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00:01today we're seeking a rural escape from rocking all over the world it just gives you a bit of
00:07peace and tranquility to the craziness of rock and roll life there's performance anxiety to
00:13overcome we have got to find somewhere for the drum kits go but nothing gets things back on
00:20track like a showstopper you have a garage oh shut the front door best reaction for the garage ever
00:28and we might even find a home that inspires a love song
00:59undulating farmscapes punctuated by thatched cottages
01:04Thameside country towns brim full with boutiques and bars and the oldest university in the English
01:12speaking world as far as all-encompassing escape destinations go the county of Oxfordshire gets
01:20first-class honors rolling hills winding rivers dreaming spires Oxfordshire is the home of
01:28storytellers and scholars although let's face it unless there's a degree in escaping to the country
01:35or maybe 90s pop music I think I'll simply stick to admiring this beautiful wonderful county slap
01:44bang in the heart of southern England Oxfordshire is a rock star when it comes to rural retreats
01:50stadium fillers radio head hail from here although there's no need for fake plastic trees in this
01:57county it is lovely going up in Oxfordshire it feels like you're in nature around here but you're
02:04still pretty connected to like most places where we live there's woods and rivers and canals that we
02:11walk along lots of lovely pubs and restaurants that welcome dogs North Oxfordshire has farming
02:19communities served by market towns and villages like Burford to the south the Chilterns and ten side
02:26towns such as Abingdon and Henley where resident headliners have ranged from George Harrison to Liam Gallagher
02:34people think it's full of really wealthy people but actually there's normal people here as you can tell
02:49okay it's nearly time for our house hunting to begin here in Oxfordshire but first let's meet my buyers a
02:55couple of rock musicians so stand by everyone because we're going to be turning the volume up
03:01all the way to 11. Hello how's it going I'm Sophie I'm Chris and this is Kobe and we would
03:09like to escape
03:10to the country yes we would newlywed Sophie a touring rock guitarist and Chris a drummer have a huge social
03:20media following plus equally supersized and growing needs when it comes to a home with over 30 guitars
03:29drums costumes two cats and canine companion Kobe do you want to escape to the country Kobe yes
03:40their rented accommodation near the large Berkshire town of Reading is no longer cutting it I record all
03:48of my music here Chris obviously has a massive drum kit here so when one of us is working the
03:53other
03:54person conscious like sit and relax in the lounge they have to go upstairs or something because it's
03:58rented we can't really do anything with it so just be like a dream of mine just have our own
04:02space so we
04:03can do so whatever we want with the garden and have a nice a nicer space for Kobe as well
04:08to be honest
04:09that'd be great this is our studio space at the moment where we film a lot of our videos very
04:16cluttered
04:16we've got a lot of random stuff but it does take up one of the bedrooms which is unfortunate because
04:21means we don't have a guest bedroom for family and friends to come and stay I am originally from
04:27Henley on Thames which is in Oxfordshire so I know that area quite well it's where a lot of my
04:32friends
04:32and family are based so I don't want to be too far from them but we're hoping to find our
04:36own little
04:36pocket in Oxfordshire that we love these first-time buyers favor modern open-plan homes over period
04:43cottages they want three to four bedrooms parking for their cars and tour van and a garage or outbuilding
04:51for a soundproof studio a village with a pub is their ideal location and they have a budget of up
04:57to
04:57six hundred thousand pounds when you hear that these guys are rock musicians and they do really
05:12well at it the thought of moving to the countryside perhaps wouldn't be people's first choice for them
05:17but in a way I can understand it now I haven't toured like Sophie and Chris have but probably the
05:24longest
05:24I was on the road was with the Spice Girls sorry for the name drop and by the end of
05:29the tour as much
05:30as I loved it when you're living out of hotels and suitcases you just want to come home have your
05:35creature comforts around you beautiful surroundings and just chill before we go full volume on the house
05:45tours I've got us a scenic spot in South Oxfordshire for a warm-up Chris and Sophie a very warm
05:52welcome to
05:53you you looking forward to the next few days thank you so much yeah we're really really excited now
05:58before we start I've got to ask you millions and millions of followers the two of you on social
06:04media I mean that's incredible are you gonna be sharing this with the people that follow you oh yeah
06:09I think so definitely I like to share different parts of my lives and stuff so it's it's nice for
06:14people to see that we're normal people trying to find a house as well massive congratulations because
06:20you've just got about how many weeks is it oh it's two months two months extra points remembering the
06:27days yeah yeah I'm not as good at that and by your first home together yeah we're very excited like
06:35it's it's kind of the time for us to start thinking about the potential of building a family as well
06:40in
06:40the next few years and just kind of yeah just really prioritizing our relationship what does the
06:45countryside look like the two of you what are you after I think we'd like to be close to a
06:49pub being
06:50able to be part of a community as well as really important to us we both know Oxfordshire relatively
06:55well we know parts of it it feels like home to us I'm so looking forward to showing you around
06:59this
06:59beautiful county are we gonna get any showbiz gossip while we're on the road oh maybe maybe just for
07:05you always what happens on the road stays on the road exactly and we're on the road what you like
07:12shall we get started let's go come on then finally thank you the first house we're viewing is in the
07:22rurally located village of Farmore a couple of miles along the road towards the town of Whitney is the
07:30larger village of ancient this has a choice of pubs both of which are dog friendly as well as places
07:38to
07:38get a haircut a supermarket and regular buses to the city of Oxford the seven-minute drive back to
07:47Farmore involves a quirky five penny toll small change in the scheme of a house that clicks so here
07:56we go first property I like the pink it's got a garage as well it's got a drive strong first
08:04impressions then yes I think so yeah just keeping an open mind yeah okay yeah well let's go in and
08:11see what you make of the inside great originally a 1960s brick bungalow the upper story was added by
08:21previous owners who also extended to the rear we're taking the central front door so here we go as you
08:31come in good-sized hallway to pass through some of the original footprint and reach a dining room with
08:38a window to the left-hand side of the home and start off the tour properly in here because this
08:44is
08:45where I think we have amazing potential yeah yeah it's beautiful it's a really really nice space big
08:50window I would do probably more open plan with my dad I used to do a lot of building when
08:55I was younger
08:55did you I'm just visualizing how I'd sort of knock some walls down got a professional well if I go
09:01like
09:03this you could actually open this out I'll show you next door and make a fantastic areas big space yeah
09:09it's a really big space let's go next door and I'll show you what I mean you see you've got
09:13this
09:13fabulous room as well oh this is beautiful I love the bifold doors yeah can you imagine opening it out
09:21yeah that'll be really cool like we like to like sort of have family over and stuff so it'd be
09:24nice
09:24to have like a big entertaining space absolutely let's see what you make of the kitchen Chris if
09:31you wouldn't mind leading the way no problem located at the rear in a single-story extension is
09:37the kitchen oh this is cute and nice high ceilings yeah it feels really spacious it does feel spacious
09:46it's nice I actually really like the kind of style it is too I like the the colors little utility
09:52in
09:52there oh it's a utility oh nice okay I wish everybody was like you too enthusiasm yeah it's just you've
10:03just got to be open-minded and also if you've rented for a long time together haven't you exactly yeah
10:08and you should see in some of the places we've rented oh really you can paint it whatever color you
10:15like
10:15you can make it your own exactly I can imagine cooking here and like looking at the garden how
10:20many bedrooms ideally you after four four so I've got two downstairs that you could possibly have and
10:28then let's see what you think of upstairs okay I'm letting Chris and Sophie explore the two bedrooms
10:35at the front of the original bungalow which are now being put to other uses this would be great for
10:42like a this is a filming space I was gonna say a filming space so you would sit up there
10:46and have
10:47the blackout there as well we have got to find somewhere for the drum kit to go oh god cue
10:53comedy
10:53drum roll cool this is another really good size room as well I've seen something is this a secret
10:59secret cupboard perfect I don't think you'll squeeze them in there Chris you could have your
11:05whiskey corner in here oh see now you've just thrown it all out now that yeah so I'm mixing stuff
11:11here I'm a whiskey there yeah you just need to be really clever on storage serving the ground
11:18floor is a family shower room and on the floor above is an additional shower room sitting between
11:24two further bedrooms a front-facing double is set into the eaves do you know what this could probably
11:31double up as a guest room and your dressing room it is a lot bigger than the dressing room I
11:37have at the
11:37moment and finally at the back of the house the largest bedroom on offer with room enough to swing
11:44the chappers I'm gonna call this the main bedroom it's maybe a little bit smaller than kind of well
11:49like I'm just thinking with our super king bed in I like the fitted wardrobes though I think that's a
11:54space with the eaves and it's the same here behind me so there's lots of good storage yeah that's good
12:00because we have a lot of stuff we have a lot of stuff yeah it'd be quite fitting to live
12:03in far more
12:04with all your stuff and there's far more outside too including storage in the form of a detached
12:21garage and a large wooden shed there's space in the garden for some homegrown produce as well as a food
12:30for thought behind us is a pond and that's a little wildlife reserve there so the insect
12:36pollinators could all come along yeah that's really sweet so the garden is bigger than it looks yeah it
12:42goes on for a bit you could actually without compromising the wildlife area is built a sound
12:46studio at the back yeah and that is enough room that's not overlooked you're not going to be
12:49disturbing too many neighbors so what do you reckon the first properties on the market this is on the
12:55nose I think I think it's probably like 600,000 I think it's probably yeah I'd say 600 or more
13:00okay
13:01well you're not going to be disappointed because that is the asking price yeah cool yeah that's kind
13:05of that's pretty much yeah definitely I think that's a good price right on the money this detached and
13:13extended 1960s house has a spacious kitchen two further reception rooms and two to four bedrooms
13:20depending on how the space is used there's the addition of a garage and a good
13:25sized garden and it's in a quiet village location so this is somewhere that I could see us sort of
13:31coming home after a long stint on the road the downstairs is lovely it's quite modern with like
13:37a traditional feel for a 60s style house the only thing that's letting it down for me it is the
13:42upstairs space like the size of the rooms but overall I really like it I'm feeling very excited I'm
13:48feeling really really positive I liked the little pink color as well I'm a sucker for pink it's a
13:53little bit further out I think the than we'd like from a community Chris would probably like to have
13:58yeah the pub in walking distance the name of Woodstock is more likely to conjure up images of the famous
14:13United States music festival than honey-colored homes and English countryside
14:20but this market town established by a 12th century royal charter could well hit the right notes for
14:27Chris and Sophie's would-be escape there's a lot of cute little shops
14:31there aren't they combining shops for both daily staples and quirky curiosities it's served by
14:39frequent buses to Oxford and a train station an 18-minute bus ride away Woodstock the perfect mix
14:47of being rural enough and to sort of have excitement but also countryside it's got such a thriving music and
14:56art scene very creative place it's so cute that you could bring your dog into all of these shops as
15:01well like all the shops around here it's great if you're raising young children there's lots of
15:07groups around pretty much for every interest Woodstock's wooden stocks were once used to hold the legs of
15:15seated miscreants if you do anything wrong I can put you in the stocks as well and curiously feature
15:22five holes these days they are one of the many historic features that attract visitors to the
15:29town we have lots of people come in especially during the summer internationally but the people
15:35that we see really regularly are more local tourists you know Woodstock that's a great place to go to
15:40thank you very much
15:46adjacent to Woodstock is the magnificent estate of Blenheim Palace birthplace of Winston Churchill
15:53Blenheim's really looked after there's no litter and rubbish and it's just refreshing to be out there
16:02so beautiful I'll ruin it residents of the town could apply for a pass to walk the dog friendly grounds
16:11for
16:12visitors there's a choice of tickets some giving access to events such as a food festival and flower
16:18show the palace also plays host to live music if all that's worked up a thirst there's imbibing a
16:37plenty from pavement cafes to small family-run pubs and Georgian inns that's got me like the fifth
16:44those we've all passed I know there's a lot of pubs it is a bit of me I like I've
16:48got to say this is so nice
16:50yeah definitely
16:56our next stop is the south of Oxfordshire village of Blueberry located in the national landscape of the
17:02North Wessex downs and presided over by the curves of an Iron Age hillfort the architecture of the
17:09village spans a millennium across more than 70 listed buildings despite its name savages offers a very
17:19civilized combination of plants groceries and a tea room there's also a couple of pubs one serving Thai
17:28cuisine all within an easy walk for house I've got to show them oh I like the bay windows you
17:37love a
17:37bay window I do like a bay window it feels quite rural around here you've probably heard the horses
17:42walking by donkeys behind us in the field so cute so first impressions then it's got a nice big driveway
17:54as
17:54well which is really nice no garage that I can see yeah well let's see what you make of the
18:00house
18:00shall we yes dating to the start of the 1920s this semi-detached home has an entrance set at the
18:08side
18:09which takes us across to a central kitchen also with a window to the side so I think this house
18:16definitely has a contemporary feel to it yeah yeah definitely it's really nice kitchens in the middle
18:22of the house which is quite unusual it is I usually like the kitchen opening onto the garden you like
18:28to live in a open plan kitchen dining area living space yeah we like to be in the same room
18:34with each
18:34other so but not with the drum kit or the exactly how many guitars I lost count after 30 here
18:41yeah
18:42I think so yeah something like that that's better than my shoe collection 30 guitars I know it's a bit
18:49too much I only play like two as well yeah but are they your babies you can't get rid of
18:53them yeah I'm
18:54slightly worrying about storage now but we'll see how we get on come through here although not fully open
19:01plan the kitchen does flow through to a rear reception this is nice I'll be tempted to open
19:09it up would have a really nice like big kitchen diner it should be lovely yeah it'd be perfect for
19:13that
19:14looking out onto your garden yeah and I do see a little building at the back yes you see most
19:21of
19:21downstairs do you two on your own now on a nip upstairs and have a look around there yeah
19:29completing the ground floor at the front of the home the smaller of the receptions could
19:34perhaps provide their social media studio okay I immediately I love the bay window it's spacious in
19:42here yeah it is a good size to be creative yeah on the floor above the first of three bedrooms
19:50the
19:50principal takes in the front facing bay window oh this is quite a nice size and I love the bay
19:59window that's nice to wake up you can wake up to the donkeys every morning look at the donkeys it's
20:02so cute
20:03yeah this is a nice room with the super king beds plus a wardrobe we still don't have a massive
20:08amount of room we could build a wardrobe there yeah oh nice big bathroom I love a big it's been
20:15done really
20:16well yes I love a big bath in a separate shower in one room yeah creme de la creme the
20:22small of the
20:23two guest rooms is in use as an office and has an aspect to the rear garden as does the
20:29larger guest
20:29room this could double up as your sort of dressing room as well I think I'd probably need more space
20:35for
20:35a dressing room Chris and Sophie have so much stuff I mean she said 30 guitars at least he's got
20:43a drum kit
20:43plus on stage outfits merchandise leads and then they've got their own possessions as well
20:51I think the flow of the house is maybe slightly it's just doesn't flow right for us yeah and like
20:58the
20:58rooms upstairs are quite small for what we need there's not much built-in storage we're not improving on
21:03what we have exactly yeah there is room to spill out onto the garden which has a patio and is
21:10well
21:10enclosed for their dog this is a nice garden I love this garden yeah it's really pretty I like having
21:18a
21:18patio area and then like the nice long garden there are mature fruit trees and two large sheds which
21:26could perhaps be upgraded to store touring equipment here come the newlyweds
21:41great support great support thank you so I've given you a little time to look around the property
21:46and then I thought I'd show you the garden because at the back perhaps this could be our saviour we
21:50have
21:51a huge shed oh but with the right planning permission you could build a sound studio there okay what are
21:57we
21:57thinking then on the price I think it might be five three five okay five hundred and sixty five thousand
22:05pounds okay
22:06five fifty you're close okay the actual asking price is five hundred and sixty thousand pounds okay
22:17leaving lots of financial wiggle room this semi-detached 1920s house has two reception rooms and three
22:26bedrooms there's an enclosed rear garden and it's in a village location with views to neighbors who don't
22:33mind making a bit of an ass of themselves I was very excited as we approached mainly because of the
22:39donkeys let's be honest the fact that you look over them when you're in the bedroom as well I think
22:46is a really nice touch yeah we've got the pubs in the area it's rural but it feels quite quaint
22:52quite
22:53nice as well quite welcoming look at all these bees on the lavender loads of them right sitting down on
23:00the job but again you caught me happy yes very happy thank you seen enough yes I think yeah good
23:08lots
23:09to think about um but let's go and have a chat shall we yeah that's today's house tours
23:23but how about this for an exclusive encore
23:41uh
23:45so our own personal gig isn't it thank you and what a beautiful setting to do it absolutely yeah people
23:52wouldn't usually expect like the kind of rock metal guitar culture to also mix so well with the
23:58countryside but it does yeah it does often you read interviews with famous musicians and they say
24:04you know when I come off the road that's where I want to be I want to be in my
24:07own home in the
24:08countryside away from it all and you know what you two can relate to that yeah yeah definitely like
24:13I think it just gives you a bit of peace and tranquility to the craziness of of rock and roll
24:17life
24:17really yeah we're almost ahead of our time really because usually they do that when they're at the
24:21end of the road don't they in their 60s yeah and they've retired we want to get that we're like
24:25no
24:25we want to do that now yeah and just enjoy the fruits of our labor now don't we exactly yeah
24:30can
24:30you feel the change in yourselves yeah definitely like I think everything kind of you just feel a bit
24:35quieter you do you feel at peace yeah we talk about working from home but can you explain to us
24:42what
24:42you mean by that yeah yeah so I do a lot on social media so that kind of means we're
24:47having we have
24:48to kind of have sets almost built which are ready with the big cameras with proper like softbox lighting
24:54and everything my whole guitar rigs up which goes through a pedal so many wires you wouldn't believe
24:58the amount of cables we have it's not just a case of going on the laptop and sending an email
25:02like what a lot of people do from home and then also Chris does all of my merch and that's
25:07why we
25:07have so much stuff yeah yeah we've got to find you a place that has the potential for all of
25:13that
25:13absolutely I think you can add all the pressure yeah do you yeah we've got quite a good track record
25:20so let's see how we get on tomorrow yes
25:32the latest average sold price for detached properties in oxfordshire is 675 000 pounds considerably
25:40above the uk average of 441 000 but there are less expensive pockets to be found such as in and
25:50around the market towns of banbury in the north of the county and whitney in the west
25:59to help you do the maths on where your budget might get you in the county
26:03here's a selection from the area my buyers are looking at this week
26:08this grade two listed two bedroom 18th century cottage in a village location has period interiors
26:15and a private rear garden it's offered for a guide price of 330 000 pounds
26:24for a thatched and detached option this 17th century two-bedroom home in a riverside location
26:31is full of cottage character and has a generous garden backing onto the river tame
26:36the guide for offers is 475 000 pounds
26:43for a short stay that really encourages branching out this futuristic treehouse sleeps too and offers
26:51surround sound custom playlists to go with a 360 sylvan serenity from 232 to 299 pounds per night for a
27:02minimum
27:02two-night stay
27:07this move to oxfordshire is all about a lifestyle change for sophie and chris putting down some
27:13country roots and when i say country i don't mean the musical genre i mean rolling hills and beautiful
27:20landscapes so we're going to be showing them our mystery house which certainly has a homely appeal and
27:27i'm hoping is going to work on all levels with a little bit of a compromise my mystery destination
27:34is in the village of sutton courtney
27:39this idyllic spot is ironically the final resting place of the author of some of the most dystopian
27:46novels ever written george orwell close to his grave an aptly named pub has a history of his life
27:55and don't fear the matrix here either it's a center for the arts
28:01there's also a convenience store a pretty green and several more pubs including one
28:07serving gourmet meals courtesy of a french chef
28:12while my buyers are getting a sense of all that i'm going ahead to what i hope will prove to
28:17be
28:17a mystery property utopia so this mystery house or should that be a mystery cottage has bundles of charm
28:28and bundles of beams come on
28:33feast your eyes it is beautiful it has the heritage it has the beams you can see the age but
28:41it also has
28:42that contemporary finish my buyers say they're not keen on cottages so fingers crossed for my period
28:51mystery wager hello hello so welcome to sutton courtney and welcome to your mystery cottage oh
29:00okay that's so pretty i love the porch i like the character features on it shall we start and see
29:07what you
29:07think yeah let's do it built as two attached cottages in the early 1900s but now a single detached home
29:17this brick stone and tiled property is thought to have been extended at least twice over its lifetime
29:24we enter through a more recently added porch to reach a characterful dining room in the original
29:30footprint and mind the step as well oh wow wait for me wow this is really really nice yeah oh
29:43you've
29:43definitely stumped us and it's sort of semi open plan living cool that's exactly what we like yeah i'm
29:51stumped i will say and the ceilings are high enough for your head as well because we always thought
29:55cottages have quite low ceilings yeah so these are quite okay you can jump around yeah a little
30:00jump there yeah it is one of those ones you step in and go oh wow yeah let's see if
30:05it continues
30:07okay we're all beaming oh do you like what i did there wow yeah this kitchen is beautiful it's pristine
30:15lots of side space too i like a good good amount of side space i need as much room as
30:20possible
30:20look at the drawers there's a lot of storage storage and you've got a dining table at the end
30:26that's really cool integrated is it talking to you chris mm-hmm i think you've stumped chris because
30:32you know chris thinks practically so he's very much like i think he's probably still thinking about the
30:36driveway you're not wrong just around the corner you've got a little utility room okay amazing which
30:43super super handy and then through here the sitting room okay oh wow damn you really don't want to
30:53like it because of the driveway but every room just keeps getting better and better like this is
30:58beautiful it feels really cozy but you look like you're in pain i am you can see the steam coming
31:03out of his ears and the cogs turning in his head because you wouldn't have considered this house
31:08not at all i want you two to go off and explore upstairs and then i will meet you outside
31:12okay cool
31:13thank you thank you at the back of the home the final room of the ground floor is a bathroom
31:20that
31:20has a large contemporary bath stairs in the dining room lead up to the bedrooms three in total starting
31:27with the principal to the front this is a really nice size bedroom you don't want to like it so
31:40that's really spacious it does you like a skylight for when it rains yeah watch the stars we can stargaze
31:48to give chris a further headache this opens into a smaller room in the rear eaves
31:54i do love this space for like a dressing room like i can imagine myself with my makeup mirror here
31:59yeah good wardrobes as well that are built in this is just such a good extra space to have
32:04this is really cute as well i've noticed they've been marking the children as they grow oh and we
32:10could probably do the same thing this is definitely a house you can make memories in absolutely you know
32:15there's more to fuel those fertile imaginations at the back in the first of the guest rooms look at the
32:22letterbox we can send letters to our guests could be a filming space and double up as a guest room
32:29also on this floor is a very modern wet room as well as the third and final bedroom
32:35another guest double facing to the front right hear me out guest room yeah and this is a creative
32:43space like filming i just want to peek around here as well where are you going there's like a little
32:48window there's a window there's a window to the stairs so i can shout down that's amazing chris can
32:54i have a cup of coffee please morning morning hello it's like romeo and juliet romeo romeo
33:04that's amazing does it have a driveway no does it have loads of storage
33:11but does it feel like home yes yes yes okay well i've had enough so bye-bye
33:24there is serious merriment is that a word going on upstairs wait you can do like this
33:30skills turn down to the basement oh my god no it should be more like a lift
33:41well no that's brilliant like puppet shows for the kids yeah what punching judy yeah
33:53if that sort of laughter means they love it i'm definitely going to take it it is soul because
33:57they seem to be really enjoying themselves whether the upstairs works on all the levels that they
34:02want it to it's another thing we can make it work it's just what we're willing to make work if
34:08you know
34:08what i mean and i think this one is finished to such a high standard yeah this is such like
34:13a oh this is a
34:14spanner and when it comes to somewhere to store that giant spanner chris my marvelous mystery might just
34:22have the thing because i've got something to reveal outside in the small but well-stocked enclosed rear
34:29garden you have a garage oh shut the front door
34:36really best reaction for the garage ever and that's a big garage as well that goes really far back it
34:43does
34:43what price are we going to put oh i think it's going to be five nine five maybe even 600.
34:50i have a gut
34:50feeling that it's going to be a lot less are you hoping i think he's manifesting i reckon it's five
34:57seven five okay offers over six hundred thousand pounds okay yeah i can see why because everything
35:03is finished to such a high standard yeah we are right on the top of your budget but you don't
35:08really
35:08need to spend any money inside the property you could in theory move in tomorrow yeah definitely and
35:14wouldn't need to do anything so okay so they would need to buy the place first but what a home
35:22this
35:22early 19th century mystery could give them with period features beating modern sensibilities in the
35:28kitchen diner three bedrooms two bathrooms and a detached garage plus it's in a great village with
35:36several pubs a short walk away these mystery houses are definitely they really do make you think because we
35:43had a list of things we wanted and this house you know it misses i guess quite a few things
35:49because
35:49i think from the off we said we weren't keen on cottages and then when you just see the charm
35:55everything
35:56kind of goes out the window i still don't want to like it but i can't not because it's so
36:01beautiful it is
36:03a beautiful home
36:13there are so many places in the uk to escape to but if you think about it there are even
36:20more places to
36:21escape from and we've met so many people living in the countryside from all around the world like tonner
36:29who's come all the way from mexico and brought with her her passion for food tonner is a chef with
36:36a
36:36master's in philosophy
36:40you like the slats
36:43and 15 years of intercontinental experience in michelin-starred fine dining
36:49but baking bread in an oxfordshire village stoke row is where she's now totally at home
36:57is there anything better than the smell of fresh bread from a bakery and i think i've hit the spot
37:04and i'm not the only one seeking this place out awards and accolades from britain's best loaf to a
37:11nomination for baker of the year mean a steady stream of repeat customers precede me i can see
37:18you've got your hands full and just standing here it smells gorgeous what have you bought i bought two of
37:22their loaves in here uh i'm gonna freeze one and then the other one might not last longer than the
37:28day good idea so are you a regular here at the bakery yes yeah yeah it's very famous in the
37:34local
37:35area so always come here when i can i come all the way from reddick to get it yeah i
37:41make that a 20
37:42mile round trip but the journey here for the baker herself has been even longer so lovely to meet
37:49you standing here i'm in seventh heaven really surrounded by all this goodness and gorgeousness
37:55oxfordshire wasn't originally your home was it yours is an unusual story so yeah i was born in mexico
38:02i went to argentina and i thought i was going to stay there uh then i met my partner who
38:08is from around
38:08here but we didn't come here straight away we went to mexico we set up a restaurant we sold that
38:14restaurant
38:15right before the pandemic and we relocated here so the dream was always to have a bakery or not
38:21no originally i was thinking maybe i could make another restaurant but through the years i worked
38:29in fine dining uh one of the things that bothered me the most was that those amazing meals um that
38:35really touch your soul um are not affordable for everybody all i wanted was to make that kind of
38:42experience affordable or in a way that could reach most of the people and if i can translate what
38:49i wanted to do into bread there's so many people i can like reach i i can share the experience
38:56you've
38:57got something here which is first class in a village community this year we are doing gingerbread house
39:02decorating competition where we are trying to make a model village of a stoke row what a lovely idea but
39:09doesn't stop there does it recent thing we're doing we just took over the pub the local pub the pub
39:14may
39:15not be open quite yet but the garden is a good spot to sample a taste of things to come
39:20i have been with
39:23the most lovely couple and one of the things that they ask for near any property is a pub they
39:31want to be
39:32part of that community a great place to to meet people make friends it's lovely that you've got that
39:37passion to get it reopened with the backing of the village and beyond but also give them great food
39:43you want a space where you can sit and feel that you belong to me it takes a village to
39:48to raise a
39:49person but to me it takes a baker to feed a village yes so right absolutely and on that note
39:58what have we
39:58got here what we've been doing for the last 10 000 years breaking bread together come on then this is
40:04a stick it's got a nice crust it's got a nice inside how lovely let plenty of butter on this
40:13ready
40:21truly delicious i think tonner must have found a way to the heart of this village through its stomachs
40:30now back to the property and pub that could have my buyers calling oxfordshire home
40:38we have had a great few days hanging out in oxfordshire with two rock musicians and sophie and
40:44chris have been positive about all the houses we've shown them but did we get close with our mystery
40:50house should we go and find out well it's certainly been an entertaining few days it's been fabulous we've
41:01had so much fun like honestly and we've learned so much as well about what we need yeah it was
41:06interesting to see how our lives would work in each one we're both awful decision makers and it feels
41:10like such we're both libras it doesn't help we're both still depends on everything but you know what
41:15you haven't been bad in actual fact because i know lifestyle lifestyle has been in the back of our heads
41:19the whole time you were very open-minded and mindful of what it is you need yeah did we get
41:27close
41:28yeah for sure i think i think you did get really close with a couple of the properties particularly
41:33the mystery yeah i think it goes without saying we did love the feel of the mystery house we both
41:37absolutely loved it like that was a spanner our hearts were really in that one but we do also have
41:43to think practically yeah i don't think we could compromise on not having a driveway so i'm taking
41:48from this conversation then that you're going to continue the search i think what we may need to
41:52consider because obviously we wanted to stay local for our families and everything but there is no
41:57harm in going further afield squeeze in some more time to look at properties we will do because
42:03i know you're keen don't lose that momentum um but all the very best thank you both so much thank
42:08you it's been amazing an amazing few days
42:17it does seem that the search is going to continue for that home with lots of storage space and studio
42:24as
42:25well not just here in oxfordshire but in the surrounding counties too and in my opinion that
42:30is a sensible move we wish them all the very best with their exciting careers and also for their next
42:37move to the countryside so that's it from me and i'll see you again soon
42:44sophie and chris did indeed continue to tour property further north and we're delighted to announce they
42:50found just what they were looking for in the oxfordshire market town of banbury we hope to hear
42:56they've moved in very soon if you would like to escape to the country in england northern ireland
43:03scotland or wales and need our help why not apply online at bbc.co.uk forward slash take part
43:24so
43:29so
43:39you
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