My least popular blog post ever was “How to run a B&B in a power cut” so let’s talk about how you may want to lower your standards.
It’s the blog post you can’t be bothered to read until the lights go out just before you’re about to start cooking breakfast. And by then it’s too late and you’ve got no Wi-Fi anyway.
We’re in the middle of a power cut right now and I’m reminded of how, when you’ve got no guests in, a power cut is a mild inconvenience. But when your house is full it’s a nightmare. One day, all 6 guests were due at 9am and we lost power at 8.55. They’d all ordered a different special including waffles, pancakes and eggs Benedict, not to mention that they were all copious toast eaters.
In that blog, one tip is to have a gas hob, but even with that, I was swearing like a navvy.
My mistake was trying to create exactly the same breakfast the guests enjoyed when I had a fully functioning kitchen. It would have been easier to say – sorry, no power, help yourself to granola and here’s £20 off your stay.
Sometimes you just need to relax and accept the situation.
The world won’t end if the guests don’t get a cooked breakfast. And now is not the time – if you’ve always made blender hollandaise – to try the traditional method using a Bain Marie and a hand whisk – believe me, there will be tears!
As the mug a wise friend bought me says: “If all else fails, lower your standards.”
