Our passion is artisan cheese and quality wine, predominantly from Périgord, but also from the rest of France and beyond. We set up Planches et Plonk to be able to share our enthusiasm with others.
We’re Damon Biddlecombe and Graham Welch (Damon’s the one with the beard).
Together, we bring our years of customer service to make sure you enjoy your time with us.
We must be doing something right, because in 2023 we won LUXlife magazine’s award for Best Wine Bar in South West France.
Damon is our cheese connoisseur – his passion and knowledge will help you savour a Cabécou, enjoy a Cantal and devour a Comté. He’s spent time learning how to make cheese with the Sussex Cheese School, based at England’s renowned High Weald Dairy.
He has a background in tourism and retail.
Graham is our wine expert – he’s a qualified French Wine Scholar who knows his Bergeracs from his Bordeaux and his Burgundies. He holds the globally recognised Wine and Spirit Education Trust Level 3 qualification and has also studied with the Guild of Fine Food.
He has a background in journalism and corporate communications.
We enjoy meeting new people and having guests to stay. For us, the most important thing is that your time with us is as enjoyable as it can be – whether you’re here for a few days or just taking a moment’s break.
As well as the two of us, there’s also our dog, Malbec. Other dogs are welcome, as long as they’re good with people and other dogs.
If you’re wondering about the name Planches et Plonk, we chose it as it’s half-French and half-English. A planche, if you aren’t sure, is a platter. And plonk, well, you don’t need us to tell you what that is!
In 2021, we were lucky enough to feature in the hit Channel 4 series A New Life in the Sun. We also appeared in revisits in 2022 and 2023.
Thank you to everyone who’s booked a room, had a drink, enjoyed a platter or even sent us a message of support after seeing the show. We’ve been very moved by your response to our story.