Nell and Edward

About Nell and Edward

Edward was born and raised in Norfolk and is half-Chinese. His mum is Malaysian Chinese, ensuring a multilingual upbringing. Edward impressively speaks English, Cantonese, Malay and French.

Eleanor is from Ely, Cambridgeshire and refers to herself and her personality as “hospitality through and through”. She is extremely people-orientated and has been from an early age, working on punting boats in Cambridge from the age of 14.

Eleanor and Edward met back in 2019, when they were both working for City Pub Group—Eleanor as a waitress and bartender, and Edward as the regional executive chef.

Although Edward originally trained as an engineer at university, it was his part-time work in a bar during this time that led him to the kitchen and his passion for food. He has since had an industrious career working as a chef, including working for Gordon Ramsey and training as a cook in a French chateau, so the pressures of chateau-owning should now be a piece of cake!

The pair are best friends and work very well together as a team, although they admit that their brains are wired completely differently! They often struggle to articulate their ideas to one-another and result in having to draw it out and create models instead. They have since, however, worked through their creative differences—after 3 years and several arguments in B&Q!

Their DIY journey

Eleanor and Edward bought their Victorian terrace in Norwich in 2021 and installed an ensuite bathroom upstairs. They have also completely renovated their garden, adding decking and a terrace to such a high standard that they got married there a year later! They have also transformed their living room, adding a log burner feature.

Edward’s father used to own properties, so growing up Ed was often roped into helping out and learned DIY skills from a young age. He is particularly skilled in carpentry and decorating, and can turn his hand to most things.

DIY projects have slowed somewhat since the introduction of their 1 and a half year-old daughter, Nora, but whenever they have any spare time, the pair love to get their hands dirty and stuck in with a project.

The Dream

It is Eleanor and Edward’s joint dream to own a chateau in France, and with their combined wealth of experience in hospitality, they would run it as an eco-resort. It would be really luxurious, whilst keeping in touch with nature.

The couple would appeal to guests who are food lovers, people who are interested in crafts and for those who want to come and look at gardening and a sustainable way of living. The plan would be to grow and produce 80% of everything sold or consumed on the grounds.