Food, wine and taking your time over every meal are part of the reason we love a family holiday to France. But nothing we’ve tried comes close to the taste of Sud-Ouest Authentique. Try it here.

A taste of Sud-Ouest Authentique © Charlène Pelut
Even the youngest or fussiest of children are happy to clear their plates on a holiday to South West France. That’s because Sud-Ouest Authentique, the area of South West France which straddles Occitanie and Nouvelle Aquitaine’ Regions, is the heartland of French gastronomy and takes deliciousness to another level altogether.
Farm-to-fork in practice is great fun for kids. Nothing beats eating fruit they’ve picked themselves and the traditional cooking style and produce of the Sud-Ouest could practically have been invented for picky young eaters.
Here are a few of our favourite places to tempt little gourmands in training to sit down and tuck in on a Sud-Ouest holiday to France.
Try BBQ South West style on your next holiday to France
Deep in the heart of the delightful Gers, they’re doing extraordinary things with ham. Just don’t expect the impossibly pink variety you get in supermarkets. This is meltingly tender meat from Black Bigorre Pigs reared in open countryside, fed on grass and free to roam. In fact, owing to the entirely natural diet, the meat is a distinctive red colour, and its fat is rich in the same monosaturated fatty acids as olive oil. And of course, it’s totally free from nitrates, chemicals or preservatives.
Come and take a tour of Domaine Rey, meet the burly black pigs themselves – kids will be in heaven – and find out why Marie and Nicolas Rey are some of very few people on earth who are allowed to designate their meat as AOP Porc Noir de Bigorre.
The farm tour is free, although you’ll find it hard to resist tasting the produce or leaving with everything from cured ham to rillettes to keep you going until the next time you visit. During summer, there’s also a tapas bar, as well as grill and music evenings (best BBQ ever), and family events like A Night on the Farm are a chance to meet the locals lucky enough to live in the Gers.

Château des Ducs de Duras © Les Conteurs
Discover best kept secret of the Côtes de Duras wine country
Swap a night on the farm for an evening at Château des Ducs de Duras in the heart of Côtes de Duras wine country in Lot-et-Garonne. This dramatic medieval fortress comes with an enthralling history and connections to everything from the French Renaissance to the French Revolution.
A tour around the 30 rooms lets you in on the secrets of its architectural evolution and the intriguing characters who played a part in its life story, as well as the many events, large and small, which shaped both the castle and the surrounding area.
Visit during summer on Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday evenings to witness the dazzling son et lumière played out against the Château walls. There’s nothing else quite like it in the region and kids will be spellbound by the experience.
Know where the biggest wine region in France is? You might be surprised!

Espace Firmin-Bouisset © French Wanderers
Meet the father of modern food advertising in Castelsarrasin
Tarn-et-Garonne in South West France might be the last place you’d imagine finding the father of modern advertising, but that’s exactly what to expect at Espace Firmin-Bouisset in Castelsarrasin.
Artist and pioneer, Bouisset was the first to introduce illustrations of children into posters, recognise the power of imagery to build a brand, and create a style that still echoes across advertising, even to this day.
The museum building is a delight, and the colourful posters are as captivating now as they were in the mid-19th century. All summer long the museum organises events for kids ranging from chocolate making workshops to spy hunts, and the exhibitions themselves are designed to appeal to visitors of all ages, but perhaps especially to the young, which is kind of fitting considering children were at the heart of Bouisset’s most enduringly famous works.

Escape game, Domaine de Polignac © Collection Tourisme Gers
Earn your Armagnac tasting at Domaine de Polignac
Domaine de Polignac is a picturesque delight and an afternoon spent exploring the organic vineyards and sampling the Armagnac and Floc de Gascogne they produce here sounds close to idyllic. But how do you factor your kids into this iconic South West France experience?
Fortunately the Domaine has that already taken care of with one of the most adventurous and expansive Escape Games we’ve come across. It starts in the Chai Cellar (traditionally where the winemaking takes place) and the first challenge is to escape from there. Then the vineyards and open countryside become a hunting ground as escapees search for clues, and pit their wits against riddles in a bid to solve all six puzzles. There’s a prize waiting at the end, of course, and it’s an ingenious way to get kids interested in the workings of the Domaine. Plus, nobody could say the grown ups didn’t deserve a drink after that.

Maison Guinget chocolates © Les Coflocs
Discover the sweetest traditions in South West France
Just over an hour’s drive east of Bordeaux, Maison Guinget invites families to discover the traditions of chocolate making from cocoa bean to smooth, creamy deliciousness. Expert chocolatiers are wonderful company on the factory tour and kids will be amazed at the skill and artistry that goes into something they probably take for granted.
Naturally, the finished product is far from ordinary and the shop is irresistible, so don’t even try.

Picking Chasselas Grapes © Aurélien Desmiers
Add an iconic grape harvest into your holiday to France
Chasselas Grapes are thin skinned, golden, sunshiny and melt-in-your-mouth. But don’t take our word for it. Visit the Fontanel farm at Montesquieu in Tarn-et-Garonne and pick your own. Apart from welcoming families to harvest their very own Chasselas, the farm also has the cutest menagerie of barnyard animals, including rabbits for kids to pet.
They also grow cherries and plums, which we guarantee will be among the best you’ve ever tasted thanks to South West France sunshine and natural growing conditions. And don’t leave without trying the Chasselas grape juice which the farm produces too.

Terre Blanche, Gers © Tourisme Auch
Stop for an authentic country lunch in the heart of the Gers
An authentic country lunch in South West France is one of those meals you’ll never forget.
Terre Blanche sits surrounded by open fields and gentle hills in the heart of the Gers. Primarily it’s a cannery, creating gourmet specialities from locally raised ducks. However, the restaurant here is also superb, and the ideal place to discover that farm-to-fork is simply the way people eat in this part of the world.

Pays de Duras © Les Coflocs
Sleep among the vineyards on a family holiday to France
La Maison is a beautifully restored traditional farmhouse which is now a luxurious holiday home among the vineyards and hills of Domaine de Grand Maine, an award-winning winery in the Côte de Duras wine region.
The house features six bedrooms, a private swimming pool, pretty garden and sun terraces, as well as a games room and dining terrace. Designed to sleep 12 guests comfortably, it’s an excellent choice if you’re planning a multi-gen break in South West France.

Hobbit House, Colline de Boutié
Book a Hobbit House for the cutest breakfast service ever
We aren’t surprised to find that lovely Quercy is home to the cutest Hobbit House, which is just the right size for a family of four and part of the charming Colline de Boutiés. As well as the sweetness of sleeping in this fairy tale dwelling, breakfast is delivered, fresh, in a basket, every morning, and you can eat outdoors on your own little terrace.
Kids will be enchanted, naturally, but just in case that isn’t quite enough fun, there’s also a playground, outdoor swimming pool, heaps of garden games, plus wild and wonderful grounds where they can make their own adventures.