Restoration period

In November, Chateau Montfort is a festival of colour. “That’s actually my favourite season,” admits Sara Silm, chatelaine of the house. Chateau Montfort is located on the outskirts of its small namesake village in the south west of France, wedged into the Béarnaise countryside between glittering Biarritz, the foothills of the Pyrenees and the Spanish border. “We have this extraordinary weather in autumn,” Silm adds. Most days, she’ll take her dogs for a walk in the nearby forest, where the trees are festooned with chestnuts. “Birch trees, oak trees, they’re all changing colour and it’s gorgeous,” she says. She’ll head home laden with chestnuts for roasting and mushrooms for gently sautéing. “This is the highlight for every French person in the countryside,” explains Silm. “Everyone… It’s all about the being outside.”