The perfect Hoste

I work only 15 hours a week but spend about 65 hours in the place. I love it so much, though, I can't count it as working - the Hoste Arms is just a great way of life.

I live only five minutes away, so I get up at 7.15am and go to the Hoste between 8am and 8.30am with my two black labradors, Sweep and Augustus. I'll chat with the guests having breakfast and wander into the kitchen to see what's in. Then I'll do a circular tour of the property to check for tidiness and cleanliness. I can't eat wheat so, for breakfast, I'll have something like fish and brown rice in a wok. I like simple food and don't go for sculptures on a plate.

I take breakfast while reading the morning papers in my glass office upstairs. I then digest the post. Afterwards, I head downstairs to reception, tour the breakfast area and chat again to guests and give them suggestions on details such as the best local walks. But I'm a little deaf and tend to shout. I now warn everyone, in case they think I'm being rude.

Around 10am, I have a meeting with my chef and sous chef to discuss what's on the menu and, after that, I'll sit and talk through staffing and operational issues with my manager. Marketing is my forte and we'll usually have a chat about this. I've always got some project on the go, such as an extension or refurbishment or a new wine list, so those take up lots of time.

There are normally sales reps to meet with during the morning, too. All my paperwork and accounts go to my auditors and it takes away a lot of headaches. They present me with a monthly set of audited accounts. I'm a great delegater, but I also work extremely hard because I know I'm lazy otherwise.

I don't like working after 12.30pm. So, at that time, I head to the kitchen to have a look at the food. I have outside land and property development interests and so for lunch I'll sometimes be with a business associate, a friend, or with Jeanne, my vivacious wife.

My favourite dish is oysters, which grow in the estuary at the end of our garden. I also love sea bass with red wine risotto and samphire, which you can pick at the back of our house.

By 2pm, I'm home with Sweep and Augustus after walking through the village and our garden. Burnham Market is a beautiful and close-knit community. About 42 of the 44 shops are privately owned.

The dogs and I might head out across the marshes or onto my boat if the tide is right. Later, I have a siesta, every day, for one hour - no longer. At 5pm, I have tea and take a swim in our heated outdoor pool.

Often, Jeanne and I are attending a dinner function, so our chauffeur will pick us up at 6.30pm. If not, I'll head back to the Hoste and into the kitchen, see the chef and check on the guest seating. We have a lot of actors and celebrities staying here and I've learnt from the Ivy how to deter autograph hunters through clever seating. I always keep back 20 seats for locals, our most important customers.

I impress on my staff that everyone who comes through the door is doing us a favour, not the other way round. The Ivy is my favourite restaurant. It's such fun. The biggest sin at the Hoste is to be boring. One of the things I like to do with guests is match them up with each other if I see they want to meet other people.

Winning the 1999 Pub Operator of the Year Catey this year gave us more recognition than any other accolade, and we've had a lot of write-ups. It's a great award to get. I work really hard to make my customers happy, but we do get our fair share of professional blackmailers too. If they don't like something, they start threatening me by reporting me to the different guide books. One guest refused to pay his bill so I blocked his car in. He eventually paid up. I won't have a gun held to my head.

At 8.30pm, I slip away. Often, there's a party to go to, but I like to be home by 11pm. Jeanne prefers to be back by 4am so we compromise and return at 11.30pm…

Facts

The Hoste Arms

Burnham Market, Norfolk

Tel: 01328 738257

Owner: Paul Whittome

Current year's turnover: £2m

Occupancy: 80%

Rooms: 28

Number of seats in restaurant: 125

Staff: 60