What the papers say….

"Many people don't know where Gascony is, unsurprising really, as it is the old name given to parts of the Gers and Ariège. You can drive round for days without spotting another GB car number plate in mid-August and pass miles and miles of towering sunflower fields before sitting down to lunch at a small auberge where almost every course includes duck meat (even the omelettes) and a good bottle of wine. When I visited the area last year, the week after the Blairs had left, the locals were still raving about his visit. 'M Blair was eating lunch right off this very checked tablecloth last week'. 'Such a nice family'.................. The Guardian"

Gascony - a "triangle" running south of the Garonne, west of Toulouse and down into the foothills of the Pyrenees - has at its heart the Gers. As départements go, this one easily levels with the Dordogne for gentle hills and rolling farmlands, for slow, winding rivers and avenues of poplars. You can crawl from chateau to château, comparing the merits of one Armagnac dégustation against another. Or, as in the Dordogne, respond to the many roadside hoardings promising farm-made confits and foie gras. And yet you would be hard-pressed to find a GB number plate here. ................. The Telegraph

South-west France is home to exhilarating ingredients, wines, markets and food festivals. Where much of foodie France suffers from a dose of the smugs, the little-hyped region of Gers (Gascony, as was) offers sincere welcome and genuine discoveries. Wines like Madiran, dishes like l'aligot (imagine the silkiest, creamiest puree of yellow potatoes forked through with fresh Cantal cheese and a French kiss of garlic) and abundant affordable foie gras are produced in green countryside that rolls and dips before sharpening into the Pyrenees. ................. Guardian Travel

If an Englishman’s ideal French home is in Provence, many Frenchmen say they would prefer to be in Gascony. There are fewer foreigners, for a start (which means it helps to have a smattering of the language), and it is far more authentic. Gascony is no longer a distinct administrative area, but it covers an area including Bordeaux, Bayonne, Pau and Auch.

Within easy distance of the Pyrenees and the Atlantic coast, the area has something for everyone, with beautiful rolling countryside, a relaxed, friendly way of life, wonderful stone houses, a temperate climate ….. good wines and gastronomic delights. ................. Times online

“Everybody knows that for a holiday steeped in world-class jazz you get on a jumbo jet and head for New Orleans. Well that's what I always thought, anyway. But it turns out that there is a wonderful alternative much closer to home. You may never have heard of the tiny town of Marciac in Gascony, but jazzers the world over have, since for two weeks every year it gives itself over to a huge feast of le jazz, le blues and le fusion.

Paying homage to this remarkable, if somewhat incongruous, festival in one of France's least discovered regions also gave me and my travelling companions a chance to explore this intensely rural corner of my favourite country for the first time…………………………………….”

“The countryside is unspoilt and the wildlife abundant. Mass tourism hasn't made any impact here at all and you find yourself wandering round villages that are like pristine period-drama sets, with all visual evidence of the modern age removed, not quite believing that in high season you have the place to yourself.

The fortified village of Bassoues d'Armagnac would, in any other part of Europe, be Essential Itinerary for coach parties and festooned with car parks and postcard kiosks.

Here it is deserted - a small Café des Sports serving bowls of steaming duck to the locals, blissfully unaware of the staggering beauty that surrounds it.” ................. Mail online, Howard Goodall ,“Gascony and all that Jazz”

What people who’ve stayed in the Gîte say….

“Just a short line to say many thanks for everything at La Teranga. The pics I took just about do justice to a superb setting and everyone I show them to agrees what a great place you have. Looking forward very much to staying in the gîte again.”

What a surprise - modern facilities in an old goose barn.

Best bed we've ever slept in - where did you get it?

Really handy to get places, but peaceful and relaxing.

Picking plums was never easier!

What people who’ve stayed in the Chambre d'hôte say….

Love the antique furniture- especially the chaise longue.

Superb breakfast - and thanks for letting me take the rest of the bread for lunch!

Great you are open all year round.