Free house in France: couple win Creuse B&B on TV competition

A free home in Creuse sounds too good to be true – but that was the prize offered by a 2025 British TV show that saw couples competing to win their own B&B in France.

The winners of The Great B&B Challenge, Roy and Nichola Legge, were born and raised in Northern Ireland. They met in 2012 when working in a restaurant where he was a pastry chef and she helped in the kitchen. 

“After we met, we moved to Devon in England, where we worked in hospitality for many years,” says Roy, 59. “We often talked about running a B&B, but never had the finances to make our dream come true.” 

It was Nichola, 51, who spotted the ad for the TV competition while scrolling through Facebook.

“I hesitated then scrolled on, thinking that the programme would get thousands of entries, so why would they pick us? A short time later I decided to go back and apply, but I didn’t tell Roy as I thought there was no point.

“A few days later I received an email from the production company asking if we could do a Zoom meeting. I rang Roy at work and explained that I had applied for the show and he had to get out of work early to do the meeting.”

After several online meetings, the Legges received the news that they were going to France to film the show. 

Worthy winners

First stop was Dordogne, where the competitors spent a week on hosting challenges including shopping and cooking for guests. Nichola and Roy were one of the four couples to reach the final, held in the property that they were all hoping to win.

“Each couple had a 24-hour hosting challenge to impress the judges,” says Roy. “We had to make the judges dinner and breakfast and take them on an excursion. At the end of the week we presented our business plans for the B&B and on the last day we were announced as the winners.”

“We arrived back in England on the Sunday after filming and immediately gave notice to quit our jobs, sold most of our possessions and moved to France seven weeks later.”

A prize property

The property that they were competing to win was a stone-and-granite property built in the early 1900s in a quiet village called Féniers located on the border of the Creuse and Corrèze departments. Sitting in a regional natural park, Féniers is fairly remote, located 90 minutes east of Limoges.

“The house has an interesting history,” says Roy. “It was originally a hotel during World War Two, and the reception area on the ground floor was used as the village dance hall many years ago. We also have a wine cellar, which is amazing for us, as we have certainly never owned a property with a cave before!”

“The production company chose the house,” says Nichola, “but we could not have asked for a better location. We have the most wonderful neighbours who have helped us with their knowledge of the area. There is a beautiful garden at the back of the property with a seating area, a wildlife pond and countryside views.” 

The property covers an impressive 275m² with an additional 80m² barn in the grounds. There are three bathrooms and a total of eight bedrooms, three of which are on the second floor and waiting to be refurbished. On the ground floor, the former dance hall is now a lounge and reception area, while the first floor has a library, a large kitchen and utility room.

“A lot of work was previously carried out by the production company before filming began,” says Nichola.

“We were lucky that we just had to buy soft furnishings and put our own touch to the rooms before opening for business. We now run it as a four-bedroom chambre d'hôtes serving table d'hôte meals in the evening.”

As for the quirky name, Monsieur Morgan’s, that is thanks to the couple’s much-loved rescue cat from Egypt, Mr Morgan, who is a permanent guest.

Life in France

“If you’d said to me this time last year that we were going to be given a B&B as a competition prize, I’d have said ‘no’,” says Roy.

“The support we have received since winning has been amazing – people we have never met have sent us emails, messages and cards to wish us luck. I still can’t believe it, I wake up every morning and pinch myself.” 

“Once we’d got the keys, it took a while for everything to sink in,” agrees Nichola.

“To begin with, it felt like we were in someone else’s house. It’s not an everyday occurrence where you get a house handed to you.”