for fry ups.

Well that's you. Others may want what they normally have. Some people like a cooked breakfast to set them up for the day.

It's not that people expect a fry up. It's should be available if they want it.
That couple won as they were very accommodating to the guests on the show so carry that on.

It is available. As an unusual - and more expensive - thing to have, it's at extra cost.

Well that's you. Others may want what they normally have. Some people like a cooked breakfast to set them up for the day.

It's not me it's the fact that most visitors to this area will be French. They are catering to the majority of their customers. This isn't some strip in Spain heaving with Brits wanting fry ups and British beer.

If a Brit turns up and wants a fry up, they can have one, it will just cost a bit extra. UK style sausages and bacon cost much more than at home, so they are charging extra.

The contestants weren't paying for ingredients out of their own pockets or trying to make a living during the competition. They are now.

Sounds like a perfect French countryside getaway.

Yes, 'open up their world' like they did in Benidorm!
France isn't really a 'Brits Abroad' type place on the whole where they serve Full English.

Oh yes, I forgot. You get croissant and cheese. How very exciting. Not. Give me a greasy full english any day.

Petit dejeuner is what the French have.
I bet they would love to have a full english instead of croissant for a change.

Bored now. Bye.

@Ayleenwould you expect a fry up in a UK B&B if it was run by someone who wasn’t British? Or would you expect their national cuisine?

Give me the croissant and cheese any day. I’d rather have that in the UK, and do have it before a pile of processed meat.

I really enjoyed it. I've stayed on loads of B&B's in France over the years. I've never met hosts like the Barnsley ones! I thought the couple who won were rather uninspiring but seemed to make good short read everyone liked. The young Irish couple, I would have liked them to win but the woman always cooked Indian food and I don't like Indian food and neither do lots of other people. I think there should have been an alternative option.

Ok, breakfast options clarified ~ continental is included but if you opt for 'Ulster Fry Up' that's additional price.
Interested to read their room prices ~ €100 for their double room. There is also a family suite, comprising regular double, small double and twin which can accommodate 6 people which seems to be mere €170 per night, struck that €170 per night for 6 is incredibly good value vs €100 for the regular double?
Also is €100 double only for shared occupancy or could a single person book it too?

I think the suite of rooms have to share a bathroom whereas the double has an ensuite.

That makes sense, still feels very good value for 6; given the amount of changing over from just one night's stay

I've only just come back to this thread as we only finished the whole series last night.

Overall, I thought they were all insane to be doing "fry-ups". Leaving aside the time it takes and any cost benefit analysis, it is very difficult to source the same sort of decent ingredients in France. Pop down the supermarket and buy some decent bacon (err...nope), baked beans (yes, they are available but at vastly inflated costs). There is a French version, but if people are wanting a "full English" they just don't work, Decent ketchup - yes, decent ketchup is available but will cost you an arm and a leg.

It's madness to go to France and expect a cooked breakfast. When in Rome.......

--and don't serve up yesterday's bread/pastries, just don't. They weren't even from a bakery - just "long-life" supermarket crap.

It was interesting that in finals week they didn't even have to clean/make up the rooms.

Breakfast/dinner for 4 guests is demanding enough, but when you add in changing over 3 rooms, doing the laundry and cleaning the whole house, keeping on top of the garden, shopping for fresh produce and making sure that you are available to greet people mid-afternoon and not be a sweaty mess (also having to find time to have your own meals, get showered etc etc) I don't think any of the couples would have managed.

The stairs in the prize house came directly into the kitchen, so that needs to be a clean, stress free zone too.

Interested to see that they will be on TV next week - will keep an eye out for that.

Signed - an ex French b&b owner who did an inordinate amount of shouting at every episode, and is very relieved not to be living that life any more!

Interested to see that they will be on TV next week - will keep an eye out for that.

@OilyRoundTheCogs. Please will you give us the details

@Rictasmorticia@OilyRoundTheCogsit was on place in the sun on Friday last week I think. Will see if I still have it saved. A few minutes in amongst the usual programme.

Series 11 episode 4 and 5 a new life in the sun channel 4

Thanks @pteromum!

@Rictasmorticia - sorry, I didn't have the details - just saw it mentioned upthread. Realise that I said "next week" but forgot that I was not reading a real-time thread!

Thank you for your comprehensive post
With regards fry up breakfasts . . I think each couple played to their strength; if they'd mastered a full english breakfast over the years, they'd have worked out it may put them in good stead to gain advantage in the competition.
Judges also referenced a number of times, likelihood of tale off once competition part was over and running a b&b was an everyday task ~ as you mention, more than enough to do without making extra rods for your back cooking up a storm for those who'd have found continental breakfast perfectly acceptable.
Notice Roy and Nichola now charge added for this component of their breakfast, if it carries financial benefit, along with providing packed lunches, table d'hote; they've probably decided it's worth retaining.
Obviously you have your own experience, little doubt reality of which is a distance from the sanitised take we had during the three weeks of the competition.
Interesting to see how Nichola and Roy fare during length of time they have the keys to their french b&b ~ they featured very briefly other day on episode of New Life in the Sun, but their b&b was only in 'practice run' phase at that point.
Overall glad they won ~ think my preference was for the younger couple to win but sooner Roy and Nichola over the overbearing Barnsley woman and the boys (in the event only one of which was set to actually run the B&B at all, so they were bit of a nonsense to my mind ;)

@Nica07

Yes, I looked at their website and see that they offer it as a chargeable extra - seems sensible, and hopefully they would know in advance if people were going to order it. Interesting to know how easy it is for them to source ingredients though. I noticed that their cereal containers were specifically labelled "Kelloggs". I can see why this might appeal (I'm not a big cereal fan), but again, this would be ludicrously expensive to buy in France, and since Brexit the lottery of "import taxes" when ordering from Amazon would rule out that as an option.

I'm not having a pop at the winners btw, but having spent many years living in rural France, it just isn't sustainable to offer the same sort of choice that would be easily available in the UK.

I think it was a different couple, but the "pork rashers" shown at one breakfast were in no way equivalent to "bacon and scrambled eggs" and were I to order a cooked breakfast in France which I wouldn't I would be bitterly disappointed to be served that. Again, no shade, just commenting on the realities of life in rural France.

They’ve been married for years. They always dress like like. Lovely smart beautiful men

I do hope Roy and Nichola make a go of it.

I also think the Limousin will be a bit tougher than the Dordogne. I think a high proportion of the guests will be French so I hope they do learn. I thought the couple who won were naturally good. Calm and kind
I didn’t like the guy in the couple that did the Pétanque. He came across as arrogant although the woman was nice. Think she lived in a B and B growing up.

Loved the Barnsley couple but they’d have been better off running a place in Blackpool I think, not rural France. Good for them for chasing the dream though.

Young couple were a bit out of their depth. I wouldn’t want curry in France in 35 degrees and she was a bit uptight and OTT.

Didn't really like the judge Nicola - she was a bit waspish. The others were nice.