< < < < < < < < < < < < MERZIE MEADOWS / B&B PRFOILES
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and two labradors but all too soon my daughter was at University and we had space in the house. We hardly ever used the rooms unless friends or family came to stay and suddenly I wanted something to do. That is how the idea of a Bed & Breakfast was born. Our home lent itself to the idea, ensuring peace and privacy to all our guests that were to follow, and by now lovely views over the garden and grounds.
What was the main factor for your choice of location?
Our lucky find for a home was
mainly the location and the potential to develop our surrounds. We have conservation areas and it is wonderful to see all the birds and wildlife, birds that I never knew we had (eventually pointed out to me by keen bird spotting guests!) Now we run a Bed & Breakfast,
from Wiltshire with my parents. I was practically the girl next door - though at that point I was commuting up and down to London. He stopped one day to give me a lift in his Land Rover to the local train station and that was where it all started! Eventually we decided to marry and found three acres of land - very overgrown - and sitting on those three acres was an old condemned Cottage. We cleaned the land and planted trees and eventually we had planning permission to build on the original footings of the cottage. That was the beginning of
developing Merzie Meadows into our home.
What made you decide to open a B&B? Quite some years later the three
acres around us had been landscaped, a swimming pool had been built and the house enlarged and uniquely designed to be in touch with nature and its environment. We had a daughter and life was hectic. Over time, our three acres
became 20 to accommodate our burgeoning family of horses, hens
there is an added bonus being situated in the heart of Kent. We are central to wonderful places to visit such as Sissinghurst Castle and Garden, Leeds, Scotney and the wonderful Gardens of this area, Great Dixter and Pashley Manor Gardens. There is so much to see and do in the beautiful Kent countryside, still known as the Garden of Eden.
In short, run us through your average day?
My day is taken up mostly looking
after my guests - I give them my personal attention! We provide a locally sourced breakfast with fruits, organic
bread and just-laid eggs, courtesy of our hens, as well as home-made jams, marmalade and local honey. Rod is the chef and I look after the starters of fresh berries etc. After saying goodbye to my guests
for their day of exploring in Kent, I make sure the rooms are ready for their return. If the weather is nice they can relax in the garden on sun beds or cushioned seats. During the rest of the day, I am off to shop for fresh foods etc and in the meantime if needed my husband is out mowing three acres of grass and whatever else might need doing. All the laundry is done in-house, so that takes up a lot of my day too!
Is running a Bed & Breakfast exactly what you thought it would be?
In the beginning it certainly felt like
a steep learning curve for me, especially the marketing side of things and I made mistakes to begin with but I love meeting
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