We fell head-over-heels for Dick and Angel Strawbridge, and their extraordinary antiques-filled chateau, whenEscape to the Chateau burst onto our screens in 2016. Now, as series 5 draws to a close, we chat to Angel about her favourite moments from the series and how she plans to decorate the chateau for Christmas this year...
Which project in series 6 ofEscape to the Chateau did you find the most challenging?
There were different challenges with each room we did up in this series. Mum and Dad’s kitchen - Cafe Grandma - took, without a doubt, the most work. As well as having to put in all the infrastructure, water, waste and electricity, there was a ceiling to take out, lots of installation and a patio area to dig out in the walled garden. And after all that, we had to make it look fantastic for their forever kitchen. It was all worth it in the end - they love it.
Which project from the series are you the most proud of?
That's a hard question to answer because I love Mum and Dad’s kitchen, and our new boot room. But the Potagerie Suite (pictured below) is very special. Named by Dick to celebrate the fantastic view of his walled garden, this suite is quitestylish and hasoodlesof sentiment. I designed the wallpaper myself, which really set the tone for this room. And the wild flower turret, inspired by the cutting garden and the flowers planted by Dick and the kids, is of course very special to me. Not to mention the copper bath…which no one wants to use because it’s so lush!
What have been your favourite antique and vintage finds of the series?
There have been so many! I absolutely love the wallsconcein the Potagerie Suite, but we also found some great stuff for the boot room - a taxidermy stag head in a local charity shop and some ironbalustradesthat we repurposed for aradiator cover. We source most of our antiques from French charity shops, brocantes and eBay.
Now it’s winter, are there any challenges when it comes to living in a 19th-century chateau?
The winter months do remind us that at some point we'll have to address the repair of our windows! It can be very cold here, and it’s a big house, so everyday there is radiator management. The rooms we occupy are warmer than the rest of the Chateau, but we have to keep the whole place warm enough.
How will you be decorating the Christmas dinner table this year, and what will you be serving?
For our Christmas Party - which you will see in the last episode of the series on Sunday 23rd December - our dining table was decorated with lots of logs from the garden,foliageand brass ornamental deers! Dick rolled two birds, capon and duck, around his very special stuffing with roasties, veg, bread sauce, gravy and not to mention our homemade (by Dick and Arthur) redcurrant jelly! It was delicious. For Christmas Day, we won’t be a million miles from this, but it will be just the four of us - unheard of!
What’s on your Christmas wish list this year?
Family time and sleep!
