At 4.00 p.m. I get the familiar feeling of anxiety – am I completely mad, how will everything come together, will it work having no green food? And we have our first ‘proper’ guests staying in the summer house. I soothe myself by remembering Ash’s beautiful painting and the colours that inspired me. I go outside, pick flowers for garnishing and some rosebuds for the table napkins, it’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow.

Somehow everything gets done, clean sheets on the bed, red salad leaves washed and vegetables prepared, my lovely wait staff have time to play with the kittens.The guests arrive to be greeted with a ‘3 x Rs’ cocktails – an amber rose confection of rhubarb, raspberry and rosehip syrup muddled with other delicsious ingredients, lemon and soda with a dash of angostura bitters (yes, that’s the recipe!).

The girls hand out tiny filos filled with beetroot pate and I can relax and enjoy the ambience; everyone seems to be having a good time. The tomato soup is tasty and looks pretty with the swirl of cream sauce. The salt cod, an Italian Valentine’s special is a bit salty, the saffron threads are pretty and the two roast pepper sauces superb.

We forget to serve the red cabbage with the llama back straps but everything else flows, the kittens have learned not to jump on the table. The cheese decorating is a success and the desert and home made drinks are enjoyed. Guests are relaxed and the evening ends slowly.

I think I will carry on.