UPDATE: Court Farm has now been purchased by another family who has refurbished it a different style.  It’s also now a property that can accommodate family events like weddings. 

You can have more information here.

I am not a big fan of New Year’s eve and dread the invitations for big parties where you wait for ever to have diner and end up going home not before 4 am.  Call me boring but I’d much rather be with Mr Big and Mademoiselle with a nice home made diner, in front of a fire and a good movie.

For the past few years, we therefore have decided to rent a cottage in the English countryside. This week, I’ll review both of these, Court Farm and Mead Cottage and today, it’s Court Farm’s turn.

Only twenty minutes from Bath and under two hours from London, Court Farm is wonderfully located for some escapes for the children and the parents alike (see my tips for family holidays below). The owners are absolutely charming and make you feel very welcome. From the moment you first email them to the last day you leave, you’ll feel like family friends welcomed you, yet they will respect your privacy during your stay.

Downstairs, the open plan living room and dining room is warmed up by a fire. Mr Big particulary liked the long lounge where you can completely slouch in while watching TV.  Upstairs, you have two bedrooms with one en suite bathroom and one very nice shower room.  All are very nicely decorated and you feel at home right away (oh and I forgot to mention the underfloor heating too ! ).

The cottage itself was the perfect size for our family of three but you can come with more friends and families if you take the barn next door and rent some even more stylish rooms in the main farm house.

This must be a lovely place in the summer too as the cottage opens up to an enclosed courtyard with lots of space to run around. Mademoiselle also loved having the cat coming in the morning for its milk.

We liked it so much that we tried twice to go back but it was already booked so do look it up, it’s a winner !

My tips for your family holidays

• Kids of all age will love the games room: it has a billiard table, a football table, lots of baskets with toys for toddlers to older children. It’s a true Ali Baba cave
• In the warmer months, you can also go and feed the farm animals or play in the wooden hut in the garden
• “Maman, do you remember when the monkeys were climbing on our car ?” Three years later, Mademoiselle still speaks about Long Leat THE selling point for your children: it is only a 10 minutes drive away !
• For the adults (and a bit of culture for the kids), Bath is only twenty minutes away and Helen (the owner) will give you good tips on where to go to eat
• Also ask Helen to arrange a massage for you.  A wonderful lady comes and gives you the massage in the barn next to the cottage so you’re completely separate from whatever mayhem could be happening next door !
• Go to Bruton, a sweet village and have lunch at At The Chapel, a stylish restaurant set in a former chapel. You may even bump into Peter Gabriel in the toilets (yes we did !)
• For your New Year’s eve diner, I recommend you go to the farm shop and order some oysters (or whatever takes your fancy) in advance. Some nice champagne and bread, some good cheese and fruits and cakes and voilà, you’re done for a simple but tasty New Year’s eve !