The Bed and Breakfast Academy Blog

On paper I don’t make a very good B&B owner.

I don’t like early mornings, I’m not a fan of cleaning and I’m an introvert.

Ignoring my 17 years of experience, would you give me the job? No, I thought not.

Despite my obvious flaws I’ve run a rather successful...

Yesterday was one of those glorious days that reminds you why you took the big leap to leave the 9-5 and set up a B&B.

I was wandering round the wildflower meadow with Ralphie the dog. Halfway round our stroll, and for no obvious reason, a random memory popped into my head.

It was the day...

It's not often that Rob comes back from a business trip and asks me to recreate something he's eaten on a plane! But this is how this recipe came to be a permanent addition to my breakfast menu.

I’m a huge porridge fan and eat it everyday for breakfast during the cooler months. We’re...

Most B&Bs in the UK are now open after lockdown and hopefully seeing lots of guests booking in. And B&B marketing is probably taking a bit of a back burner, as the mountains of laundry pile up. 

But if there is one area I'd recommend you focus on RIGHT NOW it's inviting...

My experience of working with over a thousand people, who are thinking of starting a bed and breakfast, is that you have an awful lot of questions!

And something I hear a lot is "I hadn't even thought to ask that question!"

Google is great, but to get an answer from a search engine,...

I must admit to being a little anxious about 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 have to confess that I'm not very keen on eggs. With our own hens & an egg glut at the moment this is a bit unfortunate. It's also a bit of a nuisance when you're running a B&B. One of my cooking rules is that I never cook anything I wouldn't eat myself, but an egg-free B&B...

This is a bit of a different blog post this week. 

I was asked recently what a typical day involves when you're running a bed and breakfast.

I've had a few people attend my courses over the years who have underestimated the amount of work you need to put in...

One person, wanting...

I bought some new season rhubarb from Ludlow market last week - half I turned into rhubarb compote and the other stick I used to make rhubarb muffins. I've never made rhubarb muffins before and, though I say so myself, they were very nice.

I was thinking of putting ginger with them but I already...

I’ve tried many hot cross bun recipes over the years, and finally found my favourite thanks to some vegan guests.

A family took all of my B&B rooms for Easter and they all requested a vegan breakfast, so I got to work devising a special vegan only menu for them.

I found this...

What are spread bookings?

It’s been a tough 12 months for many individuals and businesses, and the hospitality industry including B&Bs, has had a particularly rough time. Several lockdowns, lasting for months in the UK, have seen B&Bs having to shut their doors, invest heavily...

When someone suggested the other day that I stopped “Sweating the small stuff’, I replied “But that’s my job!” One of my many roles as a B&B owner is to care about the small stuff and get the details right for my guests.

You don’t need to spend...