Writing Retreat
15–22 October 2026 · Sommières, South of France
Bland Badger Writing Retreat Food, travel, memoir and fiction.
Join Charlotte Bland and Lucy Brazier for an immersive yet informal writing retreat. Charlotte and Lucy have worked in the publishing industry for many years, as a photographer and writer respectively, also collaborating on the bestselling cookbook Christmas at River Cottage. Now they bring their knowledge and passion for writing to France with exclusive use of our Sommières venue — think croissants in the sunny courtyard, workshops in the cool of the shade, a late afternoon swim and dinner under the stars – the perfect escape for creative minds.
They are thrilled to invite two very special guest tutors to lead a week of collaborative writing workshops, activities and discussion, with food as the catalyst.
Award-winning writers Felicity Cloake and Molly Wizenberg will encourage, guide and develop your skills, whether you're interested in writing a memoir, a cookbook, a Substack newsletter, or a novel.
As well as covering practical topics like pitching to editors, putting together a book proposal and the nuts and bolts of recipe writing, Felicity will be exploring how to tell any number of stories around food, from travelogues to fiction. Molly will offer an intuitive approach to memoir and personal essay, helping you rebuild memories on the page and search out meaning among life's ordinary moments.
Alongside group workshops and guided writing sessions, there will be the opportunity for one-on-one sessions throughout the week, whether you come with a specific project in mind, or are simply interested in finding your voice.
MEET THE TUTORS
Your writing hosts
Lucy Brazier
WRITER · HOST
Lucy is a writer and ghostwriter, focusing on memoir, food and lifestyle, working with high-profile people to put their story on the page. Lucy began her career at the BBC before becoming a theatrical agent. She left London in 2006 to work alongside Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and wrote Christmas at River Cottage — beautifully photographed by Charlotte Bland — which has been a seasonal bestseller since 2021.
Her latest book The Honesty Box, a journal of a year in her kitchen, garden, village and marriage, is published by Bloomsbury.
Lucy offers a workshop sharing her wealth of experience in the literary world, both as a writer and a ghost writer, with the group.
Charlotte Bland
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP · HOST
Charlotte Bland is a photographer specialising in food, interiors and travel, shooting books on film. After an Art History degree she built her career with clients including Penguin Books, The Guardian, Bloomsbury, Chatto & Windus, Condé Nast Traveller, House & Garden, The Financial Times, Toast, Matilda Goad and Cowshed.
A commission for Selfridges' Our House campaign saw her photographs of everyday life displayed on the store's Oxford Street windows. Book credits include For the Love of Lemons, Wild Figs & Fennel and La Vita è Dolce by Letitia Clark, The Set Table by Hannah Shuckburgh, Christmas at River Cottage by Lucy Brazier, Flavour by Ruby Tandoh and Frontières by Alex Jackson.
In the cookbook photography workshop, Charlotte shares the instincts behind her own practice — developing an eye for light, composition and how to make food look as beautiful on the page as it tastes.
Guest Tutors
Bland Badger is exceptional, thanks to its expert tutor friends who make the retreats so special; sharing their wisdom, nurturing the individual and relaxing with our guests.
Felicity Cloake
FOOD WRITING, TRAVEL & FICTION
Multi-award-winning journalist, Guardian columnist and author of nine books including the bestselling One More Croissant for the Road (a Radio 4 Book of the Week), Fortnum & Mason Food Book of the Year Red Sauce Brown Sauce: A British Breakfast Odyssey and Peach Street to Lobster Lane. Her latest, The Underdog, is her “irresistibly funny, sexy and charming” debut novel, about food, love and friendship.
Molly Wizenberg
MEMOIR & PERSONAL NARRATIVE
Bestselling memoirist, James Beard Award-winning essayist and teacher of personal narrative writing. Author of The Fixed Stars (ALA Stonewall Honor Book), and New York Times bestsellers A Homemade Life and Delancey. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, The Washington Post and Bon Appétit. She writes the Substack newsletter I've Got a Feeling and co-hosts the podcast Spilled Milk.
PROGRAMME
The retreat
Large group workshops with each tutor — practical exercises and the option to share your work
Free writing afternoons — by the pool, in the courtyard or at the kitchen table
Smaller focused sessions with each tutor throughout the week
A morning at the brocante on market day in Sommières
Additional workshops with Lucy and Charlotte
A free day at leisure — explore Sommières and the surrounding area, or write uninterrupted
Gala night of readings before the final feast
Detailed daily programme shared with booked guests before arrival
WHAT'S INCLUDED
What we provide
Accommodation at our Sommières venue — seven nights and six full days
All meals — breakfast, lunch, apéritif, dinner (except lunch on market day and lunch and dinner on the free day — 7 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 6 dinners)
All wines and drinks at the venue (wine sourced from local winemaker friends)
All workshops and materials
A morning at the brocante on market day in Sommières
NOT INCLUDED
Your responsibility
Travel to Sommières
Travel insurance (required)
Lunch on market day
Lunch and dinner on the free day
For full travel details, how to get to Sommières, arrival times and terms and conditions, visit the Bland Badger in France page.
GROUP SIZE
14 guests
Intentionally small — an immersive, informal week rather than a course.
ALL-INCLUSIVE PRICES PER PERSON
Prices and Rooms
We have 12 unique rooms available for our guests, with something for everyone, whether you are travelling solo or would like to share accommodation. Rooms are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
SINGLE ENSUITE PREMIUM ROOM
Two rooms available SOLD OUT
£3,800
A stand alone ground floor studio room with a private terrace, situated adjacent to the courtyard garden. Double bed, ensuite shower, no bath, ground floor.
OR:
A first floor single room with a sitting room and private terrace. Separate access from garden to terrace. Double bed, ensuite bathroom with shower over bath.
Allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.
SINGLE ENSUITE ROOM
Six rooms available SOLD OUT
£3,500
Ground floor or first floor with a double bed. Ensuite bathroom with shower only or shower over bath.
SINGLE ROOM WITH SHARED BATHROOM
Two rooms available SOLD OUT
£3,200
Two bedrooms in an interconnecting suite with a shared bathroom. Double beds, bathroom with shower over bath.
TWIN ENSUITE ROOM
Two rooms available ONE LEFT
£3,000 per person
Twin bedroom for two people with ensuite bathroom, either shower over bath or shower and bath. Ground and first floor.
Deposit
A non-refundable deposit of £950 per person secures your place. All stated meals, drinks, workshops and materials included. The balance is due 10 weeks before the retreat. All bookings are subject to our terms and conditions.