The couple who set up a green B&B in the land of vineyards and chateaux

8:08am Monday 17th March 2008

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STUDENTS in the beauty therapy department of Worcester College of Technology in the quite recent past, may well remember Tracey Wilke, who was one of the tutors.

But unless they're in the know, I bet they'd never guess what Tracey's doing now.

Because three years ago, she packed away the blushers, the lippy and the foundation and with her husband Michael, turned her lifestyle through 180 degrees.

The couple left their jobs in Worcestershire, where Michael has been executive head chef at the Stone Manor Hotel, near Kidderminster, and decided to "go green" in southern France.

They quit the rat race and keeping up with the Joneses, the new car went, so did the house and all the furniture and they bought an old stone farmhouse in the Loire Valley.

So far, so good, but they needed an income. So in the best traditions of the current fad of television programmes, they renovated an old barn and stables into living accommodation and set up their own B&B business.

Everything's as green as they can make it. The house has solar panels and its own water well, Michael cooks using their own fruit and veg from the garden and even bakes his own bread.

"It all sounds like a bit of a cliche," said Tracey. "But we are a lot happier. Life is a lot more simple. The pressure of not having to buy the latest gadget or car is quite a relief. We are really happy with just being here, appreciating the countryside and enjoying the simple pleasures the hectic and stressful life in England just didn't allow."

All it really took was the courage to jump.

Michael said: "We had holidayed in France quite a bit before and one of our favourite hobbies was gazing in estate agents' windows and picking properties we liked. We were also aware of how much greener' they seemed to be on the Continent than in Britain.

Re-cycling and renewable energy are major factors.

"Then on a trip to the Loire Valley during Easter 2005 we saw a farmhouse we particularly liked. We made an appointment to see it and that was that."

"We decided this was where our lives were going to change," Tracey added. "It was somewhere where we felt we could really make a difference."

The couple bought the L-shaped farmhouse and accompanying buildings deep in the French countryside at Varennes Sur Loire, about 10 miles from the town of Saumur, for the UK equivalent of £130,000. Back home they put their house in Bevere on the market. Fortunately it sold quickly and without problems. They also sold most of their goods and chattels, including a lot of furniture, two cars, a motorbike and caravan. As clearouts go, it was pretty comprehensive.

All very well, but they still needed an income in France.

"So we decided to renovate the barn into guest accommodation and run it as a B&B on as green' principles as possible," said Michael. "The plan was to offer a choice of five luxurious bedrooms and suites, rooms either in the haylofts, the stables or in a garden room."

However, what they hadn't predicted was French bureaucracy and red tape and it took more than four months before any real work could begin. What they hoped would be a one-year project rather overran.

Nevertheless, they made all the right moves.

"Some of the work we were able to do ourselves, but we employed local tradesmen for the specialist jobs," Michael added. "Likewise, although we grow our own fruit and vegetables in our kitchen garden, any items we do not grow, we try to source from our neighbouring farmers. We are trying to keep everything local' and everyone round here has been really supportive. When it comes to energy and efficiency, our new French friends have re-educated us in how to re-use things and not to automatically buy new."

The couple's skills in their previous lives have also been integrated into this new experience.

As well as cooking for the guests, Michael runs cookery classes showing how to make the most of fruit and vegetables in season and not to expect to find the same fresh produce all the year round.

In other words, use what's in season and avoid the air miles of lines that are flown in to fill supermarket shelves.

Tracey, as befits a Clarins trained therapist and former beauty therapy lecturer, offers beauty and make-up sessions and art classes are also organised.

For a couple who wanted to escape the fizz of their lives in the UK, it's the stuff of dreams and If there is a downside, they haven't found it yet.

l Mike and Tracey's website is www.lespeupliers-loire.com