Cassis

[quote user="Alan"]Not sure about the GDF, maybe for a 1 then it would not matter but i know for a 3 grading you have to offer pastries or home made cake or fruit loaf [/quote] As long as you have croissants and pain au chocolat or similar, fresh each day, be it from a baker or home cooked, that is acceptable.  They no longer expect you to be a master baker.

Split, guys, the cops are coming.

[quote user="wen"]Cassis, thank you for spelling out what we accommodation providers feel, yet cannot express in front of our guests. [/quote] Shite - you don't?  That's where I'm going wrong.  Bums.

Let's not get too worked up about this - it's only chocolate, for frig's sake.  Get a pack of Poulain (my preference) or even Nesquik and mix it in with UHT milk heated in the microwave.  The kids prefer a bowl of the Nesquik crap anyway.

If it's within the village entrance/exit signs then Mary can give you permission.  That's what Mary told me, anyway.  Ask Mary and show him on a map where you want to put the signs.

I think andouille has to be near the top.  Never serve andouille and milk in the same bowl - they do not react well together.

B oll ock s.  You've seen through my disguise.[:@]

Hi Squidge I think it depends what exactly what you using your milk for.  If it is for drinking, then UHT is crap.  But in tea or coffee, where all you are doing is using it as a whitener, then fully skimmed UHT is fine and keeps almost until you die.  Are you doing cereals?  In that case, awkward Brits may not like semi-skimmed UHT because it is not what they are used to.  No other nationality seems to give a toss.  If UHT is convenient and local, and pasteurised is not, then go for the UHT.  You're in France, for God's sake, and you use what you have locally. Even you can get used to it in time. [:D] Agree with Loiseau over fresh, untreated milk - do not use it.  Too dangerous.  First time I had it over here I had the trots for 4 days - please don't ruin your guests' holidays that way!

Good to have a proper rack in a common area with loads of information leaflets. In each room all we have is: copies of walking/Vtt routesa map of the local town with our recommended restaurantsa blurb on the village commerces/market days/other local info like where to play golf/hire horses/etc. All are laminated and so far none have been nicked, which is nice. I don't think there's much point in singing your own praises once you've trapped them in the honeypot.

Like the others, I agree that Vistaprint is good - but beware of all the extras that you get drawn into, they are so tempting! Does your TO accept postcards etc?  Worth asking them what they actually will do with them, or whether they even want them - one of ours doesn't take leaflets or postcards or business cards, and in the other two they get shoved in a forgotten corner. Even if the Offices do take them, unless there is a lot of passing casual trade, postcards etc. in Tourist Offices may be a waste of time - try them for a season and then review.  Almost all of our business is booked in advance - but your area may be different, so it could be worth trying a small quantity. If you want free software for converting Word to pdf then I think PDFCreator is the best (I've tried a few).

Hello Benjie! No, I just thought one or two points needed correcting by Miss Strict. Do you want to feel the lash of my whip?  We don't charge for extras (though we leave a box for pourboires at the exit - God help you if you fail to contribute).

[quote user="LEO"][quote user="Muzzie"] Maybe but we're a private home not a hotel and everyone who stays here has their own loo..I already have 8 toilets to clean I dont want anymore! abi [/quote] Hi Muzzie, I appreciate it must have been a shock, however, your premises cease to become a private home when you advertise and take paying guests, particularly when your offering 5 rooms , it would indicate that the "lions share ".of the house is in a sense "commercial" Kind regards, Leo [/quote] Don't be daft, Leo - just because someone runs a B&B doesn't mean the guests have the run of every inch of the house.  Was your post meant as a joke?

The house already had a name.  We kept it.

Susie - re. the meals thing, tell them to sue and be damned.  You don't need them. [quote user="Quillan"] I think the grading thing may be regional then (I think we have been down this route before, something about how much the membership fees differ from one area to another) or perhaps they allow those who registered ages ago to continue. Certainly in our area it's a no no now. As to grading, well in theory it should be the same but as you know the bureaucracy in France is open to whoever interprets it and each regions interpretation can be quite different to another even though the written word is the same. [/quote] Fact remains that GdF's own regs do not require ensuite.  Fees from one region to another have absolutely nothing to do with it.  Just for the record: For 1 Epis the requirement is that for up to six persons you need a shower room or bathroom for the exclusive use of your guests; for more than 6 guests you need a second bathroom. For 2 Epis the shower/bathroom for each room has to be private to each bedroom, but does not have to be en suite (communiquante). For 3 and 4 Epis the shower/bathroom for each room has to be en suite to each bedroom. These are national rules.  There are no such thing as local rules.  If the local office tries to say different it is wrong - you can complain to the national office.  Don't be a wuss and don't take any bullshit and don't believe everything you are told - not least here. EDIT / This GdF ruling may well change if the phrase "Chaque chambre d'hôte donne accès à une salle d'eau et à un WC" in the recent decret is interpreted as "giving directly onto" rather than simply "leading to" - like across a corridor. http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/WAspad/UnTexteDeJorf?numjo=ECER0759563D

[quote user="Anton Redman"]Most of the above explains why I prefer to stay in the worst/cheapest/shodiest  French  hotels rather than  British owned C de H. If you would prefer people to be no shows rather than turn up at 1 am then that is your choice but you should make it totally clear on your website and expect to loose the business. The attitudes to hospitality expounded above explain why we hunted long and hard for a cattery which was French owned . Personally I would  rather negotiate with dogs for sleeping space than buy something from you. ..... My view is that if you want to make somebodies 'day' even worse at 11 pm after a couple of problems beyound their contriol that is fine but you should not be running a hotel or C d H. [/quote] I'm sure that most B&B owners would rather that the rude bastards who think it's okay to turn up hours late, or in the middle of the night, especially without the courtesy of a phone call to let them know, bog off to the nearest Campanile or F1.  Such arrrogant and selfish guests can piss right off elsewhere as far as I'm concerned. You'll also be lucky to get a hotel to open up to you after 11.00pm. I know many French B&B owners and their attitudes to selfish, rude bastards is exactly the same as that of British B&B owners here.

[quote user="Weedon"]Many a night I have sat tucking in to Cuy and rice with the Andean pipe music ensemble in the background.  The same music can be enjoyed at all the big cities of Europe, although so far I have not spotted Cuy on the menu in those same cities.  Perhaps they don’t travel well. [/quote] You're right, Weedon, they do not travel well, being prone to airsickness. Incidentally, the pipes to which you refer are known as Pan Pipes, due to the tradition of playing them as an accompaniment to pan-fried Cuy (= guinea pig).  Similar to piping in the Haggis in Scotchland.  Hence the expression "piping hot".

[quote user="woolybanana ex tag"]Big like a ragondin and as vicious.[/quote] Do you mean "delicious" rather than "vicious"?  Our ragondin paté is superb.

I reckon a big guinea pig could take a big cat.  Not a big cat as in tiger or lion.  Big cat as in fat domesticated useless lump of fur.

[quote user="Pearly Spencer"] By the way do you have a copy of the 'Composting Toilets for Parrots' book as I am having terrible trouble getting them (the Parrots) to flush. [/quote] Have you checked that they can actually grasp the handle with their beaks?

What Pearly forgot to mention is that you should reserve the ribbons and bows and use them to garnish the dish - presentation is almost as important as the actual cooking of this delicacy.

[quote user="woolybanana ex tag"]she might be able to smoke a few. [/quote] Please do not do this before driving as it can impede reaction times and is probably illegal.

If serving guinea pig in France, the correct name is "Cochon d'Inde".  Therefore your curry suggestion seems entirely appropriate.

[quote user="Quillan"]People who have being running B&B's for a long time thought that these particular guests and the method in which they contacted me to be scammers. My point at the time is that you can't tar all with the same brush and these weren't.[/quote] Just in case anyone thinks that "the people who had been running a B&B a long time" is a reference to any of the B&B owners on this forum, some - like Miki and myself - were actually highly amused at the idea that a scammer would be stupid enough to send payment by Paypal. None of them said that the enquiry in question was a scam - not one of them saw it. The only person I can find who even suggested that the enquiry from the Aussies looked like a scam was Quillan himself!

Thank you, Artykool.  Really useful.  The site says it is for traders in Brittany only - does it include Normandy as well?  I quote: This site was created for people who own homes in Brittany and also for those wishing to visit this beautiful corner of France whether it be for a holiday or those looking to buy a property. There is no charge for placing ads or links, this a completely free site. There are also some ads from reputable companies offering excellent services/products 'back home'. How about the Pays de la Loire?

[quote user="Ford Anglia"]One of the problems with the members you mention was their inability to post anything contradicting what someone else posted, without being either rude, personal, or both. [/quote] I completely agree and I think you are lovely. [:)]