A consummate pro, with time for all of us

A friend of ours, Paul Whittome, owner of the legendary Hoste Arms, passed away recently.

We first met Paul when he came into our newly-refurbished pub in 1988 and with refreshing honesty said that he had "come to pinch some ideas" as he had just bought a pub and this was one of his favourites.

It was a great compliment that he wanted to emulate us and over the years we became good friends with Paul and his wife, Jeanne.

At that time the Hoste was a very run-down pub in a sleepy coastal village called Burnham Market in Norfolk.

I expect a lot of readers will not only have heard of the Hoste, but also experienced the wonderful hospitality there.

As the years passed we followed Paul's progress with awe. He and Jeanne, being consummate professionals, gradually turned the Hoste into a multi-million pound business attracting a large, diverse clientele, and showed what could be achieved with hard work and determination.

The village also underwent a complete transformation and is now dubbed Chelsea-on-Sea.

No matter how many famous faces have passed through the doors of the Hoste, Paul always had time for everybody when he was there.

One story that we will never forget about Paul was when he, Jeanne and the family called for lunch en-route to Heathrow and their home in South Africa for their usual winter break.

They left in high spirits, looking forward to their holiday. They had been gone for about an hour when we found Jeanne's handbag containing all the travel documents, passports and travellers' cheques.

We couldn't contact them by mobile phones, radio alerts or even police assistance. We are about two-and-a-half hours from Heathrow, check-in time was running out, and the fog was closing in on a murky November afternoon. We had no alternative but to get a taxi for the handbag.

An hour later we received a frantic call from Paul who had just discovered the loss and we were able to tell him to just wait at the check-in desk as the handbag was on the way. He assured us he would pay for the taxi.

The next time we went to the Hoste a chilled bottle of champagne was waiting for us.

He died after losing a year-long battle with cancer, but has left an incredible legacy, achieving so much during his too-short life.

Due to him we now have a wealth of marvellous pubs and restaurants along the north Norfolk coast.

He really raised the standards by putting Burnham Market on the map.

This quote is from his friend and television presenter Stephen Fry: "Paul left the party this morning. He was dressed in his blue velvet smoking jacket; he looked out over the salt water marshes and quietly slipped away."

Trish McManus is licensee of the Hare Arms in Stow Bardolph, Norfolk.​