‘I go to one unknown French village with a British-owned tearoom every year’

The last thing you may expect to come across in the depths of the rural Charenteis a scone, clotted cream and strawberry jam served with a hot pot of correctly brewed breakfast tea, but in Tusson, France, you’ll find just this.

You’ll also hear a lot of English voices. Gateaux is unmissable with its bold typeface and pink exterior. Inside you’ll find yourself in a green oasis met by a spectacular spread of beautifully baked cakes.

As I have family in the area, I come to Tusson every year, and the lemon meringue cake has never let me down.

Other stand outs include the chocolate Guinness cake and the cappuccino cupcakes. There is a beautiful spread of teas and barista made coffees as well as ice creams and some savoury bakes.

Gateaux, run by two biologists, is also lined with the unlikely beauty of the molecular structure, intricate scientific drawings and equations. With a population of just 240 this tiny village is not well known.

The nearest city is Angouleme, the capital of the comic book and also the filming location for Wes Anderson’s ‘The French Dispatch’, starring Timothee Chalamet.

However, Tusson is somewhat of an artist hot-spot. There is a pottery workshop, alongside a couple of other artists residences as well as The Maison du Patrimoine. This is where the elder sister of Francis I of France stayed when she learned of her brother’s death in the 16th century. It was built up from a fortified enclosure from the 14th century.

The vast rolling fields surrounding Tusson are blanketed with sunflowers during the summer months, turning their faces to follow the, often scorching, summer sun.

Tusson’s main restaurant, Le Compostelle, is a pricey venture but can be worth your while. With lobster on offer as well as their famous soup de chocolat, a desert with spectacle, one reviewer was delighted. They wrote on Tripadvisor: “We all sat outside in a delightful courtyard under cover in the heat of a full cover of awnings etc. Lovely atmosphere. We all opted for the 25- 30 euro set lunch. Absolutely fantastic value for money. The food was just simply exquisite. Michelin standard. If you are a chocoholic, you must try the Soupe au Chocolat. Beyond wonderful.”

The area is popular with ex-pats, with many living in the neighbouring villages Ville Jesus, where there is a fantastic annual village fair, and Aigre, a slightly larger town with a tourist office and a town hall.

Here you can enjoy a pizza at La Square whilst looking over the frequent bric-a-bracs, the French answer to a car boot sale. Here you will find a range of items from kids flogging their collages to dust-encased boxes of vintage postcards with snippets of holidays from fifty years ago.

If you’re looking for something that will raise you pulse a little higher than antiques, head to Nautilus. Unfortunately for and dads this water park imposes a strict speedo-only rule for all men. However, there are a range of activities for everyone. With a full sized Olympic pool any keen swimmers can get in some serious distance. There is also a diving board, and a meandering outdoor rapids slide which spits you out with some fervour.