It all happened really quite slowly and naturally and it must be said a bit chaotically!
One day we were making, libraries customised kitchens and chapels; the next minute we had a large house with all the birds having flown the nest, and a business landscape that was radically altered. What to do?
Well in London with said “birds”, a plan was hatched (terrible pun-sorry!). Pop up supper clubs and guerrilla restaurants were all the rage. A very exciting idea and one we thought we might be able to copy. Dave and I have always liked good food, parties and good wine.
After a couple of cookery demonstrations and wine tastings we decided to launch the Posh Nosh Club. We had a fantastic piece of luck with a friend- Deirdre Mc Quillan; she of the Irish Times- and she wrote a lovely piece. It just captured the zeitgeist & people started coming straight away.
The Posh Nosh Club was where we earned our stripes. We learnt to cook, clean, launder and make people welcome in this funny old house. We’ve now spread our wings and can cater for much larger groups without turning a hair.
We’ve discovered late in life that we are rather good hosts! And get enormous pleasure ourselves, in making other peoples parties, weddings; anniversaries etc go with a bang.
So many people say how at home they feel here. They walk in and are just happy to curl up on the sofa in the drawing room or wander in to the kitchen and see what kind of a storm we’re cooking up in the vaulted kitchens.
It’s funny where life takes you and it’s certainly given us a new lease of life.
I secretly think the old house, and any remaining former residents, really rather approve of all the shenanigans.