You may remember that earlier this year, along with a few good friends (and usual victims), I invested a small amount in a lovely pub in Great Horkesley–outside Colchester on the Essex/Suffolk border.

The pub has been doing amazingly well. Earlier in the summer, Ed and his team made the final five of the Best Restaurant category in Suffolk Magazine. And then there was a nice mention in The Independent. And just the other week, Ed won a fantastic contest offering early-stage entrepreneurs a package of business support worth £50,000.  Just quoting from the article…”Included in the prize are PR consultancy and implementation from Voice to the value of £15,000; design consultancy and creative services from Zeal to the value of £15,000; and advertising in the East Anglian Daily Times to the value of £10,000.”

If you have a spare Saturday and are in the Colchester area, please drop by the pub and say hi to Ed for me! Check the Rose & Crown Web site for location and contact details. Congratulations Ed!

Become a fan of The Rose & Crown on Facebook!

The post An Update on The Rose & Crown, Great Horkesley first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

I can’t put my finger on the moment that it all clicked into place. One evening, you’re having dinner with friends. The next, you’ve decided to all invest in a pub together. A pub in Essex. The Long Island of England! And a place I’ve only been once before, and nowhere near Colchester at that.

But so it was and so it was meant to be. I suppose it started with Rutton getting married and Ed cooking dinner for the boys during Rutton’s stag weekend somewhere in Suffolk. Ed, formerly of Pétrus, wanted to open his own place close to where he grew up. Rutton raved about Ed’s venison. And then I had Ed’s baby lamb chops and truffled mash at that dinner, and well, the deal was sealed.

Doing what I do–as a hobby, mind you–I know perhaps better than most that most new restaurants are ill-fated. But sometimes fate has other ideas, and having gotten to know Ed over the last few months, I feel very very good about the Rose & Crown and the very beautiful part of England that it’s in. I hope to make it out to Great Horkesley for Sunday lunch sometime in June. If you’re interested in joining, drop a comment down below and I will arrange a field trip! Colchester is exactly an hour from Liverpool Street, and then it’s about a 15 minute taxi ride from there.

Ah yes, and that other bit…this is officially my 750th blog post, if you can believe that. And with my six-year blogging anniversary coming up in June, well, that’s 125 posts per year or roughly one post every three days. Not so shabby, huh?

The post 750 blog posts! And I, uh, invested in a pub… first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.