(Re)-Setting the Table

Aidan Lang and Linda Kitchen are the new owners of Harrabeer Country House in Yelverton on Dartmoor. “This statement still comes as somewhat of a shock to us, having worked as artists and managers in the world of opera all our lives,” Linda explains.

She adds that their experience in the performing arts has prepared them for many aspects of what is required of them now. “Having travelled the world, we’ve experienced a range of cuisine and hospitality and fostered an interest in people – and so, being faced with running a bed and breakfast business, our eyes were wide open.”

She continues: “Our table is no longer an office desk or stage set, but one that is laid for breakfast. It’s exciting and engaging. And we’re not short of stories to tell – from the daily occurrences at Harrabeer to the experiences our guests share with us. We feel that each person is enriching us and also the fabric of the building, which is already laden with history dating back to 1650.”

Linda was a diminutive soprano who had a wonderful career singing around the world as well as in the UK. She finds it hard to label herself as an opera singer though, since she found her identity in many other roles, such as director, teacher, writer and mother of a brilliant singer-songwriter, Hesta Banks. As parents, seeing their child grow into an artist has been their greatest joy.

The mindset of running their own business was not so alien to the couple but the tasks and lifestyle are a complete change. Aidan’s day has shifted from working on large-scale opera productions, and managing a company of chorus, orchestra and office staff, as well as navigating the changing political and financial landscape of the arts.

He now wakes to the sound of the alarm, which compels him downstairs to turn on the oven to prepare his precious baked tomatoes. This is swiftly followed by a timetabled sequence and precise cooking of all the other breakfast ingredients.

This meticulously thought-through regime has come from research, as well as the shock of finding Linda cooking the first breakfast for their guests! Like an improvising disc jockey, Linda was wielding frying pans, juggling spatulas and spinning her metal discs, in order to turn a ‘pretty respectable’ fried breakfast onto the plate. It was clear, though, that her cooking style was not easily replicable, so she happily allowed Aidan’s calmer, tried and tested method to take over!

For Aidan and Linda, thinking differently and creatively is a given, which has allowed them to put their stamp on Harrabeer Country House in a very short time. Their free spirit has equipped them with the ability to embrace this latest journey – they’re not fazed by a different place to call home, but rather loving the challenge of a new adventure. Devon may be a new county for them, but it’s one filled with promise.