KidooKid -Calypso and Transat snack bar St laurent du Var Provence Cote d'Azur South of France

What to do on a surprisingly cloudy and damp June bank holiday ? Kidookid! Decided it was high time we checked out the Graine & Ficelle Discovery farm that we had heard about on the grapevine.

In order to balance family life, work on the farm , the guests and their visits everyone is asked to call in advance to book their outing - so we did that and set off inland from St Laurent du Var up into the hills of St Jeannet next to Vence and La Gaude. (Make sure you look at their route map as it is tricky to find!)

On arrival at Graine & Ficelle – we received a warm welcome from the bouncy dogs and of course their owner Isabelle Sallusti, our charming and friendly host for the morning.

You are immediately struck at how much attention to detail has gone into making this farm a success – it is so picturesque ..Graine & Ficelle is something else, something new that Provence and the Cote d'Azur has been crying out for.

So where did it all start? Well after many years in Paris, Isabelle – a freelance journalist gave it all up and moved her family, lock stock and barrel down to PACA where over the last 4 years she has developed Graine & Ficelle from 4000m2 of agricultural land into this wonderful farm with its' organic wild vegetable garden. A real labour of love, a lot of work and passion has gone into this charming farm .. the images and memories stay with you long after you have left.

Passionate herself about nature, you too are carried along as she enthusiastically explains how Graine & Ficelle came into being. As you wind your way down the little paths past the cute cabins, fluffy animals and tempting vegetables your mind is cast back to your childhood days, times of Enid Blyton and real lemonade.We patted the donkeys Poncho and Chiquita, spent ages feeding the very fluffy bunnies, danced with the lambs. Chatted about the pregnant Ewe and enjoyed the little piglets who were also a bit hungry so we helped them with that too! We are reliably informed that some more hens and cockerels will be in residence soon, the last lot left a bit suddenly due to a surprise visit from Mr Fox!...animals fed, we went to let the geese out for a little stroll and then Isabelle set the little ones to work – handing out cute little baskets and off toddled our gaggle of kids to investigate the vegetable patch ..I hadn't really worked out the lure of this part until we got there but to see "where a bean comes from" that "artichokes grow in the air" and how fragrant herbs really smell through your child's eyes makes you realise what an important part of the visit this is.. it awakens all the senses.Your visit lasts around 2 hours and ideally is best finished off with a meal in Isabelle's beautiful summer kitchen as part of their "Table d'hotes". ..on the site you can find details of the regular workshops .. Activities on offer include jam making, home made bread, taste sensations, If you are looking for that something very special for your child's birthday party then Kidookid! thinks that the Graine & Ficelle in Saint Jeannet is a strong contender.The Birthday Party package includes the tour of the farm and all its animals, donkey rides, party games like sack races, a tour of the vegetable patch (yes and you are set to work with your basket!). After the exhilarating discovery tour you settle down to an organic high tea and top it off with a home made cake of your choice. Oh yes and the setting is so picturesque that wherever you are on your birthday visit you will be able to take some truly splendid photos!What else: there is a Chambre d'hotes ~ B&B (We had a peek in the room and it is truly a special place to stay !) , evening vegetarian meal (what a treat!), and the main house will also be up for rental in July. Homemade products are also on sale as are eggs on Thursdays and probably some organic vegetables too!

We really wish this project well and urge you to support Isabelle in bringing all our childhood memories back to life so that future generations can enjoy a simple, colourful and enriching moment with nature too!