Mums Finance

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

The ‘elf & safety directives that continue to come out of Brussels might be intended to lift the game of the restaurant and accommodation industry in general but many claim they are actually pushing things too far in the other direction.

For instance one very popular Chinese restaurant in London is famous for it’s Peking Duck; the duck is hung to dry out and cooked in a certain type of oven according to traditions. ‘Elf & safety inspectors decided this was not the way things should be done and ordered the restaurant owners to get rid of the special ovens used and instead cook the ducks in accordance with EU directives. Of course the restaurant management went ballistic about this as their ovens were recently purchased for quite a sum of money and if the meat was not prepared and cooked in the usual way then the dish was simply not the dish.

The same thing has happened in Indian restaurants with regards to their clay ovens. Just what is this all supposed to achieve…?

‘Elf & safety should be concerned with simply that. Clean kitchens, clean dining areas, safe working environments – shining worktops, food handling and little things like clean cutlery and glassware. I once worked in a cafe where the pantry was in dire need of those little moth traps; everytime you opened the door out flew these little brown moths and this aspect alone should have been addressed. But ‘elf & safety were only interested in how far disabled folk had to travel to get to the toilets!

Get back to basics guys.

Popularity: 31% [?]

When you are planning to go on a nice holiday in the sun you find that it is not just all the packing which proves to be the worst part of the preparation stage; it’s all the work you have to do on youself beforehand which is a real drag.

How many women stand in front of the mirror and take stock of how they look in the bikini they have not worn for over a year…? most of us do – and we are never happy with what being covered up all winter has done to our bodies. Am I correct…?

So we diet, we detox and we get away off to the tanning salons. We bombard our skins with potions and seek out acne treatments so that the problem does not get aggravated once we are out in the salt water and the hot sun. And not to forget the cellulite treatments for our thighs.

Sometimes I wonder whether all the stress is worth it!

Popularity: 24% [?]

With the UK falling ever deeper into recession; rising fuel costs – rising food costs – rising crime rates and lower standards of education – who right now is not considering moving to greener pastures?

Well many people have already done so and not regretted their decision - those who have moved to France that is. France is many things to many people but ask anyone who has sold up and set up home in France and you will find a common thread – the lifestyle, the lower cost of living and the family oriented way of life. Security. Safety. Lifestyle.

France is quite simply a family-friendly country. And if you are looking to get out of the rat race and offer your family a much higher standard of living – a much safer standard of living - then there is no better place to consider than France.

One of the best and most secure ways to combine family life and earning a good living in France is by buying a business where you only have to walk downstairs from your bedroom to get to your office. No sitting in traffic, no commuting – your clients come to you - you are your own boss !

The property pictured here represents your way to a new life altogether. It is a 12 room hotel/restaurant nestled right amongst the leafy vineyards of French Catalonia – if you want peace, security of living and a completely safe environment for you and your family to live in then this is certainly the place for you.  The hotel/restaurant will be your bread and butter – your home will be a large five bedroom family villa attached to the hotel. Like I said – no sitting in traffic or commuting to work.

Front View of property.

For the potential hotel-owner it enjoys high occupancy throughout the tourist season and is well represented on several high profile booking systems as well as being a very popular stopping point for tourists on the main route between Paris and Spain. Plenty of drive-by stopovers will also complement your income. But you dictate your working hours here – you can simply close the doors and have the place to yourself whenever you feel ‘enough is enough’. That is what life is all about here – just ask the local’s !’

Or maybe you have decided you have worked hard enough and just want a great place to live with the family; enjoy the local food and wine, this is Languedoc-Roussillion of course! Get involved with the close-knit and friendly local community and live the life your family deserve. This property can also be an ideal grand-size family residence. Bring the Grandparents with you where they will benefit from the healthy climate, warm summers, excellent healthcare providers and a culture where the senior generation are respected and highly valued.

The unique aspect of this region is that your have your ‘foot’ in Spain as well as France both at the same time – you are 30 minutes by car from the Spanish border and the towns of La Jonquera and Figueres; and just 20 minutes drive from the beautiful beaches of the stunning Mediterranean. Yet at the same time you have the monumental sight of Mt Canigou just within view of the property and the winter snow resorts just a 50 min drive away. This is French Catalonia – with it’s own mix of culture, cuisine and history.

There are local village schools which provide a warm welcome, excellent education and where families actively take a role in the ongoing interests of their children’s schooling. Teachers who care for each child on an individual basis.  Like school used to be. Village fete’s, music festivals, cultural events and, of course, the annual grape harvest. 

Twenty minutes away is the city of Perpignan where there are numerous Lycee’s offering your teenagers higher education as well as the University of Perpignan.

There are streams and gorges within minutes nearby to fish and swim in – all fresh, clean mountain water. Quiet lanes to walk in the evenings, miles and miles of vineyards to explore – stark and bare in the winter,  a brilliant and leafy green from Spring right through to Autumn. The local baker will deliver your bread, buy your cheese from the local cheesemaker. Pick your own cherries, pomegranates and olives – buy a piece of vineyard and make your own wine!

This property has it’s own fresh water supply on site via a spring which was discovered by the Romans who camped here on this spot 2000 years ago - no need to pay water rates. Your neighbours are the Cathar Castles and the centuries old vineyards and their owners who have been tending these vines for generations.

Just think about it. A fantastic business opportunity with the added bonus of quality family life thrown in – or your chance to relocate the family – grandparents and all – to a property with plenty of space which will offer you all privacy, security and a much more favourable standard of living. One which you deserve…once which your family deserves.

Try buying this kind of life anywhere else these days; don’t pass it by. The grass can definitely be greener…

Asking Price: Euros 740,000 (approx £587,000)

Contact e-mail

Popularity: 40% [?]