REAL LIFE
“The château was built in Béziers’ Belle Époque heyday, and named Villa Sauclières”
restorations. These reflect the couple’s love of bargain- hunting – both at brocantes and online. Candy says: “The best bargain we found was an old buffet from the turn of the century that had been on sale for over a year on Leboncoin. It was painted black and had some marks, so I began to sand down a drawer, and discovered the most beautiful wood.” The renovation itself threw
up some interesting surprises, including a drawing of a man in the petit salon, found under a layer of wallpaper and believed to date from the 1930s. But the big story unfolded when they became curious about the ‘MJ’ monogram they found in three places at the property. Delving deep into the Béziers municipal archives, they
discovered that the château was commissioned in the late 19th century by Martien Jullian, a vineyard owner and wine merchant and founder, with his brother Léon, of the Jullian Frères company. Charles says: “The two brothers made their fortune thanks to Bouillie Bordelaise Céleste, a concoction used to combat the mildew that ravages vines, which they manufactured in their sulphur factory. This even won a gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900.” In fact, as the couple also
discovered, the château was built in Béziers’ Belle Époque heyday, around 1890, and named Villa Sauclières after the Avenue de Sauclières (now known as avenue Joseph Lazare) at the rear of the main
Diners at Maison Jullian can enjoy local, seasonal food in relaxing surroundings
Martien Jullian with his daughters
park. But Candy and Charles decided not to use this name as it was too closely linked to the rugby stadium among other places. Instead, they chose to rename the renovated château, Maison Jullian, and “awaken a sleeping family history”. As a result, the couple are
Charles’ epicurian food philosophy and hands-on approach is evident 30 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: January/February 2024
now in direct contact with around 10 of Martien Jullian’s great-grandchildren living all over France, and have honoured them with celebratory dinners and other events, as well as naming the two guest rooms they currently offer after two of Martien’s daughters, Alice-Rose and Marguerite. In return, one branch of the family brought period clothes and chamber pots, which now have pride of place in the property. But this wonderful family connection aside, how
successful has the couple’s business venture been so far? In short, tout va bien. Helped by plenty of media publicity, the restaurant has been turning a decent profit with the ‘brunch gourmand’ on Sundays proving particularly popular. The ‘mélange’ of English and French classics offered by the tea room has also gone down well. Customers can choose from scones, carrot cake, crumble and finger sandwiches, or tarte au citron, Paris-Brest, and madeleines.
‘HANDS-ON’ CHEF This innovative approach reflects not only the couple’s Anglo-French heritage but also Charles’ epicurean food philosophy, developed over more than 30 years as a chef and restaurateur, including a spell as second de cuisine to Michelin-starred chef Philippe Renard. Today, as executive chef at Maison Jullian, Charles manages the kitchen but he maintains a very ‘hands-on’ style that includes all aspects of the operation. He is also as passionate about
the environment as he is food and wine, hence the emphasis in the restaurant on local
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