Log fires have been roaring at The Bull in Benenden, Kent, for centuries and, for Lucy Barron-Reid, creating this atmosphere of cosy conviviality is something that comes naturally to her.
‘I’ve always been very gregarious,’ she says. ‘As a child I adored parties and had lots of friends.’ As a teenager, a Saturday bar job reaffirmed her natural affinity with people. ‘I seemed to find it easy to connect; to have an instinctive knack for knowing what customers needed, whether a friendly chat or a comfy chair.’