We drove from Calais to Appletons, which was a horrendous seven hour journey, although we did have regular stops to stretch our legs and toilet our dog. On arrival the sign for Appletons was partially hidden, so we asked a chap in a garden if this was the place "Yes" he said then waited.....as my husband & I looked at each other, the man (who later turned out to be Edward) said in a sort of impatient tone "would you like to come in?" Er yes, if it's not too much trouble... We parked where he pointed, and let our dog out and were quickly asked to take her out of the garden, so that she didn't "go" in there and upset their own dog. As responsible dog owners we always pick our dogs mess up and would've done so, if she had done anything. We were directed down a nearby lane and then informed that "they" were going shopping & wouldn't be there when we returned. On asking if we should be given our room now then, instead of later, he replied "Jennifer's here" in a manner that suggested we should have known who Jennifer was!! On returning we were served tea in the garden by a very pleasant girl (Jennifer) who was working there for a few weeks. Eventually we were shown to our room, a good hour or so after we arrived. A short while later we ventured into the garden with our dog on an extendable lead, but let her off when Leo, the Appletons dog came to play with her. After a walk around the beautiful garden, (although we were quite repulsed by the plastic flycatchers dotted around, which were swimming with dead and live flies, moths, wasps and other flying insects), we stopped to have a word with Malcolm about their chickens, it took a couple of attempts to engage him and he carried on doing whatever he was doing, with his back to us & made us feel like he was far too busy to spare a few words. We gave up in the end, but we started to feel a little uncomfortable. Before dinner we were gathered on a patio area with the other guests for drinks, and the change in Macolm was phenomenal, he was chatty and cheerful. Dinner was absolutely delicious, the service great and the wine unlimited. We did raise our eyebrows at Edward's little tantrum tho', when the tiny jug of balsamic dressing, that was on the table, ran out (there were twelve of us for dinner, and the jug was around three inches high and half full). He was eventually coaxed by Jennifer (the help) to make some more... The bedroom was basic but clean and we had a good nights sleep. The breakfast was poor, only cereal, mictowaved srambled eggs, toast and preserves on offer, I was given the toast left on the table from the previous guests, together with their leftover coffee, although more was brought out to share when the other guests sat down. Compared to the other B&B's we stayed at throughout our stay in France this year (some English proprietors, some French) it was a pretty uncomfortable stay.

We visited Appletons farnhouse on the way to the Lot region. It was easy to find, and not far off the main autoroute south. Malcolm and Edward made us very welcome, and the welcome drinks were a lovely touch. We had the wine cellar room which was well furnished, spotlessly clean and cosy.

We enjoyed having drinks in the garden with the other guests and the evening meal was hard to fault. In fact we wished we had stopped off for longer as we felt so relaxed at the farmhouse.

Looking forward to visiting again but for a longer stay next year. All in all, an excellent place to stay, with a really warm atmosphere!

We visited Appleton's en route from Caen to the Corbieres on our family holiday and on the way home. On both occasions we could not have received a warmer welcome. Edward and Malcolm regard their evening meals as a social event and like their guests to participate. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves chatting to families from Belgium, France, Australia as well as the UK. The food was excellent and copious, the wine flowed and everyone had a great time. It turns the stopover from a chore into a delight. A number of guests were staying for a few days to enjoy the area as well as the hospitality. We shall definitely return. David & Hilary from Barnsley

Very pleasant stay and would definately return if I needed accomodation in the area. We were made to feel most welcome by Malcolm and Edward. The evening meal was very good qualtity and good value for money and no-one left the table hungry. Overall I cannot fault the experience.