The smell of rosemary, as they brushed along the neat hedge skirting the stone path that ran through the herb garden, was wonderful. Every now and then Adrienne would stop beside another plant, pluck a leaf, rub it between her fingers and offer it around to encourage them to smell and try to identify it. Hannah managed sage, mint, parsley, and basil, while Meredith identified tarragon, chives, lemon verbena, oregano, and thyme but Alan was the standout winner naming borage, feverfew, chervil, and sorrel. Jason hung at the back, his hands in his pockets and an impatient expression on his face, making it clear this wasn’t his bag.

Bees abounded in the immaculately planted gardens, buzzing busily from flower to flower. Neat stone paths weaved in and out of the different beds and as the group walked through, brushing against the different plants, the air was perfumed with bursts of herbal scents.

From the pretty enclosed herb garden, Adrienne shepherded them through an arch towards a vast vegetable garden, although she had to double back and collect Meredith, who had her head buried in a patch of Thai basil.

‘Sorry, it’s just such a fragrant smell. It’s wonderful.’

Adrienne nodded, delighted with her enthusiasm. ‘This is our vegetable garden.’ She swept out an arm. As far as the eye could see, there were neatly tended raised beds, patches of earth with tender shoots, towering canes loaded with greenery and a huge arched polytunnel which stretched away into the distance. ‘We grow a large proportion of our ingredients here. Everything from courgettes, aubergines, potatoes, and tomatoes, to peas, beans, cucumbers, and lettuce. We also grow our own fruit. Over to the west,’ she pointed, ‘we’ve got an orchard where we grow apples and pears. At the back there, we have our fruit canes where we grow soft fruit.’

A woman with long, dark hair and milky skin, looking rather romantic in her long summer dress and wearing a large, brimmed hat was wandering along with an older man with slightly bandy legs who wore a smart panama. As they ambled between the beds they picked this and that, putting their harvest into the large trugs they carried. They made an idyllic picture.

‘Whatever they collect, we’ll be eating for dinner,’ said Adrienne as she saw Hannah’s gaze stray their way. ‘Part of my philosophy is to eat seasonally. So whatever is in season is served in the restaurant for dinner and each menu is prepared weekly, or sometimes monthly, according to what is available.’

‘Sounds like a lot of work to me,’ muttered Jason.

Fliss gave him a disparaging sneer. ‘What sort of restaurant do you work in? A burger bar?’