Mendip Living Aug - Sep 2021

MEET THE
Fromies
We talk to businesses
in and around Frome
who are passionate
about what they do...
Rode post office, general store
& cafe
Who are the ladies behind the counter at
Rode post office? Sam, Michaela, Demi,
Wendy and Lucy... Sam is mother and Demi
and Michaela are my daughters.
It’s more than just a post office?
We have a fully stocked shop ranging from
local ham and bacon to candles for gifts.
Tell us about the amazing homemade
cakes you make? Michaela the eldest
daughter tends to make most of the cakes.
What else in on the menu?
Tea cakes to ploughman’s.
What times is the café open?
Every day.
Hope Farmhouse
It was always a bit of a magical house to
live in, knowing it was so old - the original
part of the house was built 300 years ago
and belonged to the carter of the Longleat
estate. It doesn’t have any farm land
anymore, but you can still feel the coolness
of what was the old dairy in the summer,
and logs are still stored in the ‘pig sty’ even
if the pigs are long gone. We moved in when
I was seven. We spent a few years without
central heating and a single electric shower,
and when my parents decided to build what
would become the high-ceilinged kitchen we
enjoy now, we had another few years with a
hole in the wall and a camping stove in the
living room. It wasn’t always comfortable,
but for me Hope Farmhouse will always be a
place where we spent long summers playing
barefoot in the garden until the light failed
and Christmas day in front of a log fire.
You’ve been busy renovating the farm
house right?
We have. We have been trying to sell the
property for some time with little success,
so we decided to see if we could make
it work as a holiday home and hopefully
share some of its magic with other families.
It needed quite a bit of TLC to get it back
in shape. Of course there was a lot of
bargains that needed be found, leaks and
unforeseen difficulties to be dealt with - not
to mention a year delay due to you-knowwhat
- but Facebook marketplace and a
team of excellent local tradespeople made
it happen.
Where can I see more about you?
We have a website at hopefarmfrome.com
with lots of pictures and a little history about
the house. We can be found on Instagram
and Facebook with @hopefarmfrome - and
less often on Twitter as I’m not so good with
a limited word count.
The cooking School
Who are the cooking school?
Based in the beautiful Old Silk Mills in
Warminster, we are a unique culinary
school that offers a wide range of exciting
classes for all ages and abilities. We can
take you across the globe with street food
from around the world or prepare you for a
perfect summer with best of British picnics
and summer fruit puddings. Expert chefs
lead our lessons which celebrate delicious,
seasonal food and are accessible to all
levels of culinary ability.
What type of classes do you hold?
We offer evening, all-day and half-day
classes. Our evening classes start with a
glass of fizz and take you through every step
of creating a delicious meal. If you want a
more in-depth lesson, the half and all-day
classes will teach you how to make three
course masterpieces. At the end of all our
lessons, there will be time to eat and enjoy
the meal you have created. If you are looking
for a more bespoke event we also offer
children’s parties, team building sessions,
hen nights and private bookings.
How can I find more info?
Tel: 01985 213214
Email: info@thecookingschool
www.thecookingschool.com
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