I’m just back from an amazing trip to the stunning Touraine region in the Loire Valley in France.

A magical place of fairy tale chateaux, French renaissance gardens, gastronomic restaurants, historic royal towns and vineyards of Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc.

Touraine is said to be blessed by the gods, cherished by the Kings and pampered by Mother Nature. It is said to be the birthplace of the French way of life in a setting dominated by the majestic river Loire, which is listed as part of World Heritage by UNESCO.

I loved the Loire so much that I am going to do a 3 part Loire series over the next few weeks, so keep an eye out next Tuesday for my interview with Geoffrey Nivard, once cheesemonger to the Queen and King of England. And the following week I will interview Serge Desazars, Baron de la Truffe, owner of the largest organic truffle farms in France.

But today I am delighted to have Irish food and travel award winning ournalist Jordan Mooney to share her memories of visiting enchanting chateaux like Rivau, Azay Le Rideau, Noizay, Nitray and Cande. We talk about the great towns to visit like Tours, Chinon, the Royal city of Loches and Chedigny. And the wonderful local food and wine of the famous Touraine, Loire region in France.

Places to visit & Stay

https://www.tastingwithnivard.co.uk

https://www.chateau-nitray.fr

https://chateaudenoizay.com

https://loirevalleylodges.com

https://www.chateaudurivau.com

https://www.azay-le-rideau.fr/en

Tours - https://www.labe-hotel.com/en/

Chinon - https://barondelatruffe.com/en

https://www.chateaudecandes.com/en/

Vineyard lunch https://www.domainedegrosbois.com/

Lunch and wine trip on the Loire - https://les-pecheries-ligeriennes.fr/restaurant-la-cabane-a-matelot.html

Follow @jordanrmooney on Insta fopr great food and travel stories.

If you haven’t already, I'd ask you to give me a follow on whichever platform you listen to your podcasts and you will be the first to get a new episode. Fergal O’Keeffe is the host of Ireland’s No.1 Travel Podcast Travel Tales with Fergal which is now listened to in 120 countries worldwide. The podcast aims to share soul-lifting travel memoirs about daydream worthy destinations.

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