So,  siblu is  making a stand for self-catered holidays in France !

Here are three ideas that we hope will make your mouth water. And don’t forget, when you book a siblu holiday, a free barbecue is included so you can make the most of delicious food choices available at mouth-watering food markets that take place close to many of our 14 holiday villages across France.

Biscuits, beer and sweet Yorkshire pudding in Brittany
Bénodet hosts a lively Breton market selling a huge range of foods, with specialities such as the Aven Oyster, which has a sweet hazel-nutty taste, the spicy Andouille sausage and the Far dessert, best-described as a sweet Yorkshire pudding. The town is also home to the François Garrec biscuit factory and the Bénodet brewery, which opens every Friday to visitors.

Feast on your food at Domaine de Kerlann siblu village near to Pont Aven, in southern Brittany. A seven-night stay for a family staying in a two-bedroom holiday home is currently available from only £978 for a 9 August departure, saving £335. This price includes a free barbecue, plus entry to indoor and outdoor pools, children’s clubs and nightly entertainment.

Kiwis in Charente Maritime
Royan has an impressive fish market which sells all sorts of catches, with crawfish and Marenne Oysters the stars. The main food market is a superb source of seasonal produce, such as the Charente melon, Blayais asparaguses and even kiwi fruit – France is the second largest European producer!

Seven nights from 20 July at La Pignade siblu holiday village in nearby Ronce-les-Bains start from only £928, saving £195 on bookings made before 30 April. You can cook up your catch on the free barbecue which is included with every booking. There is also a pool, children’s clubs and horse-riding school to take part in.

France’s organic south coast
Les Arceaux organic market in Montpellier is packed with fragrant cheeses, regional wines and local specialities like Camargue sausages and Collioure anchovies. The Place de la Comédie is Montpellier’s centre and a brilliant place to people watch, plus it bursts at the seams every morning with organic fruit, honey, herbs and olive oils.

Siblu’s Le Lac des Reves holiday village is just five miles from Montpellier, but even closer to several of the region’s brilliant beaches. A family can stay for seven nights from 13 August in a standard two-bedroom holiday home from only £1,119, saving £184 for bookings before 30 April. Price includes free barbecue facilities, children’s clubs, pools and entertainment.

Bon appétit !

Please note, all prices are subject to availability.

But are the headlines right? We’ve been asking our customers if they thought their siblu holiday was value for money and a whopping 93% wholeheartedly agreed (and the other 7% said it was satisfactory). 

A quick check on the web and I see that catching a plane to the Canaries costs over £2,000 for a family in a b&b hotel in July; fly to Florida and the lowest price gets closer to £3,000, for a room only hotel. Well, stay with siblu in late July and the cost is about £1,000 for a family, staying seven nights with Dover-Calais ferry, in accommodation with ensuite bathrooms, fully equipped kitchen, a sun terrace and a grassy play area!

On top of that, we’ll entertain your kids for free (what parent can say no). Our pool complexes are free, our children’s clubs run twice on most days, we have free stage shows every evening, there are free sports and you don’t need to pay for travel and parking, everything is available on parc. So, can you beat that by staying at home?

I think self catering is another smart way to save. French markets are great and seasonal foods are low cost, healthy and it’s fun to try new things. We’ve just launched a small selection of really easy recipes which can be cooked in your mobile home – even I managed the asparagus and ham and the scallops with Muscadet (okay, with a bit of help from my wife).

To see how an expert handles them click here, or for other recipe ideas I like the Small Time Cooks blog – Jessica’s ‘My Monsieur’ sandwich is a winner! If you want to find out more about our cooking schools, have a look here.

So, 93% of siblu customers say their holiday gave great value for money; a few newspapers say there’s a price panic – take your choice!

Why not tell us you tips for great value family holidays?