The Melksham Food and Drink Festival, 2010, was launched at Well House Manor this morning. The vital stuff:

• Waitrose was announced as the 'lead' sponsor (I hope I have that term right), with Leekes also being a major sponsor of the event ...And other sponsors are sought too; if you have food and drink connections and want to take up the opportunities that sponsorship offers, there's details and a form at the web site here.

• The festival takes part from 25th June to 4th July - a wide variety of events is planned following up on last year's successes - and participants are sought. There also a form for participant to apply / express an interest here.

• If you live in Melksham, put 4th July in your diary already - that's the day that there will be a food fayre in the grounds of Melksham House. If you don't live in Melksham, you should also put 4th July in your diary AND book to make the trip here to see what a wonderful town this is ... why not have a weekend away and stay at Well House Manor [Book]. Please book early - it'll be busy in the town that weekend as it's also the Town Crier Competition in the adjoining market place, and with free entry to both events this really will be the Wiltshire town to be in!


OK. That's the marketing stuff done. A healthy breakfast, using appropriate locat produce was provided and enjoyed by all. The scale was larger than our normal breakfast - catering for over 30 rather than for a maximum of 10 hotel guests necessitates a few changes from the normal arrangements, but we stuck very much to our "makes yourselves at home - help yourselves to plenty". And, yes, we were all set up for the Gluten free requirements of Celiacs (UK spelling - Coeliac), for vegetarians, and for people who simply don't like croissants and wanted bread to make up a Wiltshire Ham Sandwich ;-)

The fresh fruit salad went down a treat ... and we noted that most of our guests preferred that to the cereal option. We've asked ourselves why our fruit salads are so popular in the past, and concluded that it's because we prepare them fresh and (in the case of this morning) don't actually mix the fruit but allow people to select the fruit they like from separate bowls. Perhaps I shouldn't call it a fruit salad, but apples, pears, pineapple, kiwi, melon, grapes, clementines and pomegranate!


A breakfast such as the one we provided this morning is an excellent opportunity for us at Well House Manor to "show our wares" to the community and to businesses who we might not otherwise be in touch with - including new businesses who are just moving to the town and for whom setup staff and visiting specialist in the future will need somewhere to stay.

Here's Celebrity Chef Peter Vaughan, who is one of the faces of the festival, with Pam Wiltshire doing 'publicity pictures' for the cook book that they're bringing out for the festival ... the idea is that everyone contributes their favourite recipe and the book is published in time for the festival. (Yes - "everyone" includes YOU!). If you have a recipe ... I guess the best way to submit it is to email it to Maggie or Pam.

Finally - a big "thank you" to our team. Chris did a magnificent job on the morning, and so did Sarah on "preps" the night before. Lisa has put together the whole "Well House Manor" experience ... the "wow" that people feel there, and keeping that "wow" rolling along. Without any one of those three, the event wouldn't have been the success that it was, and I wouldn't have been in that slighly embarrassing position of receiving all those congratulations on the launch.

(written 2010-01-21, updated 2010-01-22)

 M400 - Well House Manor - The Hospitality Business
  [774] Bed and Breakfast, or Hotel? - (2006-06-22)
  [884] Drive time - (2006-10-02)
  [922] Staying at your own hotel - (2006-11-12)
  [988] You should think you're first in a hotel room - (2006-12-15)
  [1002] Meet the neighbours - (2006-12-20)
  [1046] Bounce, bounce, bounce - (2007-01-20)
  [1048] Getting rid of people - hotel techniques - (2007-01-21)
  [1084] Writing terms and conditions for conferences and other events - (2007-02-17)
  [1108] Express service - (2007-03-14)
  [1122] Hotel - online feedback forms compared - (2007-03-30)
  [1161] A contrast in room rates and facilities - (2007-04-25)
  [1180] Conjugation - (2007-05-08)
  [1248] How NOT to oversell a hotel - (2007-06-27)
  [1284] An update on the West Wilts show ... - (2007-07-30)
  [1421] Castle Lodge Hotel, Ely, Cambridgeshire - (2007-11-04)
  [1422] Wiltshire - speaker / after dinner talker offer - (2007-11-05)
  [1445] Looking after you Christmas Customer Crowds - (2007-11-26)
  [1548] Hotelympia - show report - the lighter side - (2008-02-21)
  [1622] An extra step - victory from defeat - (2008-04-25)
  [1792] All the pieces fall into place - hotel and courses - (2008-09-10)
  [1877] Guests doing a bunk? - (2008-11-09)
  [2007] Launch of Melksham Food and Drink Festival - (2009-01-24)
  [2283] Everyone is in the customer relations business - (2009-07-12)
  [2303] Turning potential customers away - (2009-07-24)
  [2724] Escapee Grandparents welcome - Henfield and Melksham - (2010-04-15)
  [2879] Night Porter and reception - 24 hours a day? - (2010-07-20)
  [2936] The service that customers should receive - (2010-08-27)
  [3147] Hotel star ratings - towards a better system of review - (2011-01-25)
  [3164] Brown - or Mrs Sally Brown, accountant from Whitstable? - (2011-02-10)
  [3309] Tipping Policy - Well House Manor - (2011-05-29)
  [3660] A Pivotal Incident - learning how to welcome your guests - (2012-03-18)
  [3743] Sunday - no longer a day of rest - (2012-05-28)
  [3832] A busy day at Well House Manor - so come in and make it even busier! - (2012-08-10)
  [3838] Guest review - Well House Manor, Melksham - (2012-08-14)
  [3909] Every Customer Counts - (2012-11-01)
  [3988] Three cheers for the staff at Well House Manor - (2013-01-24)
  [4033] Official Star ratings for hotels - still worth having? - (2013-03-07)
  [4051] On reading a new hotel review - (2013-03-24)
  [4202] Excellent Railfuture conference, but some setup lessons - (2013-11-03)
  [4232] Not wanted here - hotel guests who will not be happy - (2013-12-30)
  [4321] Are administration / review charges on hotel guests acceptable? - (2014-11-20)
  [4521] Should we get an AA or Visit Wiltshire hotel assessment? - (2015-10-09)
  [4543] Saturday morning at Well House Manor - (2015-10-17)
  [4603] Happy New Year. Our customers are our ambassadors - (2016-01-01)
  [4613] Our best hotel customers help us ... to help them ... be our best customers. - (2016-01-04)

M105 - Well House Manor - Where to eat
  [1226] Melksham Art Cafe - (2007-06-09)
  [1329] Subway Restaurant in Melksham, Wiltshire - (2007-09-02)
  [1332] Melksham Hotel - Five Star Kitchen! - (2007-09-04)
  [1359] Little Gems but not Lettuce - (2007-09-20)
  [1843] How many cups of coffee? - (2008-10-17)
  [1957] Why are cooks bad tempered? - (2008-12-22)
  [2239] Cornerstone Cafe, Melksham - (2009-06-14)
  [2584] Melksham Food and Drink Festival, 2010 - (2010-01-17)
  [3127] Burger me! - (2011-01-10)
  [3182] What we look for in a lunchtime cafe restaurant in Melksham - (2011-02-24)
  [3199] Lunch for Melksham Businesses - (2011-03-11)
  [3295] Strawberry Cream Teas, Coffee straight from the Bean and freshly squeezed orange juice - Melksham, every afternoon - (2011-05-20)
  [3304] Scones with or without fruit? - (2011-05-26)
  [3308] Behind the scenes - setting up a cafe - (2011-05-29)
  [3327] Why are chefs miserable? - (2011-06-18)
  [3643] Hotel food, Melksham - enjoy the variety of the American way - (2012-03-08)
  [3708] Strawberry Cream Teas in Melksham - available every day this summer - (2012-04-25)
  [3719] Strawberry Cream Teas, Well House Manor, Melksham, starting this weekend - (2012-05-04)
  [3861] Melksham Food Festival - the food fayre - pictures - (2012-09-17)
  [3977] A variety of continental breakfasts - (2013-01-16)
  [4018] Afternoon Teas and Breakfasts at Well House Manor - (2013-02-24)
  [4567] Japanese and Malaysian food in Melksham - (2015-11-01)
  [4582] A near-empty plate of pastries - sign of a breakfast enjoyed - (2015-11-22)

Back to Re-using our pictures

Previous and next or Horse's mouth home

Forward to Melksham Area - your community view is sought

Does my course include breakfast, lunch, dinner and a hotel room?
Http protocol - what does a web server send
Twelve skills / knowledges needed for the design of a web site
Melksham Area - your community view is sought
Food and drink launch
Re-using our pictures
Melksham Hotel, B and B or business accommodation?
A healthy, local breakfast in Melksham
Your PHP code does not work? Here is where to start looking.
Freddies Wood and the K and A Canal