Inspiration

Behind the scenes with our Nic from The Great B&B Challenge

Sawday's Expert

5 min read

Our most experienced inspector and the soul of Sawday’s, Nicola Crosse was an obvious choice to be a judge on a TV programme which challenged couples to show off their hospitality skills in the hope of winning a B&B in France. She talks us through bringing her unique Sawday’s perspective to the show, getting friction burns and having to make the heartbreaking final decision.

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France

For over twenty years I’ve been lucky enough to inspect some wonderful Special Places for Sawday’s. I’ve seen hundreds of B&Bs, hotels, pubs with rooms and self-catering cottages, met their kind and generous owners, eaten far too much cake (inspecting takes a hard toll on the waistline) and generally had a marvellous time. But I’ve never had to do it in front of a camera before. Quite a different matter I discovered! This summer, I was whisked off to France for three weeks to be a judge on a television programme called The Great B&B Challenge. Six couples were competing to win a beautiful house in the Limousin National Park (an incredible, life-changing prize), then run it as a B&B.

Before I met any of the couples I was introduced to the three other judges. Eva, who works for the AA Hotels Guide and Andrew and Brennan who run a very smart boutique hotel outside Malaga. I was a tad nervous about meeting them but I definitely shouldn’t have been as we became instant friends – they’re all absolutely gorgeous. Of course we clashed horns now and then, mainly about their obsession with cleanliness and shining chrome! Sawday’s have always been more concerned about generosity of spirit, bags of character and delicious food, although of course we do like good beds and sparkling bathrooms.

Over two ‘heat weeks’ the six couples were deposited in a beautiful holiday house, given a budget and then ‘judged’ by us as they had curve balls thrown at them – a dash to strange shops, getting the rooms ‘dressed’, early arrivals, more guests each day, welcome gifts, breakfasts and a dinner to prepare, a judge turning up unexpectedly, an event to organise which reflected their own passions in life – all under the scrutiny of the cameras, and all while trying to smile serenely and look completely unruffled. Quite a tall order. Through all of this us judges made notes, observed them greeting guests, checked bedrooms and bathrooms for things they may have forgotten and watched keenly for any sign that this B&B malarkey might not be their bag.

Two of the couples didn’t make it through to finals week, but four of them did and this was spent in the actual house (stunningly charming and rural) they were trying to win. Each couple hosted the judges for a night, with dinner included, breakfast the next morning, then an excursion. This was meant to express the unique selling point of their business should they win the house. Way out of my comfort zone, I experienced felting (I was terrible), flower arranging (not bad!), a visit to a bee farm (fascinating) and a paddle boarding session on a lake (terrified to attempt standing up on camera, I got friction burns on my knees). But watching Andrew and Brennan trying to get onto a double board was something I’ll never forget.

The final day was a Dragon’s Den style interview, with the remaining four couples presenting their business plans to us. Very daunting for the couples, and extremely tricky for us, as all they were all so lovely, and working incredibly hard to win. At the end of this we were sequestered in a quiet room and told to make our choice. We had our own notes to help us, and the comments from guests who had stayed with all of the couples – these were really helpful. In my opinion, we didn’t just have to choose the right couple, we had to choose the right couple for this place – this ancient house, in a very sleepy village, in a truly quiet part of France, hours from an airport. For me, it wasn’t about the snazziest business plan, driving for maximum occupancy and a rip-roaringly profitable business. I wanted someone keen to immerse themselves in village life, sort out the garden, keep a few chickens and greet guests as friends. I was looking for people who love people – just the sort of owners which Sawday’s have been finding and nurturing for all these years. Whether or not my fellow judges shared my inclination, you’ll just have to watch the show to find out.

Weirdly, having been very camera shy at first, I forgot they were there most of the time – I was having too much fun to care! The whole crew were absolutely wonderful, kind, caring and very hard working. I’ll never watch telly again in the same way and I take my hat off to all those lovely people. Bring on Series Two!

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Nicola Crosse

Sawday's Expert

Nic modestly describes herself as a pig keeper with typing skills. Having been at the company since it was run from an old farmhouse, she is actually the ultimate arbiter of whether or not a place is right for us. She divides her time between caring for our owners, inspecting new places and appearing as a judge on Channel 4’s The Great B&B Challenge. She is presently pigless, but plans are a-trotter for a bit of land and a new litter.

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