Mike and I have been planning on running our own business for at least 10 years but have always known that it wouldn't be until about now that we could get started. Over recent years we've been doing research (others might think we've just gone on holiday a lot!) and have visited B and B's in England, Scotland, Ireland, France, America and Canada working out what we liked (and didn't) about our stays. When our first guest room is ready (in a few weeks time) I'll write about that and where we've taken our inspiration from.
But this weekend I want to write about the second B of B and B. Since the middle of December we've been without a kitchen and have been getting our water supplies from the downstairs toilet (not the toilet itself, of course!). This week the kitchen has really started to come together, the oven works (although tomorrow I will attempt to pay for it, for the third time), the sink is plumbed in and so is the washing machine and fridge, although the ice machine in the fridge has been damaged in the various house moves. The cupboards and drawers are all built and the work-tops are on and yesterday I spent two hours polishing the brass knobs - even managing to bring back the shine to the ones that were soaked in ketchup a few days ago and looked like they had been ruined.The last bits and pieces will be done this week and then we'll post some photos.
Today we've been unpacking box after box of kitchen 'stuff' and deciding what will go where. But the best bit has been starting to experiment with the breakfast menus. When I choose a B and B, I choose somewhere that takes what they serve for breakfast seriously. I've kept a notebook with details of the sorts of breakfasts we've had and can still remember some great, innovative breakfasts we've eaten in the last five years. In designing our breakfast menu we'll be offering a fruit starter (eg baked cinnamon grapefruit or summer berry compote with natural yogurt), alongside fruit juices, cereals and porridge.
We'll have four choices of main course; a locally sourced 'full English', another fish or meat dish eg crab cakes, kippers, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs or our sausage platter - a choice of three different sausages with home-made Hash Browns and Onion Marmalade; an egg or cheese dish as the third choice (which will be one of the vegetarian options) eg feta cheese and tomato omelette, baked eggs with spinach and finally a sweet option, typically fruit eg Blueberry Pancakes, with Maple Syrup or home-grown summer fruits on French toast.
And toast and home-made marmalade and jams to finish.
I've been itching to try out some recipes from the books given to us at Christmas and have made a winter fruit compote, (a selection of dried fruits soaked in Earl Grey and then slowly simmered in cinnamon flavoured apple juice) which I'll be eating for the next week (as it's not the sort of thing the boys will go for). And tonight it was Boston Baked Beans, slow cooked with a Gammon joint, which were according to Stephen 'delicious' and will make great beans on (home-made) toast.
I guess our 'breakfast philosophy' is summed up by the following quote:
'All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast'.
John Gunther
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