Wow our winter break was barely a break this year - we had guests right through December and January. We expected this to be a quiet time - and I had a pile of books as high as the ceiling to read. I barely got through a quarter of them! Ken similarly only managed to scrape the surface of his Leicester Tiger’s rugby backlog. This did not go down well - though he is doing his best to make up for it with the 6 nations (says the woman who did *not* enjoy standing outside the pub on Saturday evening just so he could carry on avoiding the score so he could sit by the fire and watch the match while I made the tea!). Rugby schmugby!

Its actually lovely to be busy through the winter - it passes so much quicker! The harsh weather that we had in 2010/11 barely touched us this time. Though its sad not to see The Gorge dressed in its winter finery for longer, I must confess to not missing being snowed in.
Sadly not all of us made it through this winter, and we were heartbroken in January when our old dog Robert died. He was 16 years old and just about the most beautiful old boy you can imagine. But his time had come - and I hope he’s now happily playing in some doggy heaven with all our other much missed dogs - Wilfred, Toshak, Sally, Joley, Miles and Bertie. God Bless.

Poor Buster was very desolate to lose his old friend and wandered around the house very unhappily. Then we took a call from a family friend who asked if we could help with a Dalmatian who desperately needed a new home. It was sooner than we wanted to get another dog, but we couldn’t say no. So Rosa joined out family just a couple of weeks ago - and Buster learned that having a ‘girlfriend’ is not always fun (she’s very much top dog already - and Buster is in lurve ...).

There’s so much to do with spring around the corner. As I write now I can hear Ken in the garden wondering what we can do to fix a lawn that two young dogs are slowly turning into a rugby pitch! The reason of course I can hear him is he’s wondering out (very) loud! Debs is spring cleaning and singing at the top of her voice upstairs, and I’m getting the feeling that its time I stopped typing and got on with some scones for this afternoon’s guests.

Sara

My what a busy summer we have been having - with some wonderful guests. It seems a little boastful to say they have all had a fabulous time with us, but our reviews on Trip Advisor and the comments people leave us in the visitors book seem to suggest they like staying with us very much. And that is so important - not just because its good for business. Running a B+B is hard work - but it really is all worth it when you know someone has had a good time.

Which is why when Caroline and Bruce asked us if we’d thought of offering a traditional English Christmas at The Trow, we jumped at the idea. Its the sort of thing we had thought about before. But having guests suggest this was the sort of place that people would like to spend such a special time of year made it feel like an even better plan.

The Gorge at Christmas is beautiful - with fairy lights reflected in the river and frost sparkling across the roof and treetops of Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale, Jackfield and Coalport. There are lo0ts of things going on round here at Christmas too. From festive drinks in The Black Swan, to the Christmas Fayres in Much Wenlock, Ludlow and Bridgnorth, its a great time to be in Shropshire.

A glut of cheap english strawberries at the market has turned our kitchen into a little jam factory! The whole place smells like Willy Wonka’s as we have pans of hot red gooey deliciousness bubbling away on the Aga. We use a very simple strawberry jam recipe. Hulling the strawberries and then leaving them to sit on the shelf over the Aga overnight with lemon juice and sugar.

The resulting syrupy goodness spends half an hour in the simmering oven, half an hour on the simmering plate and then another 10 minutes or so boiling up to make the best strawberry conserve you’ve ever had. Next week it’ll be mixed fruit with strawberries, gooseberries and blackcurrants - and then my favorite - raspberry.

There’s something about opening a pot of raspberry jam in the middle of a cold and dark winter that lifts the spirits. Its your own personal little piece of summer. My favourite way of eating it is on a hot buttered crumpet. As I taste it I remember when we picked the fruit, what we were talking about and the plans we made for the summer. This morning one of our guests said that Trow raspberry jam tastes just like eating fresh raspberries - and to me that’s just what a good jam should be - fresh, zingy and full of sunshine.

People who know that this is a relatively new enterprise for me (though not for Ken who is an old hand at this B+B lark), have been asking me how I’ve been doing - and do I find it a huge change from my life in London? The answer is I’m doing great, and while life is different to London and I do now and then get a yen for a sight of Westminster Bridge at dawn, there are many many compensations here. The sheer beauty of the Shropshire landscape makes me tremendously joyful, as does the sound of the chickens in the morning and a head clearing walk down the banks of the Severn. Shropshire ale will lift the spirits anyday (in moderation!) and the fresh food and produce we can so easily get our hands on has turned my pleasure in cooking into a passion!

A few weeks ago I came across this website Action for Happiness. Its based on a very simple idea - that if more people were happy we would have a healthier society, and that its important therefore that we do more things to help ourselves and others to live happier lives. The core ideas behind Action for Happiness are

1. We can each affect our happiness and the happiness of those around us
2. We need to prioritise the things that cause happiness
3. Helping others is essential for a happier society

For me making people happy is the fundamental purpose of running a B+B. Yes its an income, but to make that income you have to make people happy. Yes its a great way of making a house come alive. The Trow has always been about hospitality and guests. From its earliest days as an alehouse, right through its years as a brothel and an inn (and a scout hut, library and church!) - The Trow has been here to make people happy. We do it with fresh cotton sheets, rooms that its impossible not to relax in, great breakfasts and friendly service. We see people arrive wound up from a long journey. We then apply tea, cake and relaxation - as well as some of the most beautiful countryside in England - and there you have it, we’ve made a little more happiness in the world.

And tell me, what could be a better way of spending your time than that?

Before I took up B+B -ing, I used to travel a lot for work. Hotel after hotel, B+B after B+B ... I suppose its one of the reasons I chose this change of direction - at least I know what makes it a good experience. My list of top “musts” for hoteliers wanting my repeat custom includes real coffee for bedroom drinks as well as in the dining room, cotton sheets - not poly cotton and never ever nylon, easy access to Radio 4 and MARMITE. These are all things we promise you at The Trow.

I am a Marmite lover. The morning is a depressing spectacle without that comforting yellow and black pot on my breakfast table. Lunchtime too - when I often spread it thinly on pitta or crackers and top it with homemade hummus and some sliced chilli. Teatime is relishing the toasted cheese on top of the Marmite saturated holes on a buttery crumpet. I love normal Marmite of course, but Marmite XO, Guiness Marmite and finest of all, valentines Champagne Marmite all tickle my tastebuds in different fantastic ways. (Apparently it does the same for Buster the pup as he just tried to steal the Marmite jar when I had breakfast in the garden this morning. Oh how many more times will I say ‘Bad Dog Buster’ before he thinks its his name?)

Now Ken is not a Marmite fan. You know those early stages of a relationship when the other person tries to like everything you like? Well, bless him, he did try to get with the Marmite thing. I even started him off on that milder Australian alternative to see if that would help. But no, Ken will never feel the same way I do about breakfast’s black gold.

Thing is, wherever I travelled, I always asked for Marmite and I never ever got it. Abroad I was always brought marmalade instead (“zese crazy Engleesh asking for their orange jam ...”). In the UK I have been presented with everything from beef extract (not the same at all!) to incredibly, gravy browning. And sometimes that Australian stuff, of which I will write no more.

This is why, despite Ken’s protests, we have introduced the Marmite Guarantee at The Trow. If you come for a stay here and we can’t offer you Marmite with your morning toast, we will give you one free night’s bed and breakfast* for a future stay to make up for it.

Of course if you are not a Marmite lover, this is not very heartening, and it you are a Marmite hater it may seem terrifying. However we also promise that no one will ever be compelled to eat Marmite and we swear on Buster’s life that no Marmite adulteration will spoil your breakfast.

Can’t say fairer than that can we?


Sara
xx

*One free night when you book two that is ... oh and here’s another little sneaky one for those who have got this far, if you book via this website and mention “The Marmite Guarantee” in the comments box on our enquiry form, I’ll knock 5% off your room rate for the whole of your stay.