As we're very nearly at the end of 2021, I thought I'd take a look back at my website analytics and see which were the most popular posts on the B&B Academy blog this year.

In true chart topping fashion I'm counting them down backwards from no.10 to the most read blog post at no. 1

And I think it's best if you hum the Top of the Pops chart countdown music in your head as you read this...

10. How to respond to a negative review about your bed and breakfast

In this blog post and podcast, I walk you through the 10 steps of responding to a negative review. 

I've rewritten this blog post several times over the years. Unfortunately it's one that will never go out out fashion. But I do like to think of a negative review as an opportunity for you to market your business, no matter how much it may smart at the time.

Read the blog post >> How to respond to negative review about your B&B

9. 5 Easy vegetarian breakfast recipes

When you're running a B&B, it's worthwhile having a few vegetarian breakfast recipes up your sleeve.

These are some of the most popular recipes on my breakfast menu, even with non vegetarian guests.

They have the advantage of being easy to prepare and can be pre-cooked or prepared, so just need to be assembled at the same time as your other breakfasts.

Most of them can be adapted to be vegan and gluten free with a few simple ingredient omissions or substitutions.

Read the blog >> 5 Easy vegetarian breakfast recipes

8. 5 Kitchen essentials for B&B owners

The blog post I wrote about my  5 favourite kitchen gadgets was very popular, so I thought I'd follow up with my next 5.

Whilst they're my favourites and make running a B&B a little easier, they're very unpopular with one member of our household. Our dog, Saffy, absolutely hates me using the grater. She's also got a grudge against the pasta machine, the salad spinner and the rolling pin! I've been known to take the salad spinner upstairs so as not to set her off 😂

Read the blog here >> 5 Kitchen essentials

7. How to cook a full english breakfast ( my way )

I must admit to being a little anxious when I was writing this blog post because every B&B has their own special way of cooking a Full English/Welsh/Scottish/Irish breakfast. And I've learned that people can get terribly upset about how a full English is cooked and presented.

But this is the way I do it and I’ve had a lot of compliments on my breakfast over the years, so I must have been doing something right...

Read the blog post >> How to cook a full english breakfast ( my way )

6. Top 10 bed and breakfast cleaning tips

In this blog post I share my top tips for cleaning your B&B. If you've been around a while you're know that number 1 for me is "get someone else to do it".

Of course this isn't always practical, so this blog post was born.

Read the blog >> Top 10 bed and breakfast cleaning tips

5. How to enjoy freshly baked bread every morning

A few years ago my bed and breakfast classroom course was reviewed by Sally Shalam for The Guardian newspaper. I’ve had a few journalists attend the training over the years, including the deputy editor of Country Living. I’m always a little apprehensive running a course with a journalist present, but I’ve had no disasters so far! 

After the article appeared in the Guardian, I received a long email from a person complaining about the state of bed and breakfast toast. They explained that they’d stayed at some lovely B&Bs, serving amazing breakfasts that were then let down by the bread that was served. They were very keen that I explained to all future course attendees how important the quality of toast was to a breakfast!

So this blog post is all about bread and toast! It includes my favourite hack for having fresh bread available every morning without having to get up at 2am to start making it. 

Read the blog post >> How to enjoy freshly baked bread every morning

4. Do you need a licence to sell alcohol at your B&B

Whether you need a licence to serve  alcohol at a B&B ( in the UK ) is one of the questions I’m asked most frequently. This blog post covers all you need to know, including whether you need a licence if you’re providing “free” alcohol to guests or running an honesty bar.

Read the blog here >> Do you need a licence to sell alcohol at your B&B?

3. What does a B&B owner actually do all day?

In this video and blog post I walk you through a typical day in the life of a bed and breakfast owner ( well my typical day as a B&B owner anyway! )

Whenever guests turned up at 11am expecting their room to be ready, I always wondered if they thought I spent my whole day lying in a hammock with a budweiser, whilst some magical cleaning fairy cleaned the rooms in minutes.

Read the blog and watch the video >> What does a B&B actually do all day?

2. Is it better to buy a B&B or set up one up from scratch?

A question I'm often asked by people who come on my courses is; “What are the pros and cons of buying an established B&B versus setting one up from scratch?”

In this post I cover the pros and cons from both, with contributions from other B&B owners who have taken both routes.

Read the blog post here >> Is it better to buy a B&B or set one up from scratch?

1. Is Running a bed and breakfast the right business for you?

It may be your dream business, but is running a bed and breakfast the right business for you? 

Owning a B&B might mean you can work from home, be your own boss, have more time for your family and hobbies, maybe live in your dream place by the sea or in the countryside and meet new and interesting people.

It sounds perfect doesn't it?

However owning a B&B is a business like any other small business and it isn’t for everyone. And for it to be a success and for you to enjoy running it, you really need to get clear on a few things first.

In this post, I walk you through deciding whether it really is the right business for you:

1. Is running a bed and breakfast the right business for you?
2. What is a bed and breakfast?
3. What makes a good bed and breakfast?
4. What makes a good bed and breakfast owner?
5. Buying a bed and breakfast versus setting one up from scratch
6. Do your research
7. Get clear on your reasons for wanting to run a B&B
8. What sort of B&B do you dream of owning?
9. What sort of B&B owner do you want to be?
10. Who is your ideal B&B guest?

Read the blog post here >> Is running a bed and breakfast the right business for you?