I didn’t even know there were 650 varieties of tomato let alone somewhere that grows them all. Well, Chateau de Bourdaisière has a festival every year to celebrate this wonderful fruit (or is it?). We paid a visit yesterday to join in the celebrations. A few twists and turns through the residential streets of Montlouis sur Loire bring you to the gates of this pretty chateau which is also a hotel and has beautiful gardens too. Here are a few photos of the Festival de la Tomate.
The former stables house a café where fresh tomato juice was served
The chateau which is also a hotel – very pretty indeed
Stalls selling plants and seeds
Chutneys, wrought iron garden sculptures and bird baths
Detail of the chateau
The entrance to the hotel
The former stables have been beautifully restored and contain a café, shop selling seeds of all varieties and gardening paraphernalia. Outside, the gardens are beautiful with woodland walks, the tomato potager and an area devoted to the chrysanthemum.
Shade was welcome yesterday as we enjoyed yet another balmy late summer day
Impossible to believe the number of different tomatoes grown here
Lovely pink chrysanthemums and a couple of straw hats
A garden of colour, splendid in the sunshine
Good to sit awhile and look at the glorious show of colour
Guests can wander around the gardens
There’s even a bedroom out here nestling among the flowers
Every colour you can imagine
Very cool sculptural seating by the outside dining area
And a rest somewhere more traditional
Each section has a multitude of different varieties
And of course a few photos of the inevitable tomatoes.
I have it on good authority that these ones are called ‘banana legs’!
Green Zebra
Lovely bright yellow ones
Wonderful colours
And some new season’s apples too that were tasting delicious!
