My French friend Jean-Paul and I have a passion to save, protect and use the French bread ovens. The problem is that many people who buy property to renovate here in Bretagne very often knock down the bread ovens for the stone to build walls and rockeries. They don't realize they are knocking down a wonderful asset and destroying part of French history.

The traditional French wood fired bread oven is a wonderful thing to cook with. Once you have learnt the intricacies and anomalies of your oven you are then able to cook bread, cakes and meat. There is no better taste or feeling of satisfaction than having baked in a wood fired oven.

At La Vieille Grange we have a wonderful oven which, years ago, was used to bake bread for our little hamlet farm and the community around it.

Our oven is in the process of being fully renovated at the moment and we hope to finish it soon. I hope to do bread making and baking demonstrations in conjunction with our B&B.

One of the ovens in the next village is over 400 years old and some week ends for special occasions we bake a 1000 loaves of bread. We also bake pizza and several large joints of meat and all sorts of vegetables..