Summer’s gone and you still can’t afford a mortgage, a joint of meat and, even if you could, you still might catch swine flu.

So boy oh boy, a trip away to France is something of a lifesaver.

At least it was for me, and even though I wasn’t going far, or for long, the fact I was going was enough – to the Loire Valley.

Four days later, richer for lots of salade de chevre chaude and a glass or two (hic) of the local brew, I found myself sold on the region.

Which is why I now know it’s a culturally rich, charming area in central France, a mere hop (train from Oxford to London St Pancras), skip (across the Channel on Le Shuttle to Paris), and a jump (an hour-and-a-half drive) from Cornmarket.

Boasting the longest river in France (630 miles), the last wild river in Europe, a Unesco World Heritage Site, and many of France’s finest Châteaux, the Loire Valley is an already established tourist destination, hosting the cities of Orléans, Tours, Angers and Nantes.

And if that wasn’t enough, it’s also known as the ‘Garden of France’, stuffed full of some of the most beautiful examples you can imagine (and trust me, a window box is a challenge to me).

Top of your list of must-dos should be to visit Berry; it’s fantastic.

Plus, blurring fiction, artistic endeavour and reality is easy to do in this region; retrace the dark, dusty, yet deliciously alluring steps – if you’re intellectually minded – of famous novelist, author, personality and political mind, George Sand, from Nohant to Gargilesse, the intriguing little village of artists and musicians with its Mediterranean climate and ancient frescoes.

Former capital of the province of Berry, Bourges is truly beautiful with its winding streets and Gallo-Roman ramparts, delicious cakes at café Cake-T (they’re to to die for), and a stunning cathedral in which to repent for all that icing!

Mingle in a place that has barely changed since the Second World War - Sainte-Sévère sur Indre was the setting for the film Maison de Fete by Jacques Tati - and what more could you want?

However, the treat du trip, without doubt, was dinner, bed and breakfast at Prieure d’Orsan.

Now a hotel, restaurant and garden, Prieure d’Orsan is a converted 12th century priory. From vegetable maze, to amuse-bouche, Prieure d’Orsan is simply stunning in every detail.

In fact, Prieure d’Orsan epitomises the entire region of Berry for me; set deep in the countryside, embedded in peace, and tranquillity, it showcases its rich past whilst being stylishly sophisticated, as only France knows how.

With historically inspired contemporary gardens to marvel at, and some of the finest food and wine that I have ever sampled. Berry is an inspirational and sensory delight.