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00:01Would you risk it all to start again?
00:04I always wanted to live in Spain.
00:06I don't think I could give up these blue skies and sun.
00:09We followed hundreds of Brits
00:11as they left their UK lives behind
00:13to take a leap into the unknown.
00:15It's not like it's been easy.
00:18Paying guests might not actually like it.
00:19I just hope near here the customers come.
00:22Setting up businesses in Bulgaria, Greece,
00:25Portugal, France, Italy and Spain.
00:28We've invested everything we've got into this.
00:31Now we're back to find out what happened next.
00:34We never expected to be working this hard.
00:36We really didn't.
00:37Did their dreams set sail?
00:40We genuinely love doing this, don't we?
00:42This is what the vision was.
00:44Or were they forced to abandon ship?
00:47It's been a very long road, very challenging.
00:50There's no telling what will happen.
00:52That's fun.
00:53When you try to build a new life in the sun.
00:57I'm enjoying this a bit too much.
00:58Cheers.
00:59It's been a good look.
01:00On today's show, we return to a boutique hotel
01:04and vegetarian restaurant owner in Almeria.
01:08Will she be able to turn the very old building next door?
01:11Look at the old beam.
01:13The bark's still on it.
01:16Into part of her sleek modern hotel?
01:19It's been really, really successful.
01:21Really successful.
01:22And people have really enjoyed this over the summer.
01:24Across in France, we're back with the wedding venue operators
01:28who are growing quickly.
01:30We've got our busiest summer ahead of us.
01:33Yeah.
01:34How many?
01:34Eleven weddings this summer.
01:36But will some water issues leave them caught short?
01:39It was about five minutes ago.
01:42Turn the tap on.
01:44Suddenly, not a lot coming out.
01:47And we revisit the horse trekking farm in Italy.
01:50This is time for sore eyes after such a long time.
01:55After a heartbreaking loss, will they be able to rebuild?
01:59I've just closed one chapter, I think.
02:01I'm just opening another.
02:13The province of Almeria is home to 200 kilometres
02:17of the most stunning beaches that Spain has to offer.
02:21But if you venture inland, you're met with a series of historic villages
02:26such as Cuevas del Almanzor, which offer a traditional slice
02:30of Spanish life.
02:33And it was this that drew Ellie from Cambridgeshire
02:36into its delicious embrace.
02:39I would never live anywhere else.
02:40I'd never choose anywhere else.
02:42The lifestyle here, the weather, the climate, the food.
02:46I love it.
02:47Life in the sunshine is definitely the place to be.
02:50After a career spent in hospitality, Ellie found a business partner
02:55who shared her vision and jumped at the chance of renovating
02:58and opening a boutique hotel in the centre of the old town.
03:04This was my dream.
03:05This was my dream.
03:06This is something that I've been dreaming of for a very, very long time.
03:10It was a mammoth undertaking to turn an old traditional Spanish house
03:15into a modern sleek hotel.
03:18There was an immense amount of construction work to be done to create
03:22what we've been able to do here, mostly in the sense of putting in 13 bathrooms
03:28into a building that originally had two and redoing all of the front of the building as well.
03:36Buoyed by the success of the hotel, when we first met her, she was gearing up
03:41two new business ventures.
03:42The first was an apartment to let, which when they were renovating revealed some hidden history.
03:49We managed to conserve some of the original brickwork
03:52and in the back of the property we found a tunnel, which was used in the Civil War
03:57to hide people in the Franco times.
04:00And apparently the tunnel saved quite a lot of lives.
04:02It was a very important part.
04:04The second was a vegetarian restaurant called The Happy Herbivore,
04:09which she was trialling from her hotel kitchens at the same time as trying to run the hotel.
04:15I need to get back into the kitchen now because in all in one hour,
04:20I have my guests for lunch and I've got a lot of preparing to do.
04:24Thankfully, the workload didn't phase her
04:26and she was able to present a full menu for her guests to judge.
04:30Some of the things that we've tried already would feel like it.
04:38Yeah, that's what I've got in the kitchen, but I don't like to use a lot of salt.
04:41So, yeah, I need to look at that.
04:44That's the whole point of having the tasting today, so this feedback can come through.
04:47It's really necessary for me.
04:50With the menu fine-tuned and a hotel fully booked,
04:54Ellie was soon showing off her juggling skills.
04:58Craziest week of the whole of the summer.
05:02Switching between chef and concierge and back again in the blink of an eye
05:07was a daily occurrence.
05:09There was one room that was meant to arrive at six
05:11and one that was meant to arrive at ten o'clock tonight,
05:16and they all just arrived together with everybody.
05:21I hate our life, man. I wouldn't stop it for the world.
05:25To add to her workload, the apartment was finally ready to receive guests.
05:42Perfecto was the word.
05:45The house is pretty nice.
05:46It is a discovery.
05:50By the end of the season, Ellie had successfully launched two new businesses
05:54and kept the boutique hotel thriving.
05:58It's been a couple of points when I've wondered, am I crazy?
06:01What am I doing trying to do this and trying to keep all these balls in the air at the
06:05same time?
06:05But really being away by the season, it's been fantastic.
06:12It's five months later and we're back with Ellie as she's in the midst of doing laundry for a full
06:18hotel.
06:20We have got our biggest group staying with us at the moment.
06:24It's Great British Camps, wakeboarding camp for the children
06:28and some of the parents have come to join in as well, so yeah.
06:32This is the perfect end to a winter that has defied expectation.
06:37Yeah, it's been crazy, crazy busy.
06:40We've been bookings flying in left, right and centre for the hotel and for the hyperbole.
06:45Though the apartment hasn't set the world on fire.
06:49The apartment maybe hasn't had as many rentals as I would have imagined it to have.
06:55So we are probably looking at a different angle on that maybe.
06:58But far from resting on their laurels, Ellie and her business partner are expanding their empire
07:04and have bought up the building next door.
07:07The old lady who lived there sadly passed away in August last year.
07:12We were lucky enough to be able to purchase this property and logically make the connection to the Palo Third
07:18Day.
07:18We are creating seven new rooms in addition to the seven that we already have.
07:24With a renovation added to her to-do list on top of the busy restaurant and thriving hotel,
07:30will Ellie manage to keep up with this back-breaking schedule?
07:40With a vista that spills from the majestic Apennine mountain range down through the rustic green beauty of traditional Italy
07:48to the sparkling Adriatic coast, Abruzzo is a feast for the eyes and the soul.
07:56You've got rolling hills, you've got the ski slopes, you've got the sandy beaches,
08:01you've got the countryside just to die for.
08:05It's quiet, it's peaceful.
08:07From the first time she set foot in Abruzzo, Nicky was in love.
08:13When we first met her, she was finally chasing her lifelong dream
08:17to run a pony trekking business from her rustic farmhouse in the quiet town of Casa Languida.
08:23She was sharing the farmhouse with her 86-year-old father, John.
08:29At the moment we're just reliant pretty much on father's pension
08:33to get some customers in.
08:35But with their UK house up for sale and her horses shipped over...
08:39This is time for sore eyes after such a long time.
08:45Nicky opened up her pony trekking and rented out a room as a B&B,
08:50only for Covid to make her rethink.
08:53This is a room I used to rent out, yeah.
08:56I decided with the Covid I couldn't risk it with father.
09:01This now I won't rent out again.
09:05When we went back a year later though,
09:07they'd managed to use the money raised from the house sale
09:10to renovate their 110-year-old farmhouse.
09:13It was no longer being used as a B&B, so they were in dire need of funds.
09:19This summer is just about the horse riding.
09:22It's about the day rides that we're doing and it's about the day rides with lunch.
09:28And thankfully business was coming along at a brisk trot.
09:40They'd even invested in another property nearby to renovate and let out.
09:47This is the new house.
09:50Obviously there's a bit of decoration.
09:53Nicky's business was finally on the home straight
09:56and soon she stopped relying on John's pension.
10:00In the first year it was mostly confusion.
10:04We're currently in the third year
10:06and it looks as though we're going to go into profits.
10:10Yeah, which is very comforting.
10:15To expand their offering they increased their herd.
10:19In here we've got new boy on the block.
10:21This is little Janksy. Janky!
10:24So I've literally doubled the number of people I can take out.
10:29Which would have been perfect, except for the weather.
10:33This summer has been so hot.
10:35I mean by 9 o'clock in the morning, which when the guests come,
10:40it can be up to 30 degrees.
10:43However, by pivoting to taking families out for sunset rides...
10:47I loved it.
10:49It was a really new experience.
10:51Something totally new and the view was totally amazing.
10:55And by finishing their new rental property and putting it on the market,
11:00by 2022, Nicky and John had finally secured their future in Abruzzo.
11:05We seem to be making a living.
11:08Yes.
11:09Without having to stretch ourselves too far, I think.
11:12We don't earn loads of money, but on the other hand,
11:14we have a nice lifestyle, don't we?
11:16Yeah.
11:18But would their business still be trekking along nicely in the years to come?
11:29It's two years later,
11:31and though Nicky carried on guiding tours on horseback from her farm,
11:35she's had to take a temporary break.
11:38Sadly, John is no longer with us.
11:42So, my father died in September last year.
11:45We lost him September the 16th.
11:47So, he'd been ill for a while and he was in and out of hospital.
11:53And, yeah, he just, he asked for a whiskey in the morning,
11:58went to sleep in the afternoon, and that was it.
12:02So, he had a good few years out of here and he enjoyed every minute
12:06that he lived life to the full.
12:08He was nearly 90 when we lost him.
12:10Nicky has gathered friends and family together
12:13for one last party to celebrate his life.
12:17Since he died, I've been filling the place with people.
12:21So, most of the time now, I've got either friends, relatives,
12:25workaways or guests in the house,
12:28which is nice and it keeps my mind occupied
12:30and doesn't let me dwell on the past too much.
12:33John's death has left a huge hole in her life,
12:36so it's natural for her to question the future.
12:39I miss him like mad, which I'm going to.
12:43And, of course, all the animals miss him as well.
12:46So, I've had to kind of rethink everything now.
12:54Still to come.
12:55In the Charente, will a wedding venue be able to cope
12:59with their busy summer?
13:00Which will be our biggest so far, and we are super stoked for it.
13:05Yeah. We're well excited.
13:06It's going to be awesome.
13:08And in Cuevas, business expansion means vegetarian Ellie
13:12has to make some compromises.
13:15I know they're going to be notified to see me doing this,
13:18but I just have to get on with it as business at the end of the day.
13:33With the Charente boasting a climate that's five to ten degrees warmer than the UK,
13:3840% more hours of sunshine and a far greater life expectancy,
13:44it's no surprise that Brits are jumping at the chance to live in this region.
13:49The lifestyle's brilliant.
13:51It gives us an opportunity to spend more time with the kids.
13:54It's so different to the UK.
13:56The sun's out, and when the sun's shining, everything feels good,
13:59and, yeah, it's a lovely part of the world.
14:03It's also an area where amazing property need not break the bank,
14:07as James and Lauren from Manchester found when they moved with their family
14:12into this 18th-century country estate in Sal Lavalette.
14:16We effectively exchanged our three-bed mid-terrace Victorian house for this.
14:22Hoping to use their house and the stunning grounds for weddings and holiday lets,
14:27they ambitiously renovated and decorated.
14:30We had some guests at the beginning of the year and they were our friends who were kind of,
14:34that was very scary as well at the same time, but this is like first official strangers.
14:39So, yeah, it's super exciting.
14:41A full year of grafting and working.
14:43Yeah.
14:43And it was about to pay off, hopefully.
14:48Their first paying guests were suitably impressed with the surroundings.
14:53Bathroom.
14:54There.
14:56But a lack of space meant that the family were forced to live in a caravan on site whenever the
15:01house was booked.
15:04It's all a learning curve, isn't it? We've never done this before.
15:07We're just, we're trying our best and figuring it out as we go.
15:11Their initial good start was dampened by the Covid restrictions returned in Britain,
15:17interrupting their guests' holiday.
15:20Our lovely, our lovely Brits had to leave early.
15:23They left in the early hours of the morning to get back onto the ferry, so...
15:26You know, Corona strikes again, I guess.
15:30With a wave of cancellations from British guests, it was a difficult first year,
15:35and their plans to build a small family house had to go on hold.
15:41It's not been the most lucrative of years with coronavirus.
15:43It's really sort of scuppered us for our first year, so...
15:47Yeah, we've got some small bits we're going to do on it,
15:50but I do think it'll be caravan living for the next few years, unfortunately,
15:53whilst we invest our money back into the house to grow the business, really.
15:58When we returned two years later, however, their fortunes had improved,
16:03and they'd managed to create a space for weddings in their old barn.
16:08This was in kind of a really good nick to start with,
16:12but it was a bit dark and dingy, so we have upgraded all the lighting,
16:16we've got some nice, you know, wedding-style twinkly lights.
16:19Excitingly, they're about to host a big wedding party,
16:23with their whole family jetting in to help them achieve it.
16:27Sorry, I'm just calling my mum.
16:28I'm just calling my mum very quickly.
16:30I feel like I might need my sister to come and help.
16:33The nerves were running high on this crucial day.
16:37The bit that makes me the most nervous,
16:39the music and the walking down the aisle,
16:42and also there's a reading from one of the wedding parties
16:46that couldn't be here, so I need to make sure that's done at the right time,
16:49and there's no technical glitches.
16:52The aisle walk went fine,
16:54but those glitches he was worried about hit big time.
16:59You are...
17:00Sorry.
17:01I decided to speak from the heart.
17:05Oh...
17:06Sorry.
17:10Eventually, he mastered it,
17:12and the bride and groom were staggered by Lauren and James' hospitality.
17:17Lauren and James has just been amazing.
17:20Really, really good hosts, and the attention to detail.
17:24Yeah, they've done a pretty great job,
17:26so it's hard not to be, yeah, blown away.
17:30With a successful launch,
17:32the couple were sure that their business would go from strength to strength.
17:36Yeah, we knew it would work.
17:37We just needed...
17:38Some people to believe in us.
17:40Well, just the world to let us do it, really.
17:42Yeah, and the world to let us, yeah.
17:43Which, yeah, Al's done now.
17:44But has their confidence been well-placed?
17:54It's two years later,
17:55and the weddings have been ticking along nicely.
17:59So, in our first year of weddings, we had five.
18:02Then, last year, 2023, we had six.
18:06Hosting this many functions has allowed them to examine
18:10how best to use their property.
18:12It has kind of made us think
18:13that we needed to invest in various parts of the property
18:17and, you know, just to make things easier
18:20and more sort of streamlined for everybody.
18:23And this year, they're going to need this investment to pay off.
18:27So, we've got our busiest summer ahead of us.
18:30Yeah.
18:31How many? 11 weddings this summer,
18:33which will be our biggest so far,
18:36and we are super stoked for it.
18:38Yeah. We're well excited.
18:39It's going to be awesome.
18:42With their biggest summer of weddings ever to navigate,
18:46have they invested their money wisely?
18:54In the historic town of Cuevas del Almanthorra,
18:58it's February,
18:59and Ellie's hotel is booked full of wakeboarders
19:03as a group have taken over every room
19:06whilst they attend a nearby training camp.
19:09We've got a big group of 26 staying with us at the moment.
19:12They're having a wonderful time,
19:14and the weather's been really good for themselves,
19:16so I'm super happy.
19:18With such a huge booking to look after,
19:20her vegetarian restaurant, The Happy Herbivore,
19:23has been temporarily shut,
19:25and it's not coming back in the same format as before.
19:30I have to confess, the initial opening days of every Monday,
19:35Wednesday, Friday has been turned around a little bit
19:37because I just couldn't cope with the amount of interest
19:39that I was getting.
19:40So I have picked now certain days every month,
19:43which are put onto our website.
19:45Today is not a restaurant day,
19:47but she's catering for 26 hungry wakeboarders,
19:51so the first thing she needs is a little help.
19:54I've got Anna coming in to help me at 6 in the kitchen,
19:59and Frank coming in to wait her for me tonight,
20:01so nobody else wanted to work with me tonight
20:03because it's Valentine's night and everybody's busy.
20:06Except me!
20:08She may not be dining under candlelight today,
20:11but Ellie is at least providing a little romanced proceedings.
20:17Theme serviettes.
20:19It's no laughing matter in the kitchen, however,
20:22as vegetarian Ellie is having to cater
20:24for a large group of meat-eaters,
20:26and spaghetti bolognese is on the menu.
20:30My local butchers is really good for me
20:32because they know that I don't like the butcher's environment,
20:35I don't like going in there, I don't like the smell of it,
20:37it's a bit traumatic in that sense, I have to confess that,
20:39because they don't smell very nice,
20:41so they kind of just like pre-prepare everything,
20:43cut it all up for me, sort it all out,
20:45get it in a bag and give it to me at the door.
20:48But Ellie will do what she has to do.
20:51Gloves on, man, gloves on, I'm not touching it.
20:54It's good quality, though.
20:55It was freshly ground for me at the butcher's this morning.
20:58Fellow herbivores, I know they're going to be mortified to see me doing this,
21:02but I just have to get on with it as business at the end of the day.
21:05With the bolognese cooking nicely,
21:08by the time the wakeboarders return from their day's training,
21:12Ellie and team are ready to serve their biggest meal yet.
21:16A team has done the case, we're good to go.
21:20Bon l'aloe, Bologn.
21:22Can I add you?
21:23Yeah, please.
21:31As the kids and adults took in,
21:34Ellie can bask in a well-delivered meal.
21:38Absolutely fantastic, it was a really good service,
21:40everybody was happy.
21:41Frank and Anna were amazing as always,
21:43so yeah, I'm absolutely delighted.
21:47Keeping the wakeboarding group happy
21:49is not her only challenge at the moment,
21:51as the hotel is undergoing a grand redesign.
21:56So, about six months ago we purchased a building next door,
21:59and we are extending now.
22:01That way I'm putting on seven new rooms.
22:05Over the last three months the builders have been busy
22:08demolishing walls and opening up terraces.
22:11This is a hotel that will be bathed in history.
22:16This was the room where they used to dry all the Hammons,
22:20so hence all of the ropes hanging down.
22:22It was nothing sinister, it was just the Hammond drying room.
22:26Oh, look at that, oh, look at the on-beam.
22:29The bark's still on it.
22:33Look at it, man, it's a tree trunk.
22:35It's been in there for how many hundreds of years?
22:37It's beautiful.
22:39This house of hidden history even sports yet another Civil War tunnel,
22:45which Ellie has already decided how to repurpose.
22:49I'm going to put on the floor, like, rattan mats,
22:52and then we're going to just have little dug-up holes all along the wall
22:55and all along that side where we can put candles,
22:57and this is going to be Reiki Healing Tunnel.
23:01The Reiki tunnel, the vegetarian cookery,
23:04and the format of the new rooms are all part of the scaling up
23:08of the hotel's offering.
23:11It's always been focused as a location for retreats,
23:15holistic retreats, yoga retreats, any kind of retreat.
23:18That's what I would like to see happening with this project.
23:21So I want to design the rooms a lot more around that focus.
23:25But their timescale is tight.
23:28We're looking to open the first of the three rooms
23:32for the new building in June.
23:35With all these new rooms to get up to speed in just four months,
23:39will they be ready in time to hit the summer season?
23:47Still to come, has Nicky and Abruzzo taken on a new ill-advised project?
23:53So we've got no bathroom, no kitchen, no upstairs dividing room,
23:58have no windows, no wiring, no plumbing.
24:01So, literally, everything is having to be restored, isn't it?
24:06And in the Charente, with their last wedding of the season to host...
24:10It's like the final hurrah, isn't it? You know, going out with a bang.
24:13We put all our final energy that we've got left into it.
24:15Will a lack of water wash out the big day?
24:18The dishwasher needs water, we need water to wash up.
24:21You know, otherwise, the guests are all showered.
24:24So that's fine.
24:25But obviously, the toilets as well, they need to flush.
24:27So, yeah, it's pretty important.
24:40We're back in Abruzzo with Nicky.
24:43Having sadly lost her father, John,
24:46she's been assessing how she wants to live her life in Italy.
24:50I'm just getting my head around losing father
24:55and which way to go in the future,
24:58which I've kind of...
24:59Now I've got a direction in which to go.
25:03So I stopped doing all the Airbnbs,
25:06the little rental house is being sold.
25:09Stopped doing the horse-riding excursions.
25:13So, yeah, I just move on in a different direction.
25:17Nicky is still looking after the horses on the farm, though,
25:20and they're definitely part of the plan.
25:23So, now I'm not doing the horse-riding excursions,
25:29but I'm turning it into riding holidays
25:31so I can offer a whole package.
25:33We've got a nice swimming pool, we've got horses,
25:35we've got a beautiful place.
25:36I've just closed one chapter, I think,
25:39and I'm just opening another.
25:41And this new chapter involves her godmother and auntie, Mary,
25:46and a joint venture on something very old.
25:49My auntie Mary, when she first came out here,
25:52when I first showed her my townhouse,
25:53she fell in love with this little old stone house
25:57that looks like nobody's loved it in years.
26:01This abandoned house was available for a bargain price.
26:05And just curiously, I said, how much is it?
26:07And they said €3,000, so I made them write it down three times
26:11because I didn't believe it was €3,000.
26:16And, right there wrongly, we bought it.
26:20The downside of buying a historic abandoned house
26:24soon became clear.
26:26So, we've got no bathroom, no kitchen,
26:30no upstairs dividing rooms, have no windows,
26:34no other door, no back door,
26:37no wiring, no plumbing.
26:39So, literally, everything is having to be restored, isn't it?
26:44To help with the restoration,
26:46Nicky has brought on board her friend Paul,
26:49who's been doing some DIY.
26:51And working with an old house has certainly had its challenges.
26:56No 90 degrees, no flat floors, no flat ceilings.
27:00Mmm, interesting.
27:01Yes.
27:02If you can wedge it, screw it, bodge it,
27:05it goes in and it's...
27:07Solid, thank God.
27:10Not that Paul is tackling this place on his own.
27:13So, I cemented over there, painted it,
27:18then I pointed all round the bricks on there
27:22and sealed that with the sealant.
27:25And her work is hiding a multitude of sins.
27:29Now, you can't actually...
27:30I'm very impressed.
27:31You can't actually see the stains that are coming through the walls
27:34because it's camouflaged with paint.
27:36With sealant at the ready,
27:38Nicky's job today is to make the house as watertight as possible.
27:42Oh, right, I've just found another hole.
27:47Oh, it's a big one.
27:49You missed a bit with your squirty stuff.
27:53I'll grab my auntie Mary and she's not here.
27:56She might be crying by this point.
28:01Though there's a long way to go,
28:03as they finish for the day,
28:04Nicky and Paul can see the house's potential.
28:07This is going to be stunning when it's done.
28:09Absolutely glorious.
28:12And though it'll be a family home,
28:14it will still be part of Nicky's new business plan.
28:18So, hopefully one day my auntie Mary will come and live here.
28:21But in the meantime, it will be used as a holiday home.
28:25And hopefully, again from Easter next year,
28:28it will be up and running.
28:29With plans to get the horse riding holidays started next year as well,
28:34Nicky's new direction is well underway.
28:37I've never been in doubt about my future in Italy.
28:39This is my home.
28:41I've got nothing left in England.
28:44I should always reinvent something else to do,
28:46some other way of making some money,
28:48somewhere along the line.
28:50So, yeah, I'm not going anywhere.
29:01On our revisit tour, we're back in the Chironde.
29:05With their busiest summer ahead of them,
29:07James and Lauren knew that they needed to invest in their property.
29:11And a dusty barn where they kept the wedding crockery
29:14provided them an inspiration.
29:17We had this idea to build a storage room for all of the plates
29:21and all the crockery and all the kitchen stuff.
29:24So, that's what it started out at.
29:25And then James had some, you know, night-time visions
29:30and kept waking me up and was like,
29:32we could actually just put a kitchen in here as well.
29:34So, this could be all the storage and a kitchen.
29:37Over the course of the winter,
29:39they turned this 18th century storeroom
29:42into a fully functioning modern professional kitchen.
29:46We've invested in fridges.
29:48It's a small single fridge here.
29:51Got a huge new oven, which helps massively.
29:55Extraction.
29:56And then kind of one of the major things this year
29:59is a commercial dishwasher, which has helped no end.
30:03The major change is moving their catering operation
30:06from a small cramped space into something much larger.
30:11We couldn't have survived another year
30:14doing what we were doing in that kitchen for 11 weddings.
30:17It just needs something needed to change.
30:19Wouldn't have worked. It should be really good.
30:21I think it's going to be epic.
30:23Best year ever.
30:25Building this allowed them to use their previous kitchen
30:29as a family space.
30:30And having also built an extension,
30:32they were finally able to say goodbye to the caravan.
30:37It's so nice.
30:39It's such a good space to live in, isn't it?
30:41It's, yeah, our little house, as we call it.
30:44But a massive difference from the caravan.
30:48It's now September,
30:49and the couple are about to embark
30:52upon their last wedding of the summer.
30:55Today we have around 60 guests, including kids.
31:00And, yeah, they will come in about 1.30 on the bus,
31:03so it will be a full onslaught of people.
31:06Sun's shining.
31:07It should be a lovely day, really.
31:09Yeah, it's such a beautiful day.
31:10We're just doing all the prep,
31:12getting all the chairs out for the ceremony,
31:14and setting the tables up,
31:16and, yeah, it's all feeling quite calm, isn't it?
31:19The weddings have been going well,
31:21and with the kitchen fully operational,
31:24it's been a great summer.
31:25All of them have just been so brilliant,
31:27and, yeah, we just get a bit better each time.
31:29I think there's something special about the last one.
31:31It's like the final hurrah, isn't it?
31:33Going out with a bang.
31:34We put all our final energy that we've got left into it.
31:37And for this big finale,
31:39they have their usual A-team working the event.
31:43So, here today there is Andy,
31:46which is Lauren's dad,
31:47and then my mum and dad, Malcolm and Diane,
31:50and then Lauren's got her brother outside,
31:52a friend over from New Zealand who's making cakes,
31:55and one of Lauren's family friends as well,
31:57so it's quite a family affair, really.
32:00Though the team is well-drilled,
32:02their day didn't get off to the best start.
32:06The water went off this morning,
32:08and we, everyone in the house was like,
32:11we can't shower, there's no toilets,
32:12and I was like, oh, my God.
32:13So I got in the car, went to the Mary,
32:15went to see our friend Sylvie,
32:16and she started panicking, and she was calling everyone,
32:19and she said we were on basically the line
32:21where they were doing work.
32:22So, yeah.
32:23And she called him, she said,
32:24by 10 o'clock, it'll be okay, so 10 o'clock.
32:27And it was, it was back home by 10 o'clock.
32:29Disaster avoided,
32:30Lauren can now concentrate on managing
32:32the complicated dietary needs of their guests.
32:36This is what we use,
32:37it's our Bible during service.
32:39So, basically, I'll probably stay in here,
32:42and basically just be saying,
32:44right, we need two veg plated and a six platter
32:46to go to the first table, and then vice versa.
32:48Because we have a few gluten-frees and dairy-frees
32:52and some kind of allergies that we really don't want to miss,
32:54so, yeah, super good.
32:56It works so well.
32:58This organisation will be vital as it's showtime.
33:02So everyone's outside now having a welcome drink
33:04for the ceremony starts, so, yeah, it's all starting.
33:10As the ceremony goes off without a hitch...
33:13CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
33:19The catering team spring into action.
33:22We've just got to get a couple glass of fizz to say,
33:26way!
33:27And then it sort of signifies the bars open as well.
33:31So, yeah, the canapes are going out right now.
33:34They're having them down by the pool,
33:35so they've just finished their ceremony.
33:38So, yeah, steady stream of food.
33:40Heading out now for the next few hours, really.
33:43But whilst they're in the middle of service,
33:46disaster strikes.
33:49It was about five minutes ago.
33:52Turn the tap on.
33:53I said, sadly, not a lot coming in.
33:56A lack of water could really ruin
33:58Lauren and James's well-oiled machine.
34:02Dishwasher needs water.
34:03We need water to wash up, you know, otherwise...
34:05The guests are well showered, so that's fine.
34:08But obviously, the toilets as well, they need to flush,
34:10so, yeah, pretty important.
34:12Will the water shortage lead to the wedding floundering?
34:19Coming up, will a fully finished restoration lead to a new type of customer?
34:24We're focusing now more on retreats and holistic retreats, yoga retreats,
34:28that kind of thing.
34:29There's more in demand for these kinds of dormitorios or rooms, I guess.
34:33And in the Charente, tensions run high.
34:37Right, so this is taking fire.
34:38Can we just hang fire?
34:39No, no, no.
34:40Wait.
34:40Take a minute. Can I have a minute, please?
34:53In Cuevas del Almanzora, it's now August.
34:56And at Ellie's hotel, the building work has been completed.
35:01There's been a massive amount of change in the last six months.
35:03We survived major renovations, maintaining the hotel open at all times,
35:08which was a little bit traumatic at times.
35:13Over the summer, the building site has been turned into an enlarged terrace
35:18with three luxurious spaces.
35:21The first of which will open up the hotel to a new type of stay.
35:26We're focusing now more on retreats and holistic retreats, yoga retreats,
35:31that kind of thing.
35:31There's more in demand for these kinds of dormitorios or rooms, I guess.
35:36And since it was brought online, this new room has done spectacularly well.
35:41It's been really, really successful.
35:42Really successful.
35:44And people have really enjoyed this over the summer,
35:46especially with it going straight out into the pool terrace.
35:48They're really happy with it.
35:49However, such a busy summer of change,
35:52with more rooms to prepare and more guest check-ins,
35:55made Ellie re-evaluate the workload of all her different roles.
36:00I really had to sit down and make decisions at that point,
36:03and it was to the point where the herbivore was going to have to go.
36:05I can't be in the kitchen and managing the business
36:08and doing the cleaning all at the same time.
36:09It's just not possible.
36:11But with the restaurant regularly full, Ellie wouldn't give it up lightly.
36:16And she instead found a replacement head chef in the form of friend Sam.
36:22If I hadn't had the luck of finding Sam and Sam offering to step in and take the kitchen from
36:29me at the point that she did,
36:30I would have had to have parked the herbivore on one side, which would have been a big shame,
36:33because we'd just got to a point where we were in demand a lot, a lot of bookings, a lot
36:38of reservations,
36:39finding a lot of really regular guests.
36:40And Sam is blossoming in the vegetarian kitchen.
36:44It's going really well.
36:46I'm really pleased with the decision that Ellie and I made to have me in the kitchen.
36:52We work really well together and it's a privilege to work in this kitchen.
36:56Much to their delight, the desire for home-cooked vegetarian food in Cuevas is increasing.
37:02We found more people who have become step-by fans of the herbivore,
37:08curious carnivores as well as vegans and vegetarians, so very blessed.
37:13That's not to say that Ellie is out of the kitchen forever,
37:16even today when she's busy signing in the day's guests.
37:21Please, can I see your ID for just a second? Is that okay?
37:24She just can't help but get involved with the lunchtime rush.
37:29We've got a service of ten going out today.
37:32So I'm just helping on a couple of bits and pieces, Sam.
37:36You know what bosses are like, they can't leave her alone, can they?
37:39Charlie here? Yes.
37:44We're good to go on. The cannellinis and the burger, please.
37:47It has been hard to let go, really, I guess, because this was my baby.
37:51It was my concept, it was my...
37:56..my little seed that agreed from nothing.
37:58And it has been hard to let go.
38:00However, the rave reviews that Sam has had
38:03has really, really helped me stand back and just say,
38:06just leave her to it.
38:07As another group of satisfied diners finish their meal
38:11and Ellie cracks on with the glamorous job
38:14of getting the hotel laundry ready for tomorrow,
38:16it's clear that her third year of the business
38:19has all been about building the right team.
38:22This would never be able to happen with just one person
38:25or two people involved.
38:27It needs a lot of support of a lot of people.
38:29I can't be everywhere at all times.
38:31It's been absolutely invaluable in this journey
38:33and in keeping things going.
38:36In a relatively short amount of time,
38:39Ellie and her team have built a thriving business.
38:42I'm really proud of where we are now compared to where we started.
38:45I didn't see it happening this quickly.
38:48It's been a really, really interesting journey.
38:51I learnt a great deal.
38:52I've really enjoyed it and I'm very, very happy
38:54and feel privileged every day.
38:56And with so much room for the business to grow,
38:59Ellie could not be happier than she is in Cuevas del Almanzora.
39:04The future is very bright and yes, I am very excited and full of energy.
39:17Finally, on our revisit trip, it's back to the Charente.
39:21James and Lauren have managed to get the canapes out,
39:24but just as they were gearing up for the first course,
39:27the water on their property slowed down to a trickle.
39:32What do you think? Shall I try and give her a four?
39:35Yeah, I would.
39:37We'll get it sorted. I'm sure it'll be fine.
39:39We've got buckets, loads of buckets filled,
39:42so we've got water to give to guests.
39:45Luckily, they have a contact at the local town hall
39:48who helped them speak to the water company this morning.
39:53So, we've heard from the Mary and they're on it.
39:55She's called for me and we've sent a few emails back and forth
39:58and I give her a little call, so, yeah.
40:00Fingers crossed. The water's okay.
40:02I'm just going to go and check in the kitchen.
40:04But, yeah, it only slowed down, it didn't stop,
40:07so I'm not too worried, but, yeah, it's just one of those,
40:10if it goes off, then it's obviously not ideal.
40:14And within minutes...
40:18That's good. We're back on.
40:21We're all right.
40:22James' thumbs up. Is the water still okay?
40:24It's fine. Yeah? It's gone back up.
40:26Fine. It's gone back up. There we go.
40:28The magic of the email.
40:31With the water fixed,
40:33they can get straight on with getting the food out.
40:36We need two veg plated.
40:41Right.
40:42Section, so that's two for you and Sue.
40:46Yeah?
40:47Kids' melons, we've got...
40:49No kids' melons on this one, but...
40:51Next.
40:51Is that going to table one?
40:53Though they work harmoniously together most of the time,
40:57there is the odd hiccup.
40:59Er, table five.
41:01This one completes this one.
41:04There's one gluten-free bread.
41:06Hang on, I'm missing a melon.
41:07Is there another melon?
41:09It's on table five.
41:11Right, so this is table five.
41:13No, no, no.
41:14Take a minute. Can I have a minute, please?
41:16So we're on table five, so we need a six platter.
41:18That's what we're doing.
41:20You're shouting and I can't hear over you.
41:23Lauren, you don't need to stand there shouting.
41:25Two kids.
41:25I can do that shouting. That's my job.
41:29Despite the slight creative tensions in the kitchen,
41:33the food goes out and the wedding guests are loving it.
41:37Oh, yeah, the food was amazing.
41:39They were really accommodating of Pescatarian
41:42and they provided some other options
41:44and it was just amazing.
41:46So, so yummy, yeah.
41:47Absolutely boldness.
41:51Eventually, all is forgiven in the kitchen.
41:54It's okay, yeah.
41:56I think me and James need to communicate a little bit more.
42:00Yeah.
42:01Decide who's doing what, babe.
42:03That's all we need to do.
42:05No, it's fine.
42:06Everyone got what they needed to get.
42:07That's fine.
42:08You can be in charge of the next course and I'll do running.
42:11And the team can concentrate on providing the best possible service
42:15for the bride and groom.
42:18The day's been, like, amazing, hasn't it?
42:20The day's been so good.
42:21Like, so much better than we would have thought.
42:23Yeah, like the weather, has been sunny and blue sky and, like, yeah, Lauren and James did an amazing job.
42:30Oh, my gosh, the food was amazing.
42:32So, yeah, so, like, all the sharing patterns was amazing, like, everyone was just tucking in, it was delicious.
42:38Yeah, really good.
42:40I'm really happy.
42:41100%.
42:41As they begin to clear the main course, the end is in sight.
42:46Our last service!
42:47It's our last dinner service, George keeps saying to me.
42:50That was our last starter.
42:51That was our last refresher.
42:53That was our last main.
42:54Every sec.
42:55Every sec.
42:56We've taken them all off, so now, just got pudding.
42:58Yeah, just pudding.
42:58And we're done, we're going to bed, George.
43:01And for Lauren and James, the investment in a new kitchen has made a potentially tricky summer serene.
43:08So, over the 11 weddings we've had, it's been, yeah, fantastic.
43:12It really has.
43:13Yeah, crikey.
43:13The space we've got, you know, for service, for prep, for storage, it just makes things so much more efficient.
43:20And after 11 weddings in four months, it's time for a well-earned break.
43:27I think we're just going to go and have a really long lie down, maybe a holiday with the kids.
43:34And, I don't know, just, yeah, relax, recoup, do some more renovation on the house.
43:39We're not going to sit still.
43:40We've got things to do, haven't we, that we want to fix and make better.
43:45But whatever changes they make, it's to improve a business that they have put their heart and soul into.
43:52The thing is, this is what we came here to do, and this is the dream.
43:55This is what we want to do.
43:57We genuinely love doing this, don't we?
43:59This is what the vision was five years ago.
44:02And, like, to actually see it.
44:05It never gets dull.
44:05It never gets kind of old.
44:07It's, yeah, it's great.
44:09It never gets old.
44:32It never gets old.
44:38cź compares joy next week.
44:38January 5.
44:39You
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