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It’s taken much longer than I predicted (why do these things always take three times as long as you think?), but I’ve finally finished updating the course notes for the Bed and Breakfast Course.

They’re now all loaded up and ready to access for anyone already signed up.

The plan was just a quick refresh… but a few tweaks turned into a full top-to-bottom edit. And while I was working through them, I kept getting reminded of all those tiny but weirdly divisive decisions we have to make as B&B owners — things that seem so small but cause such strong opinions.

That gave me the idea for this week’s blog post…

👉 Things B&B Owners Will Never Agree On (And That’s OK!)

From toast timing to baked beans in ramekins, this blog covers some of the classic debates — the ones that come up time and time again in course Q&As and in real-life breakfast rooms.

If you’ve ever worried about whether your guests should make their own toast or if you’re risking a one-star review by leaving out the beans, this one’s for you.

👉 Read the blog here

💻 Making Tax Digital

You may remember I wrote a blog post about Making Tax Digital a few weeks ago.

I’ve just received an email from HMRC advertising a series of webinars to help small businesses understand what’s changing and what they need to do.

👉 HMRC Webinars – Help and Support for Making Tax Digital

🐣 Happy Easter!

If you’re looking for something seasonal and delicious to make this weekend, I have an older blog post which contains my favourite Easter recipes. If you have a chocolate lover in the house, give that brownie recipe a go — you won't be sorry!

👉 My Favourite Easter Recipes

🥔 In the Kitchen

We’re making the most of Jersey Royal season here, and we’ve got a simple but brilliant recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on repeat.

It’s one of those dishes that feels like spring in a bowl — quick, easy, and very green.

Ingredients:

• 300g Jersey Royals
• 100g peas
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• A good knob of butter
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• A handful of chopped fresh mint and parsley
• Salt and pepper

Boil the Jersey Royals until just tender, adding the peas for the final couple of minutes. Drain and set aside.

In the same pan, gently cook the spring onions in the oil and butter until soft. Return the potatoes and peas to the pan, add the chopped herbs and seasoning, and gently crush everything together.

It’s not fancy, but it’s far more than the sum of its parts.

It goes brilliantly with a thick fillet of cod — just dust it with flour, pepper and salt and fry it in a little oil for 5 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through.

📚 Books & TV

I’m feeling a bit bereft now that White Lotus has finished — so I’ve started rewatching season 2 when Rob’s not around. Still just as brilliant the second time.

Book-wise, I’ve been on a bit of an Audible binge:

• Aren’t We Lucky
• The Honeymoon
• The First Wife’s Shadow

All easy listens, nothing too heavy — perfect background company when you’re cleaning rooms, in the kitchen or pounding up the lane trying to get your steps in.

Wishing you a restful long weekend and lovely guests,

Karen

P.S. Thinking about running a B&B but not sure where to start? My First Steps Workshop will help you figure out if it’s right for you.

P.P.S. Ready to dive in and make your B&B dream a reality? My Complete Bed and Breakfast Course offers everything you need to set up, run, and market a successful B&B. Get immediate access to comprehensive training, templates, and resources to help you create the B&B you dream of.

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