Quentin Willson I’m in love with France (and three-hour lunches)

Former Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson reveals his love for all things French.

“My parents had a little house down on the south coast, so we’d holiday there.

That meant my formative years were spent looking across at the Isle of Wight and The Needles.

But then they started taking us to France and I’ve fallen in love with the country.

In fact, I’ve fallen so completely we bought a house there 10 years ago and that’s where the Willson family now go on holiday.

It’s in the little medieval wine town of Saint-Emilion near Bordeaux. There are lime-coloured stone chateaux and vines lined up like soldiers as far as the eye can see.

When my wife and I saw how cheap the old houses were we realised you couldn’t buy a two-up, two-down in Birmingham for that price. So, we closed our eyes and took the jump of buying one.

It’s so lovely and unspoiled and they preserve the beauty and the architecture so well.

The French have been so sweet to us. They take some time to accept you, but when they do, it’s a brilliant feeling. They welcome you in to drink these fabulous wines.

You have to adapt to their lifestyle, though. There’s no point not having lunch because everything closes from 12 until 3.

We sit down as a family and it’s that lovely moment in the day with everyone around the table. The French have definitely got that right.

We used to go to Barbados but it just got so expensive.

If you’re taking three kids there you look at the bill when you check out and think surely you do better, hence the French house.

The other place, apart from France, that I love for holidays is America which has become more chilled and relaxed since Obama.

Americans have this can-do mentality where nothing is too much trouble and it’s got so much going on.

I adore Los Angeles with Venice Beach, Malibu, Santa Barbara up the road and the Pacific Coast Highway.

You have that wonderful eternal sunshine, the palm trees and the knowledge you can be on the beach in 10 minutes. What’s not to love?”

Quentin Willson’s current series is The Classic Car Show, Thursdays at 7pm on Channel 5.