At the French House Party, we pride ourselves on our culinary excellence.

Countless guests, marvelling as they are served yet another fantastic dinner, have accused us of being far too modest about the superior quality of our meals.

Well, we don't like to boast, but clearly the time is long overdue for us to sing the praises of our chefs Debbie and Carl Hargreaves, who take care of all the food and wine during our courses.

From the freshly-baked quiches and pastries at lunchtime, to the lavish four - and sometimes five - courses at dinner, with each course accompanied by one of Carl's choices of local wines, our gourmet spreads are always voted outstanding by guests.

Carl's wine-tasting event - one of the included highlights of our group packages - is fun, unpretentious and informative. Enthusiastic amateurs and serious aficionados all enter into the hearty spirit of gurgling-and-spitting. At the same time they get an informal lesson on the production and the assorted merits of the huge variety of wines grown in the Languedoc - a region which forms the largest vineyard in the world.

Before they moved to Carcassonne, Debbie and Carl worked for Oddbins UK, where they were manager and wine advisor. A qualifications-based training in wine production is demanded of all Oddbins' staff; Carl won a prestigious industry prize for his 'outstanding performance in the national examination.'

Previously, Debbie had long experience in the catering and hospitality industry, 'but mostly,' she says, self-effacingly, 'I just cook the sort of meals for the French House Party that I would when I'm entertaining friends at home.'