My life has changed so much in the last eight years. Prior to starting our journey with Warner’s [a premium gin brand] with my husband Tom, I worked in private equity in the City. My day had a defined routine. Now work is all-encompassing.
I clock off late on a Friday as I enjoy having peace in the office to get on top of my to-do list once everyone has left. I usually get home around 7pm. It was never my intention to work with Tom and we’ve had to set boundaries as we are both so purpose-driven. We often say we make “graft” gin in the authentic way – dirty hands, hard work, full hearts and a deep love of the land and a respect for our community. One rule is: work talk does not leave the kitchen. Of course a G+T is a natural wind down and I still like our original elderflower gin which kick-started the flavoured gin trend and was my late mother-in-law Adele’s recipe. After supper, Tom and I usually settle down to watch The Graham Norton Show.

Saturday morning starts with a cuddle with Leia, our Newfoundland poodle, before heading out for breakfast. I like Farndon Fields Farm Shop for a delicious farmer’s fry-up. My weekend style is country casual. I’m addicted to colourful, comfy activewear for home, while walking boots and woollies are essential outdoors. I try to get into nature for a good walk to clear my head. I have two strength training sessions during the week and at weekends Tom and I will also cycle, weather permitting. There are proper hills around us which makes these excursions interesting. We are currently in training for a summer 50-mile charity cycle for Cynthia Spencer Hospice. It has a special meaning for us as Tom’s mother spent her final days there and we’re so lucky to have so many of the Warner’s team getting involved too.

I’ve always loved living in the countryside. A year ago we moved to the lovely village of Spratton. The 200-year old Falls Farm [in Harrington, Northamptonshire] is our company HQ and it attracts a lot of visitors, especially now that our award-winning RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden has been transplanted here. We find the move to our new home has given us a lot more freedom at the weekend as we used to find it hard to switch off from work.

Spratton is surrounded by rolling hills with spinneys of trees – it’s picture postcard perfect. We inherited an established garden and have a tulip tree with a preservation order and many varieties of peonies, which will be a joy come May. Wisteria grows on the house and on the pergola. I’ve just planted a climbing Dublin Bay rose – a gift from my mother – and recently seeded some vegetables but have more planting to do. There are no shortages of garden centres around us.

Gardening is integral to our gin: the botanicals grown at Falls Farm are used in production, as is fresh honey from our apiaries. Our aim is always to give back more than we take by resowing, replanting and rebuilding. Thanks to our conservation efforts, we have won various awards, including the Footprint Drinks Sustainability Award 2019 and we are proud of our Honeybee Gin initiatives – supporting pollinators through improving habitat, providing education and our ongoing work with the RHS.

Saturday lunch with friends might be in our local gastro pub The Kings Head, which has a great gourmet brunch. I wish my family were closer. The last time I was home [in North Dublin] was at New Year. When I’m there I love to visit Skerries where the Stoop Your Head restaurant does amazing seafood. If it’s a special occasion I will take my parents to Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud. I occasionally meet up with fellow distillers and have the greatest respect for the Bertha’s Revenge team, and I love what ShortCross are doing at Rademon Estate. I worked briefly for the family business [Keogh’s Crisps] and we try to help each other out when we can, especially if some opportunities come up with distribution and export.

Tom and I enjoy throwing dinner parties, especially now we have a gorgeous dining room. Tom is the chef and is an adventurous experimenter, while I am the pâtisserie expert. When Tom is cooking, I look after the table and drinks trolley. Our dinners often descend into full-on house parties with dancing in the kitchen and late-night karaoke sessions. It’s great fun!

If we are not hosting friends, on a Saturday night you might find us building adult Lego sets – a new thing – great for mindfulness. We are currently assembling the Millennium Falcon and a Bugatti Veron.

Sunday mornings, we take Leia for a long walk in Harlestone Firs, part of the vast Althorp estate. For lunch, The Red Lion in East Haddon is a longtime favourite. For an indulgent weekend Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons never disappoints. Tom and I took a cookery course at Le Manoir for his 40th birthday and enjoyed it so much we did a follow-up breadmaking course with Benoît Blin [the resident pâtisserie chef ]. I also love Le Manoir’s acres of kitchen gardens, which is what we have been implementing at Falls Farm.

To round off the weekend, I like nothing more than sitting by the fire and reading the papers. After that I get my laptop out and start prepping for the week ahead. We have so much in the pipeline at the moment. Soon we will be announcing news about a dandelion-based drink – an exciting diversification of the brand. A weed is a plant in the wrong place! www.warnersdistillery.com