The Vintage French Farmhouse 

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The Vintage French Farmhouse

Factual: Antiques

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Three dealers head to French markets in an antique-buying and online-selling adventure.

Antiques en France. On a buying trip to Provence, dealers are on the hunt for hidden treasures in its fabulous markets. Can they turn a profit from their purchases?

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Nigel Havers

Adrian Higham

James Gooch

Jacqui Harris

Rob Butterfield

Rae Gilder Cooke

Dave Martin

The Vintage French Farmhouse: Series 1: Episode 5

Episode 5

BBC One - The Vintage French Farmhouse, Series 1, Episode 5

Three top dealers head to Vauvert in an antique-buying, online-selling adventure.

Three antiques dealers head to an indoor market in the wine-producing town of Vauvert. They compete to find two hidden treasures each which they can then sell for a profit online. 

Antiques dealers Adi Higham, James Gooch and Jacqui Harries are on a buying trip to the south of France. Their base is a historic French farmhouse in Provence – perfectly located close to some of France’s best antiques markets or ‘brocantes’ as they’re locally known.

The trio head to an indoor market in the wine-producing town of Vauvert, which has recently opened in an old bus garage. Le Villages du Brocanteur de Vauvert is home to a host of stalls where local dealers can permanently display their stock, looked after by their neighbours, allowing them to trade at other local fairs. The market has a family feel with a chef and bar on site and live music and events throughout the summer months. But there’s no time for Adi, Jacqui and James to enjoy the sights and sounds as they compete to find two hidden treasures each, which they can then sell for a profit online. 

The trio’s first challenge is to find something they know will appeal to their loyal customers and social media followers. While James and Jacqui browse the stalls inside, toy lover Adi heads outside, as something caught his eye on the way in. It’s a handmade wooden truck which may date back to the 1950’s which has Adi excited. Adi speaks fluent French and has over two decades' experience of buying antiques in France, but will that help him convince the trader to part with the playful piece for a price that leaves enough for a profit? 

James - who specialises in historical, high-priced pieces - is on the lookout for a showstopper. A gilt sunburst mirror catches his eye, but it’s a large, headless stone statue that gets his bid. It’s a weighty piece with a hefty price tag, so will he be able to find a buyer with deep pockets in time?

Jacqui’s having a light bulb moment - or three light bulb moments to be exact. It’s a triple-stemmed standard lamp with brass fittings that’s turned her on. She’s convinced she can charge a high price for it, but can she haggle for an amount that leaves her with profit when she comes to sell it online?

As if the pressure of negotiating in an unfamiliar language wasn’t enough, the dealers take turns each day to dial up the heat and set each other a challenge to shop to a brief. Today it’s James' turn. The smells of the onsite chef’s cooking must be playing on his mind as he challenges all three dealers to find a piece of kitchenalia they can turn for a profit back at the farmhouse. But who can cook up the best deal in this particular challenge?

With six items bought between them, it’s back to the farmhouse to size up the competition. The 17th-century farmhouse is set amongst vineyards and olive groves, and provides the ideal backdrop for our dealers to take photographs and videos they hope will make their Provençal pieces stand out when they come to post their objects to sell online.

With just a day to secure a sale and the battle on to make the most profit, which of our trio will come out on top?

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