The Hut, B&B, and the best breakfast ever!

It's been a full year since we got the shepherd's hut up and running, but now in its second year, we have had five-star reviews all the way. It's been a great extra space for family and visitors as well as the occasional guests who want to get away from it all.

With the addition of a hot tub, and underfloor heating, it is glamping luxury and you really can't beat a bubbling soak with a glass of fizz, while watching the sun go down over the horizon. We have some fantastic sunsets here at Demelza Cottage, and I never cease to admire nature's spectacle. What better way is there to end the day than to down tools and just sit, and watch?

This year's project is to create a proper spa area for the hot tub, (funny how the purchase of just one item, leads to a myriad of extra work, a bit like the horses). We bought a metal gazebo last year and were a bit late taking it down. One of our Atlantic storms rolled in and that was the end of the gazebo! So, treated timber, rooted into the ground, is the order of the day, and another project to keep Tony occupied. There are plenty of projects, that's for sure.

It's also been just over a year since we set up the B&B. We've pretty much separated the house into two, so that guests can enter the front door, have use of the lounge, seating in the front garden, and a double room, with separate (sole use) bathroom. We were very surprised that our first guests to the B&B turned out to be on TV. Little did we know, until the end of their stay that they both feature on kid's TV shows, Swashbuckle and Horrible Histories. 

It's been going well and with one review of 'the best breakfast I've ever had!', I think we're getting it right. For those that knew Stu and how meticulous he was with his cooking - I shouldn't really get it wrong should I? 

The B&B is where a lot of the smallholding comes together. My rhubarb and vanilla jam has become a firm favourite, and guests like the idea of jumble jam - pretty much all the fruit which grows in the garden, which includes raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, and redcurrants. In the autumn, guests get to sample freshly pressed apple juice from the orchard and tomatoes, plus Tony makes his own butter, flavoured with honey and cinnamon. 

We have had an influx of runner ducks this year, as Tony's daughter and granddaughter incubated around 12 and we had a good crop of ducklings. They are laying well and at just over a year old, they are always looking for some mischief to get up to. Again, the guests love having the choice of freshly laid duck or chicken eggs.

Any surplus, I take to my dance class. I have developed quite a loyal customer base, and got to know some of the people in the class far better as a result. For Tony, dance means a well-deserved night off, and he gets to watch what he likes on telly.