Brittany Pages December 2011

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But virushas hit supplies soshoppersmust shellout more

OystersbackonmenuGloomy

predictionsof a 2011Christmaswithout theseafooddelicacyhaveproved tobe wrong

What’s onSeasonal fun forall the family

Peillac potsCraftsman swapscity for villagep6-7 p16

TraditionBreton crêpesand galettes p5

publishers of

BRITTANYPAGES

95c

December 2011 - Issue 5

FULL STORY

PAGES 2-3

2 News Brittany Pages December 2011

spring of 2008 when it was still a mystery dis-ease has now been identified as herpes virustype OsHV-1.

So far, scientists at the Ifremer marine labo-ratories have failed to come up with a solution.

When the virus first began to bite three yearsago between seven and eight billion baby mol-luscs perished within the space of a few days atsea farms all along the coasts of the Channel,Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

Oysters take three years to reach maturity soin 2008 and 2009 the pessimists were predict-ing extremely hard times for 2011.

Some even went as far to say that 2011would be an oysterless festive period and thatfestive dinners would have to make do withmussels and whelks.

When the disease first started killing babymolluscs the mortality rate during the firstwave was almost 100% – news which causedpanic waves to rock the foundations of theshellfish industry.

Mercifully the mortality rate decreased to40-50% and has remained stable since, occa-sionally rising to 60% and very rarely to 100%in some areas.

In 2008, before OsVH-1, French oyster farmsmarketed 130,000 tonnes of adult oysterswhich were unaffected by the virus.

Last year the total French production of oysters amounted to 80,000 tonnes with10,000 tonnes coming from the south coast ofBrittany and 19,000 from the north, saidMaryline Maingam, a spokeswoman for thenational shellfish farmers association the CNCin Paris.

In normal times in 2008 the total value ofoysters sold nationally was about €630 million

euros with prices at around €5 a kilo.Last year prices rose to €6-9 and this year

there is likely to be a further rise of about 30%.Ms Maingam said: “It is true that many peoplewere predicting that about a third of produc-ers would go out of business in 2011.

“Luckily that hasn’t happened. Producershave survived by withholding sales of smalleroysters which in normal years they would havesold off and letting them grow bigger and thusincreasing their stock of healthy adult oysters.

“To do that they have had to sell fewer oys-ters outside the festive season with the result

LOVED ones are there, the candles are lit, thelogs are on the fire, the chilled muscadet isuncorked and in the centre of the table theoysters are lying on a bed of seaweed and ice...there is the scent of lemons and the sea in theair. It is Christmas Eve in Brittany.

People have been taking them for granted foryears and have not had to pay much for them.They have always been there... and nearlyalways in sufficient quantity for everyone toeat their fill.

However, an essential part of Noël for Franceand the French who rely on Brittany for hugequantities of shellfish, is under threat.

A virus which raised its ugly head in the

Suppliersscotch fearsof ‘oysterlessChristmas’Prophets of doom warned that 2011would be a Christmas without oysters.The good news is that they were

wrong... but the bad news is that therewill still be a shortage of oysters as avirus has been killing off young stock. So prices will be up on last year, as

TIM FINAN reports

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Breton oyster farmers have been facing

“People were predicting that a third of producers wouldgo out of business in 2011.Luckily that hasn’t happened.Producers have survived!Shellfish farm spokeswoman

Maryline Maingam

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News 3Brittany Pages December 2011

that they will have to charge more to supplydemand during the crucial period at the endof December.

“Obviously, the scientists are desperatelylooking for a cure but so far it hasn’t hap-pened. In the meantime the producers are sur-viving – or at least most of them are.”

On the coast the oyster virus has been addedto the list of elements – the cold, the rain, anuncertain future and the perils associated withworking at sea which make for a hard life forproducers.

In recent years they have also had to face a

problem of insecurity. Thefts of adult stocks ofoysters on the Bassin d’Arcachon, the Cha-rente, Vendée and the Breton coastlines haveincreased in recent years.

The thieves operate at night under cover offog and drizzle and can decimate stocks withina few hours.

They load their plundered oysters into vansand drive them hundreds of kilometres tounscrupulous middlemen who sell them on.

Isolated bays at night time are almost impos-sible to police with the result that the thievesare rarely caught.

MARIE-CLAIRE, who runs ashellfish farm and summerrestaurant near Le Tour duParc in the Morbihan said themost difficult thing for pro-ducers to cope with is theuncertainty.

“At the moment we are sur-viving. The virus is killingbaby oyster stock but not allof it. If it starts to wipe out allthe stock then it will wipe usout too,” she said.

“We have managed to sur-vive by holding back sales butto do that we have had toaccept a reduction in turn-over. We will be able to sup-ply demand for Christmasbut we are not sure about theNew Year.

“Don’t even ask about nextyear or next Christmas. Weare diversifying into otherspecies like whelks and wehave developed our restau-rant business selling ourshellfish directly to the cus-tomer. It’s a game of survivalbut that’s what living off thesea is all about really, isn’t it?”

Other producers arescathing about the causes ofthe virus. “I produce my ownoysters from natural, organicbaby oysters and I have not

been affected by the virus,”said Maurice, another pro-ducer in the Morbihan.

“Others who buy in artifi-cially produced stock havelost huge amounts. It’s the lawof nature. Respect nature andnature will respect you.”

Another oyster producerdisagreed. “Organic orbought-in stock- it’s all thesame. This virus isn’t choosy.It doesn’t respect nature atall,” he said.

At the Vannes fish marketsellers were unsure of howthe situation will evolve thisChristmas in terms of price.

“We can’t commit our-selves,” said one seller, Hervé.

“It’s too early. Some peopleare talking about a 50%reduction compared to lastyear but I think they arebeing pessimistic.

“One thing is certain andthat is oysters will be costingmore this year. It’s the law ofsupply and demand.

“We’re waiting for a solu-tion to the problem from thegovernment scientists, how-ever so far they haven’t comeup with one.”

A spokesman for Ifremersaid research was continuingto try to find a cure for thevirus and that scientists andresearchers publish regularbulletins on mortality rates.

Producers facinguncertain times

worrying times, with their production becoming greatly reduced due to the virus

OYSTERS: A delicacy of the sea under threat

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4 News Brittany Pages December 2011

A THOUSAND militant catholics sang hymnsand waved banners in Rennes outside theThéâtre National de Bretagne theatre callingfor a halt to “Cathophobia” and warning that“you don’t make fun of God”.

Inside the theatre, spectators who had beensearched by police at the entrance were watching a play by Romeo Castellucci calledOn the concept of the face of the son of Godwhich had sparked angry protests by thou-sands of Catholics in Paris.

As the Catholics shouted protests, anarchistgroups and CGT union members demonstrat-ed for freedom of speech. Hundreds of policestood by to prevent violence.

The Bishop of Vannes backed the demon-stration against the play saying it was “dis-graceful beyond all comprehension”.

However, Rennes mayor Daniel Delaveaucalled the play “a work of great humaneness”and said there was “nothing blasphemous”about it.

Catholics protest at play

Eco-activists disruptdeep-sea trawling

Debates held on gender rights

A QUIMPER judge finedfour Spanish fishermen€4,000 each in absentia andconfiscated a 4x4, refrigera-tors and diving equipmentafter they were found with125kg of barnacles.

The court heard the shell-fish are a delicacy in Spain,fetching up to €100 a kilo onthe black market.

Collecting barnacles isbanned in France during thesummer months.

Arrested in July at Plogoffin Finistère, the Spaniards,aged 28-32, were seen wear-ing diving suits and carryinghammers and chisels to chipthe shellfish off rocks. Thecourt heard their haul couldhave been worth €12,000

The judge ordered the saleof their confiscated vehicleand equipment.

Barnaclethieves fined

Lycée fillsmarket gap

GREENPEACE militantsflung themselves into the seaahead of a Lorient trawlerfishing off the Irish coast inprotest at deep-sea trawlingwhich they claim is destroy-ing seabed marine life.

Thierry Le Du, skipper ofthe Pierre-Jacques Matigny,which was fishing in 900m ofwater, said he was forced toveer to starboard to avoid themilitants.

The Greenpeace vesselArctic Sunrise, which was

standing by, had contactedthe trawler by radio and readout a text on overfishing indeep waters and requestedthe trawler to leave the area.

Mr Le Du refused and con-tinued to fish. The Green-peace ship then launchedinflatable boats ahead of thetrawler and its membersdived into the sea forcing MrLe Du to slow down andrecover his trawl.

At Lorient, Scapêche, a sub-sidiary of Intermarché, said

its trawlers only fished areasof sand and gravel and notcoral and marine life-richareas. It claimed fish stocks inthe area are stable or on theincrease and not being overexploited.

Lorient mayor NorbertMétairie denounced what hecalled a “media stunt byGreenpeace”.

Greenpeace said it is plan-ning further protests insupermarkets where deep seatrawled fish are sold.

THE Bishop of Vannes has fallen victim to ahacker who usurped his identity on Facebook.

Since March 2010, a person unconnected tothe church opened an account in his name and

has published “holy” messages on the site.According to reports, the Bishop has estab-

lished contact with the usurper and is attempt-ing to come to an amicable agreement.

Bishop seeks to resolve Facebook ID theft

THE Lycée Henri-Avril inLamballe has started a motor-home service/repair course,filling an important gap.

While motorhomes havebecome increasingly sophisti-cated, manufacturers havebeen unable to offer after anyafter-sales service due to alack of qualified personnel.

THE Conseil Régional de Bretagne is holdingits biennial conference on women’s equality atthe Palais du Grand Large in Saint-Malò onDecember 9-10.

The council is also opening an internetdebate on its site aimed at defending equality

in the workplace. Issues on topics such as “Aremen instrumental in furthering workplaceequality?” and “What do young people thinkabout boys’ and girls’ equal rights?” will beraised.

Get details from www.bretagne-egalite.fr

Activists launched inflatable boats, forcing the fishing trawler to slow

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Protestorsmarch on capital

TWO hundred cyclists and20 tractors formed aprotest procession whichtook a week to reach Parisfrom Notre Dame desLandes, the site of the con-troversial new airport, proj-ect north of Nantes.

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EIGHT con artists have beensentenced to between sixmonths and six years ofprison after attempting todefraud the owner of a studfarm in Normandy.

The men, aged 30-50,posed as rich Englishinvestors keen to acquire the35 hectare property for€1.5million.

Two members of the gangwho attempted the scammade an appointment withan estate agent and signedpapers but said they wishedto pay only €1.1 million“officially”. The rest of themoney would be handed overin cash to avoid paying tax.

In return for the €400,000

“bung”, the defendants askedfor a return cash payment of€200,000 in 20 and 50 euronotes “for tax reasons” – thereal objective of this kind ofcon.

The estate agent set up theexchange but also tipped offmembers of the fraud squadin Rennes who arrested thefraudsters. Inside the brief-case they were going to handover to the estate agent theyfound bundles of counterfeit€500 notes underneath athin layer of real notes.

Under questioning thedefendants were found to beliving in houses and caravans,as far afield as Serbia, Parisand the south of France.

Fraudsterscaught withfake notes

Mutilated porpoise foundwashed up at Larmor PlageTHE headless body of a 1.5m porpoise with a rope attached toits tail was washed up at Larmor Plage in the Morbihan.

The unfortunate mammal was the latest victim of unscrupu-lous fishermen in the Morbihan and Finistère who havesparked anger by killing animals which are believed to havebecome tangled in their nets.

The killings have not been confined to Brittany. The bodiesof mutilated dolphins were found on the Mediterranean coast.

The international organisation Sea Shepherd, which hasvowed to break the fishermens’ omerta over dolphin deaths, hasmade a formal complaint about the latest death.

Sea Shepherd has campaigned against dolphin killing as farafield as Japan and the eastern coast of the US.

Dolphins are a protected species and killing them is a crime.

Soldiersrepel piratesPIRATES attempted to seize aConcarneau-based tuna boatfishing in the Indian Oceanlast month but they wererepelled by soldiers withautomatic rifles.

The Torre Giulia boat hadbeen attacked previously inMarch 2010 and the Frenchtuna fleet has to be protectedby armed on-board troopsfrom French regiments.

According to the Interna-tional Maritime Bureaupirates have attacked vessels352 times this year.

Half of the attacks were inSomali waters.

Ladybirdsinfest islandFIRST it was Asian hornets -now it is Asian ladybirds.

Belle-Ile-en-Mer, once thehome of French actress SarahBernhardt, is now home tounusually large swarms ofinvasive oriental ladybirds,which are yellow with blackspots instead of the Europeanones which are red withblack spots.

According to reports fromthe island the bugs are at-tempting to overwinter inhouses to survive the cold.

The oriental ladybirds weredeliberately imported intoBelgium to combat greenfly.

They are now established allover France and were report-ed in large numbers onbeaches in southern Brittanythis summer.

They are now threatening tooust their European cousinsby feeding on their larvae.

PANCAKES are a Bretonspeciality, whether it is thesweet crêpes, made withwhite wheat flour, or thegalette, usually served as asavoury dish and made withsarrasin (buckwheat).

Buckwheat was broughtfrom Asia during the MiddleAges by the crusaders. Theacidic Breton soil suited itand the galette soon becamethe countryside staple.

There were originally twobuckwheat pancake types,firstly the galette, apparentlyfrom Upper Brittany (theeastern part). It was cookedin a pan on one side andremained soft. It was cut intostrips to add to soups or gar-nished with products likeeggs or sardines.

The crisper buckwheatcrêpe, which used to bewidespread in Lower Brit-tany (the west), was cookedon both sides on stones.

The dough, originallybuckwheat, water and salt, isnow enriched with eggs andmilk to soften the texture.Buckwheat does not containgluten, so galettes can be

eaten by people with celiacdisease or gluten allergies.

The sweet crêpes only ap-peared in the early 20th cen-tury when white flour be-came affordable. These areas thin as the buckwheatcrêpes and include eggs, milkand butter. Candlemas

(February 2) is Crêpe Day inFrance. One tradition goesas follows: hold a coin in onehand and a crêpe pan in theother. Then flip the crêpeinto the air and if it landsback perfectly in the pan,you will enjoy good luck forthe rest of the year.

Breton pancakes dateback to the Crusades

Did you know?

The buckwheat galette has a long history

They were joined in Paris by hundredsof other protesters who arrived in coach-es for a demonstration outside theSenate. Opponents of the airport say itwill damage precious marshland and isunnecessary as Nantes already has anairport south

west of the city. Supporters say that the airport will provide jobs andboost the economy.

‘Stop the wasteof agricultural

land: No to theairport plan’, saythese protestorsdressed as cows

News Comment Info EventsCurrent Affairs What’s OnCulture Features InterviewsPhotos Celebrities ProfilesFood Community Wine RecipesF inance Bus iness Adv iceQuestions Answered LettersBooks R e v i e w s P r a c t i c a lHealthcare Property ClassifiedsJobs DIY Gardening LegalTo subscribe visit

www.connexionfrance.com or Call FREE from France 00880000 9911 7777 5566

Be involved

6 What’s On Brittany Pages December 2011

notice board

THE Euro Tir 22 shooting club wasfounded three years ago and is offi-cially recognised by the FrenchFederation of Shooting.

Based in Plumieux (Côtes d’Armor),it offers members the opportunity toshoot at 25, 50 and 100m. TreasurerBob Stace said: “We fire anythingfrom full bore to black powder.”

The club currently has about 65English and French members.

Mark Crawford, the founder andsecretary of the club, speaks bothEnglish and French, and all ages andnationalities are welcome.

Rifles and pistols of varying disci-plines are used and members can alsocompete in inter-club competitions.

Mr Stace said: “Mark and I have wonthe departmental and regional cham-pionships a couple of times over thelast few years.”

The club hires out .22 calibre riflesand pistols to members and guests,but on payment a new member isgiven a club shooting licence.

Mr Stace said: “This would allowthem to buy something like a .22 boltaction target rifle, but if they wanted asemi-automatic, they would have towait six months and attend the clubregularly, which is recorded, and thenapply to the prefecture.”

Annual membership is €150 plus a€50 joining fee in the first year.

Guests’ membership is €5, whichgives people a chance to try out theclub, but they must be accompaniedby a full member.

Visit the website atwww.eurotir22.com or contact MarkCrawford on 02 96 26 83 49 formore details.

Take up target shootingThe Euro Tir 22 club practices a variety of shooting styles

Promote your community event, send details to: [email protected]

Côtes d’Armor Lamballe MARKET

December 16-18 Marché de Noël au Haras national de Lamballe - The magic of Christmascomes to the horse stables converted into shops for artisans, artists and local producers.Children can create their own Christmas toys, meet Saint Nicholas and his donkeys and go fora pony ride. Don't miss the new show Le Père Noël au Far West with Santa Claus among cowboys and Indians. FREE entry to the market. Show:Adult €15, €8 for children aged 6 to12, FREE for under 6. Family tickets available.Call 02 96 50 06 98 or visit www.haraspatrimoine.com

Saint-Gilles-les-Bois

December 7 - Balade botaniqueGo for a walk and learn about the grafting of fruittrees with Patrice Rannou, head of flowering at themairie. Departure at 15.00 in front of the touristoffice. FREE, advance registration required.Call 02 96 70 65 41www.etables-sur-mer.com

Côtes d’ArmorÉtables-sur-Mer CULTURE

December 1 - 4 Transmusicales - A leadinglight of the modern music scene for the last30 years, the Transmusicales festival has givenus a taste of the musical trends of tomorrow.Bands come here in the hope of making theirlast “anonymous” performance before receiving unanimous acclaim from the critics.The 33rd festival offers a breath-taking musical journey with bands from Canada,Brazil, Norway and more. Mix of Free andpaying concerts.Call 02 99 31 12 10 www.lestrans.com

Ille-et-VilaineRennes MUSIC

Ille-et-VilaineDinard FAMILY

December 31 Dernier bain de l'année - Everyyear on New Year’s Eve, more than 500 braveswimmers gather on the casino beach for thelast swim of the year. Bring your bathing suit orfancy dress. Kick-off at 15.00 sharp at the Plagede l’Ecluse for no more than 15 minutes in thewater.Call 02 99 46 94 12 www.ot-dinard.com

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Côtes d’ArmorFOOD

December 17 Atelier foie gras - Come to theJardin des Mélanges to learn about the history

and preparation of foie gras.After tasting severaltypes of foie gras, participants will share a

Christmas meal and be offered recipe cards.Tickets €78, advance booking required.

Call 02 96 21 75 85 www.cotesdarmor.com

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‘King’s College-style’Nine lessons and carols“A CELEBRATION of Christmas” – aservice following the traditional NineLessons and Carols of King’s College,Cambridge – will be held in the Abbey Church of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys(Morbihan) on Friday, December 23, at16.00, followed by mince pies and a fes-tive drink.

The prayers will be led by Père Jean-Claude Le Franc and singing will beaccompanied by organ and a smallensemble of young English musicians.

Details from Alison Parkes on [email protected] or 06 19 36 26 28.

Mix of French andEnglish at Saint Bart’sSAINT Bartholomew’s Anglican churchon rue Faber in Dinard has its carol ser-vice on November 17 – a mixture of

French and English popular carols, rea-dings in both languages and a short ser-mon in French.There will be mince piesand wine afterwards.

There is a crib service on December24 at 17.00 and Christmas Day HolyCommunion at 11.00.

The church is open daily and has alibrary of English books freely availableto borrow. It is “particularly alive andwelcoming” at this time of year, sayspriest-in-charge Gareth Randall.

Do your Christmasshopping at AIKB fairVISIT the AIKB association’s Christ-mas Fair on December 4 for a selectionof gift ideas for all ages.

The fair will include a variety of stalls,a café with foods like home-mademince pies, a bar and a raffle. It will beat the Salle Municipale in Saint-Gelven,11.00-17.00; entry free.

What’s On 7Brittany Pages December 2011

December

MorbihanFAMILY

Sainte-Anne d'Auray

December 17-30 Spectacle de la Crèche Vivante - Thisextraordinary Nativity play starring 150 actors and

volunteers will be presented for the13th consecutive year.Thanks to wide audience participation, the Crèche Vivantehas been helping various humanitarian projects in Africa,

Haiti and Sri Lanka.Adult €6, €2 for children aged 5 to 11.Duration: 1 hour. It is advisable to arrive 30 minutes early to

book your ticket.Call 02 97 24 34 94

www.lacrechevivante.org

Photo: © Frédéric Lecloux/Agence VU

ARTMorbihan LorientDecember 1-11 19e Rencontres Photographiques - Every two

years, a dozen photographers exhibit their work in severalplaces around Lorient (Ecole supérieure d'art, espace d'art contemporain, galleries, the Artothèque…).This year's,entitled Traffic of influence, features photos referencing

cinema, literature and painting.FREE entry.

Call 02 97 21 18 02 www.galerielelieu.com (then click Rencontres at the

top of the page)

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arry Gruyaert/M

agnum Photos

December 21 Feu d'artificeconté - Meet in Place NotreDame to listen to aChristmas story with soundand with images projected onthe church. Santa Claus will dazzle you by ending his talewith a fireworks display.Free show.Call 02 97 84 26 33

FAMILY

MorbihanLarmor Plage

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in Ozkan - Fotolia.com

December 31 Corrida de la Saint-Sylvestre - Finish the year in style and join the28th edition of this costumed race. Surprise gifts will be offered for the bestcostumes.There will be two categories: 8,750m for men and 6,250m forwomen. €8 registration fee.You can register on the day from 18.00, but it isadvisable to book in advance. Start at 20.00.Call 02 97 47 48 15 www.aurayvannes.com/corrida_vannetaise.php

Morbihan Vannes SPORT

December 10 Broadcast of Faust - Don't miss this production – a sell-out in London last season – live fromthe Metropolitan Opera New York.With Jonas Kaufmannin the lead role, René Pape as the devil and MarinaPoplavskaya as Marguerite, Gounod's classic vision of thelegend of Faust could not be better served. Stage directorDes McAnuff won a Tony Award for his modern take onthe story.Tickets €22.Call 02 98 44 24 96 or visit www.finisteretourisme.com

FinistèreBrest MUSIC

Finistère QuimperDecember 1-31 Exposition Jacques Doucet - Jacques Doucet (1924-1994) co-founded the

CoBrA movement (an acronym for Copenhagen, Brussels,Amsterdam - names of the cities ofresidence of its founding members).The movement advocated a return to creative

spontaneity, experimental research and popular values.The exhibition presents 60 works byDoucet inspired by children's drawings, graffiti and folk art.Adult €5, €2.50 for under 26 and

students, FREE for children under 12.Call 02 98 95 45 20 or visit www.mbaq.fr

ART

Brest FAMILYDecember 2 Cendrillon sur glace - Four-timeworld champion of figure skating Igor Bobrinreturns to France to present his latest show:Cinderella on Ice.The cast includes Olympic

champions Natalia Bestemiyanova and AndreyBukin as well as more than 20 Russian skaters.Meet Cinderella, her evil stepmother and twostepsisters as well as the Prince Charming in

this beautiful adaptation of the fairy tale.Adult €30, €20 for children under 12.

Call 02 98 44 24 96 www.brest-metropole-tourisme.fr

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8 Inheritance Brittany Pages

IF YOU live in France you must clearly takeaccount of French inheritance laws but theselaws also apply if you are resident in Britain (orelsewhere) and have property, such as a holidayhome, in France.

These strict rules are often a cause of con-cern to expats. Many have contacted theEuropean Union calling for reform andBrussels is now investigating the pos-sibility of harmonising inheritancerules across all member states.

For the moment,though, it isimportantthat expatswith assetsin Franceare aware ofthe rulesand how tomake thebest of them.

The Connexion newspaper publishes an easy-to-read guide to inheritance laws in France,with advice on how to plan for them. Here weoutline some of the main topics that it covers.

French inheritance law can be divided intocivil law (matters such as who can inherit) and

tax law (inheritance tax payable by heirs).In civil law, France and Britain have

similar approaches. For “moveable”assets (shares,money inbankaccountsetc), thelaw ofthe last

residence of the deceased person applies. Forreal estate (houses, land etc), the applicablelaw is that of the country where the property islocated: eg. English law for English assets,French for French assets.

Regarding tax law, if the deceased was resi-dent in France, French inheritance tax is pay-able on his or her worldwide assets and Britishtax may be payable on British assets (de-pending on the British rules), but would thenbe deductible from the French tax bill. If thedeceased was resident outside France, Frenchtax is payable on French real estate only.

Subject to allowances and exemptions,French inheritance tax can be high, especiallyin the case of heirs with no close family ties. Ifyou are not married or “pacsed” (in a Frenchcivil union), or in a recognised foreign civilunion such as a British civil partnership, youwill be treated as having no family ties andtaxed accordingly.

A spouse, pacs partner or British civil part-ner pays no tax, but the

law does affect themsignificantly. Be-cause your chil-

dren have anautomatic rightto a certainpercentage ofyour estate, a

surviving spouse may need protection. It is worth noting, however, that France does

not recognise stepchildren, who are taxed as‘strangers’ – at 60% – if they are left legacies.

Brothers or sisters living in the same houseas the deceased are not taxed on legacies pro-vided they are single, widowed or divorced atthe time of death; aged 50 or more or disabled,and have lived with the deceased continuouslyfor the previous five years.

Everyone else is liable to pay tax, with somerare exceptions. While Britain taxes the overallnet value of the estate, French inheritance taxis calculated on each share in the estate. Oncethe net value of the estate has been calculated,it is divided into shares, each of which benefitsfrom a non-taxable allowance depending onthe beneficiary’s degree of relationship to thedeceased (see table opposite).

Whether there is a will or not, children arehéritiers réservataires, which means they areentitled to a set part of the estate, which youcannot change by will (the same applies, in theabsence of children, to a spouse).

Should there not be a will, a person’s estategoes to the following, in order of precedence:children or grandchildren, or great-grandchil-dren; then to the mother or father; then tobrothers or sisters, to their children or grand-children and so on, to more distant relatives.

In addition to this are rules protecting a sur-viving spouse where there is no will. In thepresence of children, these include the right toa quarter share of the estate. If there are nochildren, the spouse will inherit the whole es-tate unless either of the deceased’s parents areliving; in which case, each of the parents isentitled to receive one-quarter of the estate.

Due to the strict rules, when you do make awill, you cannot, if you have children, simplytransfer full ownership of your property toyour spouse alone in your will; and you shouldnot rely on one made in Britain. It may not beeffective in France.

The crucial aspect for expats relates to prop-erty and other assets held in France and theposition of a surviving spouse or partner inthe light of the automatic rights of children.

Where a pacs or civil partner is living in thefamily home at the time their partner dies, heor she has the right to occupy the property fora year. In the case of married couples only, thisright extends for the survivor’s whole lifetimeand includes the furnishings of the home. Thespouse may also let the house to someone else.

The issue of “marriage regimes” is an impor-tant factor in France concerning property andinheritance matters. Notaires can advise onthis when you buy property.

Common forms of contract include commu-nauté universelle, under which a couple owns a

Know the law andprotect your heirsExpatriates with property and assets in France– and those with holiday homes here – needto be aware that French inheritance rules arestrict and very specific. As the holiday seasonapproaches and thoughts turn to families, it isworth looking to the future and taking stepsto make sure that your estate passes downaccording to your wishes

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om “When you make a will youcannot, if you have children, simply transfer fullownership of your propertyto your spouse alone

Inheritance 9

Help with planningfor inheritanceWHEN it comes to inheritance planning, it is oftenimportant to have tailored advice from a professional.

For matters related to wills or property ownership andmaking sure your wishes for your spouse or partner andchildren are followed as closely as possible in the eventof your death, the main source is likely to be a notaire.

You can search for an English-speaking one in Brittanyhere: www.notaires.fr (then “find a notaire”).

Put in your department and/or town and selectEnglish language.

While a notaire is able to give practical advice and toassist with drawing up a will or organising various otherlegal procedures, you may also wish to take advice froman avocat, especially where there may be contentious orpotentially litigious matters involved.

An avocat who specialises in advising (as opposed totheir other main role, being advocates in court) mayalso be called a conseil juridique.

Find an avocat in your town at www.cnb.avocat.fr andlook under Annuaires (directories). There is no simpleway to find an English-speaking one, though your localbar may be able to advise(see Barreaux in the direc-tories - they can be found,eg. in Saint-Brieuc,Lorient and Brest).

A source of free legaladvice, similar to a citi-zen’s advice bureau in theUK, is a maison de la jus-tice et du droit. Ones inBrittany include:

15 quai Maréchal Foch,Rte de Logivy, Lannion;tel: 02 96 37 90 60

22 rue Victor Hugo,Vannes; tel: 02 97 01 63 80

This sign may be seenoutside notaires’ offices

December 2011

home equally, or sépa-ration des biens, whereownership is a percent-age allotted to each part-ner. British married cou-ples can visit a notaire todraw up a marriage con-tract in respect of Frenchproperty. Otherwise, thewording on the deeds iscrucial.

A holiday homemight be boughtunder an SCI, acompany formedto own the prop-erty, in whichcase the laws ofthe home countrywill apply becauseit is considered amoveable asset.

If you are goingto live in France,purchase of a resi-dence might in-clude a tontineclause, under whichthe property is jointlyowned and passes to thesurvivor, or a donation entreépoux, which gives the survivor life-time use of the estate and the right toownership of a quarter of it, irrespective ofchildren.

Whether residents here or holiday homeowners, it is essential to be aware of thedifferences from the system in your homecountry – and to take professional advice.

The Connexion’s helpguide to Frenchinheritance law can point you in the rightdirection and make you more aware of thequestions to ask.

The Connexion newspaper has an 18-page helpguidethat takes you step-by-step through the complexities ofFrench inheritance laws, explains how they affectexpats and answers frequently-asked questions.

Inheritance law helpguide

Download a copy for €7.50 at www.connexionfrance.com or call 0800 91 77 56 for a printed version to be sent to you

Relationship to deceased

Surviving spouse, pacs orcivil partner

Direct heirs (ie. all childrenof the deceased, or, if theyhave died, their children)

Brother or sister (apart fromthose exempt from tax, seeabove)

Nephew or niece

Other relatives to the 4thdegree of relationship (eg.including cousins and great-nephews)

Everyone else

Tax-free portion per share

€1,594

Taxed at

60%

100% tax exempt

€159,325

€15,932

€7,967

€1,594

Up to €8,072 - 5%...then to €12,109 - 10%...then to €15,932 - 15%...then to €552,324 - 20%...then to € 902,838 - 30%…then to €1,805,677 - 40%... then 45%

Up to €24,430 - 35%...then 45%

55%

55%

Photo: © Andrey Armyagov - Fotolia.com

Photo: © hannamonika - Fotolia.com

10 Food Brittany Pages December 2011

IT WAS our first Christmas in France whenwe realised that we were well into Novemberand we hadn’t seen many signs of the impend-ing festivities. My pudding and mincemeatwere made, my cards bought, but where intown were the garlands, the lights and thestacks of goodies?

How different it is from the UK where, acouple of years ago, I was horrified to see thatthe Christmas season was in full swing inOctober, with people shopping as if there wasno tomorrow.

In our corner of France at least, food andfamily are far more important than how much

you spend on presents for all and sundry. Iwas utterly amazed as the food began toappear in the shops at the beginning ofDecember and couldn’t believe how much wasbeing bought.

Recent statistics show that the average spendper head on Christmas food is €118 in Francewhereas the nearest comparable figures I canfind for the UK is £309 per household for thewhole festive season. Conversely, the numberof presents bought in the UK is more thantwice the French average of 11 per adult.

Because the main celebratory meal in Franceis the Christmas Eve réveillon it has a very dif-ferent feel. The first time we were invited toone it was a revelation. The friend who cookedit had agonised for weeks over her choice ofmain course. Turkey or goose is not automatichere and in the end she served chapon (capon)with a truffle stuffing... and not a Brusselssprout in sight. This was preceded by caviar,home-prepared foie gras and a plateau defruits de mer – a selection, she explainedbecause some people, strangely, don’t likeoysters! Cheese followed and then the Bûchede Noël. The table was gorgeous and it musthave taken her hours.

I now always make Marie-France’s duck foiegras with my own addition of muscat jelly.

Foie gras for the Christmas spiritAfter she was chosen asfirst BBC Masterchef in1990 JOAN BUNTING wassoon writing a foodcolumn and doing BBClocal radio. Now the former advisory teacherhas retired and movedpermanently to her homein France, but is still keen to tell readers about good food.

Which wine should Idrink with this?

Caline Montfort, of Julien deSavignac wine merchants (www.julien-de-savignac.com), says:Clos L'envège 2003, Monbazillac €29.A superb reference of Monbazillac. Avery concentrated sweet wine made ofbotrytised grapes from our property ofClos l'Envège. It is an extremely complexwine with aromas of dried grapes, figsand apricots with notes of orange peel,vanilla delicate oak. The consistency ofthe wine will marry beautifully the Foiegras, and the refreshing acidity of thissweet wine will enhance its delicateflavours.

Photo: © sylbohec - Fotolia.com

Duck Foie Gras with Muscat Jelly

Put the foie gras domed-side down ona board, and with a small sharp knife care-fully remove all the veins – this is vital, soif you have to separate the lobes don’tworry, they will stick together again whenyou cook it.

Put the prepared foie gras in a ceramicdish and add the seasoning and alcohol.Rub well in then refrigerate overnight.Next day pack the liver into a 50cl terrine,cover and place in a bain-marie in a pre-

heated 150°C oven for 35 minutes.

Cool for an hour then chill for at least12 hours before serving – it will keep in thefridge for two or three days.

To make the jelly: Gently heat a couple of tablespoons of

the wine, squeeze the water from gelatineand melt the leaves in the warm wine. Addthe rest of the wine, stir well and pour intoa suitable dish. Chill until set.

INGREDIENTS For 4 - 6 Servings 1 fresh duck foie-gras

2 tsp fine sea salt 1 tsp ground white pepper

(black doesn’t look nice) 1 tbsp cognac

1 tbsp sweet muscat wine For the jelly: 150ml of the same muscat 3 leaves of gelatine soaked in water

until soft.

METHOD

CUT OUT & KEEP!

Photo: © Joan Bunting

Connexion helpguides

Download the helpguides at www.connexionfrance.comor call FREE from France 0800 91 77 56 or for just 4p/min from the UK 0844 256 9881

Up-to-date, impartial information on a range of topics for life in France

To help readers make the most of life in France The Connexionhas produced a series of helpguides on practical topics.

The helpguides, priced €5 and €7.50, are produced independently by Connexion journalists or in partnership with Conseils des Notaires de France.

From

€5

Business 11Brittany Pages December 2011

FINANCEJIM ADCOCK moved to France in 2007 after many years’ experience in corporate and small businesses, including practicalfreelance support. He runs Stairs2measure.com, providing made-to-measure wooden staircases, and is a founder member of The Brittany Business Network. He will be writingregularly for the Brittany Pages on local business issues andwelcomes your feedback, comments and input.

To contact Jim Adcock directly, email [email protected]

WHAT has driven the current levels ofdissatisfaction, with capitalism becomingthe focus in many eyes?

The trend over recent years has beenfor companies to just get bigger andexercise greater control over both suppli-er and consumer; employees becomingcommodities in the process.

I witnessed the latter firsthand whenbeing promoted as part of a worldwidecorporate “re-structuring”, which shed athird of the workforce.The question of anincrease in pay to matchthe significant increase inresponsibility was raised.The response was that theCEO in the US decreedthat “no-one was to profitfrom others’ misfortune” -two years later after saleof the company the sameCEO walked away with ahundred million dollars...

Having discussed corpo-rate restructures with oth-ers from a variety of industries thereseems to be a theme where those maderedundant are often treated well (proba-bly out of necessity) but those left within

the company receive very little consider-ation and are just expected to work hard-er for longer.

We probably feel impotent to addressthe corporate (and personal) greed sur-rounding us, but we need to be consciousthat individuals feed the corporate greed.The demand for the latest/best product at

the best price and availablenow, leads us to the veryconglomerates we dislike.

These organisations them-selves have executives andshareholders whose idea oflong-term is within the year.

The fundamentals ofmodern society requiresome wealth creation, in themain the extreme examplesof opposite models have not been a success so weneed to be careful what wewish for.

The basic form of capitalism is privateinvestment and private ownership forprofit; there is a strong argument thathere in Brittany and the rest of Francegreater support and reward for free en-terprise is exactly what is needed.

Small businesses are key to economicprogress out of recessionary times andanything we can do to grow them here inBrittany should be actively encouraged.

The alternative to making the extreme-ly rich even richer is in part to support

small independent businesses; it is these entrepreneurs who will create realjobs in time and contribute to the localeconomy.

However, the personal choice one hasto make is whether to sometimes pay alittle more or wait a little longer; we canchoose not to be powerless in the relent-less march of the under-regulated corpo-rates.

One other thing we can all do is to takeevery opportunity to lobby for or sup-port better regulation that actually worksin the corporate world.

On the subject of small enterprise, tocompile a future article your valuablefeedback on being an expat entrepreneurhere in Brittany will be extremely helpful– in particular experience (good or bad)with RSI and also on being an auto-entrepreneur. Please e-mail me direct [email protected] by 30December if possible.

The end of capitalism?By the time you read this articlethe protests against capitalism inmany major cities across theglobe may have run their course,but what do they hope toachieve? Perhaps the targetshould be an end to greed, notcapitalism – and perhaps thecall should be for what has beendescribed in some quarters as“ethical capitalism”.

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The capitalist system has become a focus of dissatisfaction

“The alternative tomaking theextremely richeven richer is inpart to supportsmall independentbusinesses

The Brittany Business Network www.synergienet.com

Agence pour la Création d’Entreprises www.apce.com

Chambre de Métiers Brittany www.crma-bretagne.fr

Chambre de Commerce et deL'Industrie (CCI) Brittany www.bretagne.cci.fr

Useful Websites

The new UK/French treaty came into effect for the Frenchtax year 2010. Under the old regime, the income continuedto be fully taxed in the UK, with the net UK rental incomethen being added to your “worldwide” income under the“taux effectif ” regime in France. This calculation workedout if you should be a paying a higher rate of tax in France.

The UK rental income will now be taxable in France, witha tax credit to provide relief for double taxation (capped tothe equivalent French tax on the UK income). Your UKstate pension continues to be taxed in France.

French Social Charges are applied to all individuals taxresident in France. The net for sources of income subject tothese social charges is very wide, and the latest Frenchbudget provisions have extended the net further, to helpplug the shortfall in government coffers, in particular forthe French pension burden.

Your UK sources of income should have been declared ontax form 2047. You can claim for your state pension to beexonerated from social charges if you have form S1.

Based on your income figures above, assuming that youare married and both of you are over 65, you will have topay extra income tax this year of approximately €600, compared with the same calculation under the “taux effec-tif ” rules. The French social charges on UK rental incomewould be €3075, with a tax credit of about €1800. Therewill be €1450 CSG available as a deduction against your2011 income tax bill. Overall, your 2010 French income taxand social charges will give an average tax rate of just over10% on your total income of €40,000.

To avoid paying tax twice, contact the UK pension department to confirm that your tax residency is in France,and arrange to receive your state pension gross.

UK income tax on the rental income is approximately£600 each, assuming the income is split between you andyour wife, and that you both qualify for age allowance.

The UK rent received is subject to withholding tax. Thistax paid should be shown on your UK rental self-assessmentreturn. You can go ahead and make your UK returns, nowthat April 6, 2011, has passed, and apply for any UK repayment.

Even with the new rules, you will still be paying less in UKand French tax and social charges combined, than if youhad stayed in the UK.

It remains to be seen how local tax offices will deal withthe new rules.

How to avoid thedouble tax trap

I have my main residence in Saint-Brieuc and rent outmy home in Hampshire. I understand from my localFrench tax inspector, that under the new double taxation treaty, my 2010 tax will be worked out differently. I will now have to pay social contributionson my UK property rental income. I earn €25,000from the latter and have a UK state pension of€15,000 a year. Please could you tell me how much Iwill now have to pay the French government? K.T.

Photo:© Argus - Fotolia.com

12 Directory Brittany Pages December 2011

Find registered tradespeople quickly and easily

English-speaking firms near youFor your security, we check that the French businesses in this section are officially registered with the authorities

BRITTANYPAGES

ANIMALS

BUILDERS & RENOVATION

BUSINESS & WEBSITES

COMPUTERS, TV & INTERNET

ESTATE AGENTS

GARDENS & POOLS

GENERAL

MOTORING

PLUMBERS

PROPERTY SERVICES

RETAIL

CLASSIFIEDSMoving from Brittany?

+ Removal boxes, wrap, covers.+ Removal planning service.+ Disposal of surplus items.+ Packers, porters and more!

[email protected] 02 99 98 31 81move-AID.com

Villager, Hunter, Aarrow& Stratford Stoves

Esse Cooking RangesQuality Stoves Delivered throughout Francewww.woodburningstovesandcookers.com

Tel: 02 97 74 73 48Based in Josselin 56

WOODBURNERSAsh Grove Stoves

Supplier ofHunter - Villager

- Clean Burn - Fire Visible - Boiler versions available- Deliveries all over France- Prices on our website

Lowest Prices Guaranteed

Tel: 00 44 (0) 1392 861579www.ashgrovestoves.com

[email protected]

BRETON COUNTRYCOTTAGES

Property Management andHoliday Letting ServicesWe will take care of your

second home or holiday propertyleaving you free to enjoy it.

Tel: [email protected]

The Holiday ExchangeHome Exchange without the need to find a direct

exchange partner.

Email: [email protected]: 02 97 93 91 56

Web: www.theholidayexchange.comSiret: 53015743700019

All Plumbing and Heatingrequirements

Oil Boiler Breakdowns & Servicing - Chimney Sweeping. Prompt /reliable service

TTeell:: ++3333 ((00)) 22 9966 2244 7788 1111 oorr MMoobbiillee ++3333 ((00)) 66 4422 7722 3399 0000EEmmaaiill:: vviinnccee@@vvbbpplloommbbiieerr..ffrr - WWeebb:: wwwwww..vvbbpplloommbbiieerr..ffrr

Contact: Vince or Mandy Boon

Ed Chalkley: Maitre ArtisanComplete Interior Renovation

with all trades undertaken.Registered Carpenter.

View work at [email protected]: 02.96.82.72.91(evenings)Portable: 06.70.54.13.76

Siret number: 513 187 153 00012

Ian TorodeServicing and repairs for most makes of

vehicle and garden machinery.Car Help - Advice - Parts Sourcing.

Web: www.mowermaninbrittany.nete-mail: [email protected]

Tel: 02 97 39 95 52

EExxcclluussiivveeHHeeaalltthhccaarreeYour Helping Hand to the

French Health System

+33 (0) 4 94 40 31 45www.exclusivehealthcare.com

Anna PathfinderYour life coach in Brittany

www.annapathfinder.comTel. 02 99 44 38 09

Le Jardinier Anglais.com

Tree surgery services

All tree work undertaken within 150km ofRennes. Specialists in dismantling difficult &

dangerous trees, wood chipper, stumpgrinder, extreme hedge cutting.

FREE [email protected]

www.lejardinieranglais.com+33 (0) 7 86 53 67 26

Siret: 483 859 203

Les BocagesDavid Robins

Royal Forestry Society trained Arboristwww.lesbocages.com

Felling, pruning, plantingall aspects of tree care.

Tel: 02.97.39.99.82 56160 LOCMALOSiret No. 480 997 584 00028

JARDINERIE HOLLANDAISEGarden Centre and Garden Maintenance

Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday or on 'RDV'Le Garly 56480 Ste. Brigitte

Tel/Fax: 02 97 27 62 19 - Mobile : 06 75 39 25 79Email: [email protected]

Web: www.jardinerie-hollandaise.comSiret: 40029026800020

HOUSES ONINTERNET

Do you want to sell yourhouse quickly?

Our fee is only 2.5%Find out how on:

WWW.HOUSESONINTERNET.COM

Tel: 05 55 65 12 19

bml angloagence.comEnglish registered cars

House insurance - Health cover1700 British clients trust us

02 96 87 21 [email protected]

Dinan, Brittany

English and Fluent French speakingagent, always needing more houses

for sale, 8 years [email protected]

TEL FR: +33 (0) 6 19 17 34 61TEL UK: +44 (0) 7880 501 116

www.NormandyandBrittanyhousesforsale.comSiret: 519 751 465

English TV in yourFrench Home

EVERYTHING SATELLITE!Professional installations in Brittany &

NormandyMail-order throughout FranceFree, friendly, helpful advice

TVBrittany & TVNormandyRing Trevor on

02 97 74 24 56www.tvbrittany.com

A BUSINESS TO PROMOTE

A PROPERTY TO SELL

ADVERTISE FOR FREEwww.brittanyforeveryone.com

BRETON BUILDCarpenter, roofer and general builder

specialising in the renovation of traditional Breton Properties.

Covering all Brittany.

[email protected] 97 38 57 61

www.bretonbuild.comSiret: 489 314 278 00032

C L CBuilding & Property Maintenance

Renovations, Repairs, Conversions, ExtensionsTel: 06 59 71 50 29 or 02 98 86 95 37

Troleron 29530 Plonevez du FaouStonework Block work Plastering Plaster boarding Roofing

Email: [email protected] No. 17612

56 MORBIHAN 56All types of work, Exterior-Interior,

New - Renovation-Repair.Entreprise Brown Robert

Tel/Fax: 02 97 51 10 11Siret: 424 531 069 00013

Bilingual EnglishElectrician/Plumber

Registered and insured in France

Mike and Pam DerbyTel: +33 (0)2 96 84 86 28

Email: [email protected]: www.electricianbrittany.com

Siret: 480 938 083 00015

St Malo, Dinard, Dinan

SARL BCBPStonework, RenovationGroundwork, Gardening

Full and Part Renovations & Conversions

Connection to MainDrain and Septic Tank

From Mini-Diggersto 20t Diggers

Paving & DeckingPerfect English Spoken

Bruno BonnierTel: 06 71 05 60 82

Email: [email protected] : 47942748600010

Canine BehaviouristSolving your dog and puppy problems

using calm, assertive and positive reinforcement methods

Tel: 02 96 36 65 61Mob: 06 45 79 01 67

Email: [email protected]. 481 238 483 00012

DB LB LG DP LP R ODG Y

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HOW TO BOOK AN ADVERTChoose the size of your advert from theexamples on the left. You can have a blackand white advert; or you can choose a colourfrom the list below. Finally, you can choose tohave rounded corners to the box to helpmake your advert stand out (See right). Then,when you have made your choice, call 0800 91 77 56

Standard

Rounded

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k B

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Directory adverts are available in 3 sizesand in colour or black and white.

(1-15 words)

B&W €€165HT

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BRITTANYDIRECTORY

Directory 13Brittany Pages December 2011

ADVERTISING FEATURES

BRITISH buyers have long had areputation for falling in love withold traditional properties as part oftheir dream move to France. Thekind of renovation work involved tomake the property a home can varyfrom minor stonework to the com-plete renovation of a disused out-building.

Often it is challenging to findmasons who are reliable, experi-enced and who speak both Englishand French, but for those in the

Brittany region, this is where masonChris Lynn of CLC Renovation canstep in and help.

Chris learned his trade as a brick-layer straight from school in theUK, where he lived not far fromPlymouth, and has been in buildingmost of his life. He settled inBrittany about eight years ago andnow works on all types of jobs, bothbig and small.

“I’m happy to do half a day’s workor more long-term projects,” saidChris. “The last job I had took oversix months and was a complete ren-ovation inside and out, but even if acustomer just needs a few slate tilesputting back on their roof I can dothat too.”

Some of the jobs that Chris cantake on, relating to exteriors,include: hack-off rendering, re-ren-dering, stone work and re-pointing,concreting, paths and patios. Forhouse interiors his work oftenincludes: plaster boarding, plaster-

ing, insulation, floor and wall tiling,and the installation of kitchens andbathrooms.

To make plastering quicker, clean-er and more cost-effective for clientsChris now does internal plasteringand external rendering using amachine. “It is called ‘projectionplastering’ and is faster than tradi-tional manual plaster,” he said. “Youstill have to trowel it up or float itoff after, but there is far less messwhen it is done this way.”

Chris is based in Plonévez-du-Faou and usually works within a50km radius of this area. “But I willgo a bit further for an interestingjob,” he said.

As Chris is bilingual it means thatcommunicating in either French orEnglish with clients, suppliers orother artisans is something that heis used to doing on a daily basis. Hehas found that some English clients,who are not yet fluent in French,find this very useful.

The variety of jobsthat Chris has carriedout over the last eightyears have earned himan excellent reputationand he often gets workpurely through wordof mouth.

“The last clients Ihad were highlydelighted with thepointing work that Idid,” he said. “I thinkthat people are gener-ally always happy thatI leave the place as Ifind it, in terms ofcleaning the job up, asmany builders leave amess, but I leaveeverything as cleanand tidy as possible.”

Contact Chris to dis-cuss your project orvisit his website formore information.

Before and after of a complete rebuild inPlonévez-du-Faou, Brittany

06 59 71 50 [email protected] (in French)

A new kitchen installation andtiling work carried out in 2009

Bilingual mason Chris Lynn will produce top results on any aspect of your building project

Relax during your renovation work

“I DIN’T set up my own businessstraight away in France as I was stillbusy on other projects in Englandand renovating my own house - itjust sort of happened,” said Ed.

“It was after people had visited thehouse and seen my work that Istarted getting calls asking if I wasinterested in laying oak floors and ifI could come up with ideas on howto convert their greniers. I thought:what on earth am I doing sloggingbackwards and forwards to Englandif people want me to work for themhere?

“Fortunately, the auto-entrepre-neur scheme had just come out andseemed like a good starting point toworking in France,” said Ed, whopromptly found his City & Guildscertificates and registered with theChambre des Métiers.

“I was very lucky because my firstproject, which ran for 18 months,was a lovely job to work on and wasonly ten minutes from home,” said Ed.

Ed is pleased with how the schemeworks, as are his clients, as it meansthey do not have to pay TVA and hecan still put a team of reliable arti-sans in all the trades together: elec-trical, plumbing, roofing, sand andlime rendering, studwork and plas-tering.

“I co-ordinate the work and theclient pays them directly,” said Ed,who especially enjoys the challengeof sympathetically renovating tradi-tional old French houses and main-taining as many of the original fea-tures as possible. “It also means Ican freelance for other buildingcontractors,” he added.

After an initial meeting at thehouse, Ed can proceed with the jobeven if the client is going to beabsent. He is happy to send regularemails and photographs so theyknow how the project is progress-ing. It is this care and consideration,along with the high quality work,that the client appreciates. It allowsthem to return to a house in France that is ready to become a home.

Up until now Ed’s work has mainlybeen in the Côtes d’Armor region ofBrittany, but he can travel furtherafield - in fact his next job will takehim to Normandy.

“My wife, who is a florist and theFrench distributor and stockist ofAnnie Sloan’s Chalk Paints(www.lescouronnessauvages.com),needed someone to run the ChalkPaint furniture painting courses forher. Knowing how brilliant thepaints are I agreed and went on astockist’s course on painting furni-ture with Annie Sloan in Oxford.

“Annie has a house in Normandythat is in exactly the same state as itwas when she first bought it twentyyears ago - so it needs a bit of workand TLC before she can let herbrushes loose.”

To see examples of Ed’s work youcan visit his website online at:

www.edwardchalkley.blogspot.com.If you have a renovation project - nomatter how big or small - contact Ed by email or telephone.

02 96 72 82 91 06 70 54 13 76 [email protected]

With over twenty years’ experience in renovating interiors ofhouses in England, when fully qualifed carpenter EdChalkley moved to Brittany seven years ago with his familyit was only a matter of time before he set up his business

Renovation expert for projects of all sizes

Ed Chalkley takes on jobs in departments 22, 35, 50 and 56

LA JARDINERIE Hollandaise islocated in Sainte-Brigitte, betweenPontivy and Rostrenen, and is runby Peter and Marieke Comman-deur.

They started the business about 16years ago, starting off with just a fewrows of plants and have graduallybuilt it up to what it is today: a gar-den centre selling an impressiverange of plants, shrubs, trees andflowers.

“Peter has always done this kind ofwork, his dad was a bulb grower andhe went to work for a Dutchman ata garden centre in Wales,” saidMarieke. “We’re both Dutch, but Iwas a nurse in Wales, where welived for ten years, and I’ve workedhere since we moved to France in1995. Our son works with us now so it is a real familybusiness.”

The garden centre now has a cou-

ple of greenhouses and Marieke andPeter do some of their own growingtoo. Their acers, hedging plants,rhododendrons and fruit trees aresome of their best-selling plants.

The couple have worked hard tomake the business the success it istoday. “We used to do a lot of mar-ket work in the beginning and Peterwas there every day until we gotmore customers - now we’re justdoing two markets a week,” saidMarieke.

“We also do the foire aux plants,which are special plant fairs in thespring and autumn. Most of ourbusiness comes from the foires,markets or word of mouth.”

As bulbs are one of La JardinerieHollandaise’s specialities, the familyhave high hopes for the website,which has just been launched andallows customers to buy their bulbsonline. Now is a perfect time to buy

explains Marieke because new stock,including bulbs and plants, has justcome in and you can plant out allthrough the winter unless the frostis in the ground.

The bulbs they sell are not just in apackage, customers can buy themloose too. “Our most popular bulbsare tulips, irises, crocuses andhyacinths, but we sell a bit of every-thing really,” said Marieke.

The website is still being devel-oped and in the future will sell trees,plants and flowers online too.

They also offer an advice andmaintenance service to customers.“We do a lot of garden maintenancein the winter,” said Marieke. “In thespring we do more mowing, cuttinghedges and the planting out - but welook after people’s gardens all yearround - and can also do the designand planting for people who wantnew gardens.”

The couple find that many cus-tomers just want a bit of advice,which Peter and Marieke are veryhappy to offer.

“We really do make time for peo-ple and customers seem to like thepersonal approach. We organise anopen weekend three times a yearnow where we have tea and coffeewith customers and give advice,”said Marieke.

One of the advantages for cus-tomers is the couple’s flexibility.While the garden centre itself is

only open on Fridays, Saturdays andSundays, people can call to come atother times and to also get adviceabout their gardens.

“Peter often goes to people’s gar-dens to give advice and usually theycome to the garden centre to buythe plants,” she said. “But sometimeswe go and plant their garden up - itall depends on what thecustomer wants.”

02 97 27 62 19www.jardinerie-hollandaise.com

For all your tree, plant, shrub, bulb and even garden design needs, pay a visitto La Jardinerie Hollandaise - or go shopping on its new website

Garden centre goes online

La Jardinerie Hollandaise now sell bulbs from its online shop

14 Property Brittany Pages December 2011

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As the coldweather setsin, it’s timeto makesure yourhome will bewarm. Awood stovecan be aworthwhile

buy, says REBECCA LAWN

WOOD-BURNING stovescan save you money as well asmaking your house a lotwarmer than a simple openfire. “If you have a typicalFrench house with a big fire-place and open chimney,you’ll find that a lot of theheating will go straight up thechimney,” says Steve Hillfrom Ashgrove Stores, whichsupplies wood-burners acrossEurope and the US. “Thebenefit of having a wood-burning stove is that it sealsthe chimney off and the airhas to go through the stove.”

The stoves are made of castiron, steel or soapstone. Steelwood-burners increase – anddecrease – in temperaturemore quickly and are general-ly lighter. Those made of castiron require solid floors tosupport them. As for fuel,hardwoods are best but themain thing is to make sure it’sfully seasoned, timber that is

sap-free: “Otherwise it willsmoulder,” says Steve.

The size of the stove youneed will depend on the sizeof the room you are heating,but there are other factors totake into account, such asinsulation, double-glazingand the number of doors and

windows, so it is best tospeak to a professional beforemaking a decision. For a par-ticularly large room there aredouble-sided stoves that canbe placed in the centre.

If you want a wood-burnerthat also powers your centralheating, you need a stove

with a boiler that can be con-nected to the system. Againthe size of the room it’s in isimportant, as Steve explains:“Boilers send more to theheating side than to theroom. If it’s a big room, you’llneed a radiator as well.”

When buying any type of

Try wood for warmthHot tip: a wood-burning stove in alarge fireplaceprevents heat fromdisappearing upthe chimney

wood-burner, check that itconforms to the Europeanstandard (EN 13240 forstoves). And remember thatunder French law, you needto have your chimneys sweptat least once a year by a pro-fessional company. It’s notenough to do it yourself, evenif many people do. It is alsoworth checking with yourlocal council to see if thereare other rules specific toyour area. In urban areas, forexample, chimneys generallyneed to be swept twice a year.

If you use your chimney,this requirement will be inyour home insurance. As wellas having it cleaned, you alsoneed to have a chimney liner.Make sure the fitter is regis-tered and is accredited by anorganisation such asl’Organisme professionnel dequalification et de classifica-tion du bâtiment.

Once the work has beendone and the chimney isworking, you will need anannual certificate (certificatde ramonage) to prove it hasbeen swept. Getting it profes-sionally cleaned is also foryour own safety as flues thatbecome blocked can raise therisk of a chimney fire. Soothas now been classified ascarcinogenic, so make sureyou choose a sweep who usesa specialist hazard vacuumcleaner afterwards.

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You needn’t spend a lot to restyle your bathroom

Photo:© H

enrik Winther Ander - Fotolia.com

SO YOU have just bought a house complete with avocadobathroom suite dating from the 1970s, or perhaps yourbathroom is just looking a bit tired. Well, there are somesimple ways of revamping the salle de bains that won’tbreak the bank.

First, empty the room completely so that you can spot allthe cracks and holes that need to be filled. When the fillerhas dried, sand down the walls so that they are smooth.

Next, clean the bathroom to remove as much mildew,soap residues and dust as possible – sugar soaps are veryeffective and inexpensive for this. The toughest place toclean is usually the grout, so you need to use a hard tooth-brush or nail brush and scrub with bleach. You can also tryusing a steam cleaner.

Repaint the walls using special bathroom paint so that itresists the humidity. If you have a large bathroom that iswell aired, why not be brave and make a feature wall bydecorating with a large print or colourful wallpaper?

If your tiles are not the colour you want or are starting tolook old, you do not have to replace them but simply givethem a new lease of life by repainting them. Once the tilesare clean and dry, evenly apply a tile primer with a synthet-ic bristle brush. It is best to paint with vertical strokes.When the primer is dry, rub down the whole surface withfine sandpaper, remove the dust produced and apply thesecond coat of primer.

After sanding down and cleaning again, apply the glosscoat with a natural bristle brush, again using verticalstrokes making sure you catch any running paint. Waituntil the first coat has completely dried before applying asecond coat.

Paints are now also sold in DIY shops that allow you torepaint sinks, baths and shower trays, but these are quiteexpensive.

Give your bathroom furniture a new look by painting itor just cleaning up and changing the handles. There is somuch choice now, from modern and novel to traditional orantique, and they make an immediate difference.

Shower curtains are a prominent feature of the bathroomand hanging a fabric one immediately gives a more luxuri-ous, warmer feel. To care for it, wash it in hot water aboutonce a month. If you prefer a plastic shower curtain, agood tip is to wash it by putting it in the washing machinewith a couple of towels – the friction of the towels will helpto get it cleaner.

Finish off your new bathroom look by adding a couple ofscented candles and humidity-loving plants such as orchidsor bamboo to add life and colour to the room.

How to get a new-lookbathroom on a budget

Property 15Brittany Pages December 2011

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Pontrieux, Côtes-d'ArmorOn the ground floor, there is afitted kitchen, a living room withfireplace, a bathroom and toilets.On the first floor, there are 2bedrooms, another room and aboiler room as an outbuilding.

REF: 475

€€150,750


Guilliers, MorbihanSituated at the outskirt of a villagewith amenities, house in excellentcondition comprising a full basement, 4 bedrooms, a fittedkitchen, a dining room and a spacious sitting room.

REF: 1078

€€224,700


Bourbriac, Côtes-d'ArmorDetached family residence invillage location comprising ofentrance hall, kitchen/breakfast room, utility room, 4bedrooms, lounge/dining room,bathroom and w/c.

REF: 11274

€€259,650


Dinan, Côtes-d'ArmorBeautiful 17th century stonehouse with lots of character.Large living room with stonefireplace and kitchen on groundfloor. 4 bedrooms, 1 bathroomand 1 en-suite shower room.

REF: 86076

€€262,150

ENERGY RATING = F

La Vicomté-sur-Rance, Côtes-d'Armor Charming house with riverviews from most of the rooms. 3bedrooms, living room with fireplace, charming kitchen with fireplace, study, utility room and 2bathrooms.

REF: 831

€€208,650

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Plounévézel, FinistèreThis elegant Neo-Breton houseconsists of lounge/diner, kitchenand large downstairs en-suitebedroom. On the first floorthere are 3 further bedroomsand a bathroom.

PROPERTIES IN BRITTANY

Le Blanc, IndreThis beautiful old cottage hasbeen fully renovated and provides delightful views acrossthe river Anglin. The cottage has2 double/twin bedrooms, a livingroom, kitchen, large landing with additional bed and a bathroom. REF: IFPC15159

€€120,000

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€€180,000


Languedoc-Roussillon, HéraultIn a hamlet at 10 minutes from avillage with all amenities, stonehouse with more than 165m2 ofliving space, kitchen, living/dining room, 4 bedrooms, workshop, garage and large attic,on a 250m2 plot.

l’Absie, Deux-SèvresThe house comprises anentrance, a living room, a sittingroom with insert, a fitted andequipped kitchen and a wc onthe ground floor. The first flooroffers 3 bedrooms in which onehas an en suite bathroom.REF: 37952

€€200,000

ENERGY RATING = Not given REF: IFPC21727

€€290,000

ENERGY RATING = G

Troyes, AubeCompletely restored house neargolf course with 150m² of habitable space: living roomwith a fireplace, fitted kitchen,35m² covered terrace, beautifulview, 3 bedrooms, 2 with showerrooms and toilets, large garage.

La Flèche, SartheRenovated in 2006 by Englishartisans the house benefits from;downstairs bathroom, kitchendiner, lounge, dining room, 4bedrooms (2 with en suite) utilityroom and a garage.

REF: IFPC16634

€€350,000

ENERGY RATING = Not given REF: AV980

€€400,000


Narbonne, AudeComprising kitchen, living roomwith fire place, mezzanine, 3beds, 2 bathrooms and veranda.Several terraces. Nice recent pooland wooden garden shed.Located in a protected and preserved area of the coastal area.

by STAFF REPORTER

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It’s harvest time for your winter vegetables

Picking, pruningand planningWHILE many people might think December is the time toshop and plan and that gardeners, like their gardens, benefitfrom a period of dormancy, there is still work to be doneoutside.

In northern regions December can be a month of frostsand it is the time to harvest winter cabbages and cauliflow-ers. Brussels sprouts should be ready in time for Christmasand leeks can be harvested as required. Where there is adanger of severe frost, it may be worth transplanting a few towell-dug ground which will not freeze solid. Harvest celeryand parsnips and store your carrots in peat, sand or a clampif you have not already done so. Parsnips could also be left inthe ground, so long as they are protected with straw.

If you are storing vegetables over the winter, check for rot,removing any affected vegetables before it spreads. Checkpotatoes especially, paying attention also to any slugs, whichmay destroy one potato after another.

December is not all hard grind and spadework. The prun-ing season has also started and some plants with woodystems can bleed if not pruned until early next year. Vines,birch and acers all benefit from early pruning. Vines can bepruned back to two buds from last year’s growth, to encour-age new fruiting branches and larger foliage in ornamentalvarieties. Birch and acer should be shaped with care, as theirelegance relies on the delicate growth of their branches.Shape in a regular fashion, without cutting into old wood,taking growth back by one branch within the canopy.

Pears and apples, currants and autumn raspberries can bepruned any time between leaf fall and March. Stone fruitshould not be pruned in winter, as retreating sap can take inan airborne fungus, “silver-leaf”.

This is a good time to plant roses to bring colour to yourgarden next spring and summer. You can plant at any timefrom now until spring, avoiding bad frost periods. Rosesflower from the first year, except climbing varieties, whichneed two years to establish themselves. Choose a sunnysouth-facing spot with good ventilation, avoiding windexposure and proximity to large trees. Roses can be in shadefor a part of the day and suit different soil types, which arenot waterlogged or very wet in winter or too dry in summer.

In the flower garden, keep an eye out for moles and settraps if necessary.

Ordering your seed catalogues now will give you time tochoose next year’s bedding and perennial treats, while theyare still in stock before the spring rush.

Buying or selling a property in oraround Brittany? We can help.

Our website www.connexionfrance.comcarries details of more than 14,000homes for sale across France.

We also feature properties for sale in thisdedicated section of the paper eachmonth. To find out more about any particular property, go to www.connexionfrance.com and enterthe ref: code shown under the property.

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across a range of popular English-language websites and are seen by thousands of potential buyers EVERYday. Our 3+3 package costs just€200TTC and gives you three monthsonline advertising as well as a printadvert in three editions of The BrittanyPages. Our 6+6 package is best value at€330TTC and provides the same, butfor six months via each channel.

Contact us on 0800 91 77 56 (freephone in France) or email [email protected]

More details on all these properties - and how to contact the seller directly- can be found in the property for sale section of

www.connexionfrance.comSimply enter the code under each home to find out more

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Let our distribution get you a sale.Contact our sales team on 0800 91 77 56 (freephone in France) or email [email protected]

British potter Sean Miller moved from London to Brittany – now he makes such Frenchfavourites as breakfast coffeebowls and Breton cider cups.TIM FINAN met him and hisfamily.

SEAN and Jenny Miller and their daughterRosza came to Brittany in 2005 and openedthe pottery three years later.

They had bought a fine 1930s maison bourgeoise in the village of Peillac near Redonin the Morbihan and close to the green andpleasant Vallée de l’Oust.

Their labour of love – doing up the houseand turning an outbuilding into a showroomfor Mr Miller’s work and a spacious workshop– was complete.

They are now producing and selling attrac-tive, reasonably-priced kitchenware in earnest.

For two weeks this autumn the Millersstaged a well-publicised portes ouvertes (openday). They were joined by a well-known namein British pottery, Nigel Lambert from theForest of Dean in Gloucestershire.

People from the village and the surroundingarea came and watched fascinated as he andMr Miller constructed a new wood-fired kiln-using 1,100 refractory bricks each weighingfour kilos and brought in from the UK.

The visitors were able to observe the kilntaking shape in the covered space overlookingthe lawn behind the workshop.

The first firing began on the Monday andeveryone had to wait for two long days for the

big moment when the kiln was opened andthe first pots taken out and placed on tablesfor all to see.

“We built the whole thing in 10 days . It’s likea birth”, said Mr Miller, 53, as he opened thekiln door and removed the first pots: large cof-fee bowls which the local farmers like to drinkout of in the morning and cider cups, thefamous bolées.

There were also fine glazed plates with anAfrican feel and practical country-stylekitchenware; the kind of objects that Frenchhousewives love to cherish.

“We’ve had a steady trickle of people comingin and about 80% of them do buy, which isencouraging. We tell people we’re halfwaybetween La Gacilly and Rochefort-en-Terre,both villages full of crafts.

“The difference is that here people whocome in tend to buy, whereas at La Gacilly andRochefort they tend to be ‘just passingthrough and looking’”.

Mr Miller uses pine offcuts from a localsawmill to fire the new kiln – there is noshortage of wood in the Morbihan.

He said: “I’ve been potting since 1990. Wewere in London before.” Asked what hethought of Brittany, he said: “The weather isn'twhat it is in the southwest; but the people hereare dependable, reliable and honest. That’swhat is so important about Brittany.

“The mayor of Peillac, Jean-Bernard Vighetti,who was formerly the head of the touristboard in Rennes has given us nothing butencouragement.”

Mrs Miller said: “When people ask me whatI do my answer is I’m a femme au foyer”, (ahousewife).

“I used to be a picture researcher in Londonputting together magazines. It was importantto be in London for work because it wasimportant to meet and talk to people.”

Rosza,14, has settled in at school in nearbyAllaire and has become bilingual. The city girlhas become a happy country girl. “It’s betterthan London here,” she says.

Nigel Lambert’s verdict on the fruits of theinaugural firing of the Miller kiln in Peillac?“Excellent firing for a first time”.

Sean Miller’s pots can be viewed at RueMarcel Callo in Peillac or on his websitewww.seanpots.com

Please note that the article about butter makerJean-Yves Bordier in November’s edition was incorrectly credited to Tim Finan. It was in factby Isabelle Carvalho.

16 Profile Brittany Pages December 2011

Potty about Brittany life

Each of the 1,100 refractory bricks in the Miller family’s new kiln weighs 4kg

Brittany Pages December 2011

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Transcript of Brittany Pages December 2011