Trade Secrets - A Hoste of Ideas - The Hoste Arms,Burnham Market, Norfolk

This month, Max Gosney talks to Paul Whittome proprietor at the Hoste Arms, in Burnham Market, Norfolk

Rise of the patio heater

I saw them whilst I was in Chicago in the early 1990s. When we first introduced the patio heaters to the pub in 1992 they were still pretty rare so they created quite a talking point among our customers. Even though they're much more commonplace now, the patio heaters help to bring people outside and enjoy al-fresco drinking or dining from April through to late summer.

Stoked up about giant Aga

It's one of the world's largest Agas and provides a fantastic bit of kit for my head chef Rory Whelan and his team. It's quite an unusual feature for a rural pub to have such a large kitchen, but with 120 covers, the chefs need the extra space. The Aga is fitted with a char grill, three ovens, 18 gas hobs, a wok, an electric overhead grill and a smoker. Basically it's equipped with everything the chefs require to keep the orders up to speed on a busy service. Facilities like the built-in wok means that you can cook a stir-fry in a couple of minutes and the smoker means Rory can smoke his own salmon, ham and vegetables. I bought the Aga on a trip to Tokyo last year.

Ash rejuvenates the bar

When I bought the pub the bar was decked out with mock portholes to look like the hull of a boat. It was the height of bad taste and I wanted to put something more traditional in its place. I stripped away the fittings and restored the pine-wood bar, which gave a warm homely feel to the pub. Then five years ago I decided to deck it with ash and I think it looks even better. It cost about £30,000, which was a bargain considering the character it offers. I think it's important that customers walk in and see an old-fashioned bar area.

For a juicy breakfast

I am a big fan of freshly-squeezed juice and this machine is superb. I bought it in Chicago at a trade fare, although the machine is manufactured in Germany. It delivers a delicious fruit juice and is easy to operate. As this is an inn, we have a greater focus on breakfast than other pubs - proper orange juice is a part of a good breakfast.

Rooms out of Africa

We wanted to create a luxurious ambience in the bedrooms, and my wife Jeanne, has done a fabulous job. Jeanne was born in South Africa and that influence is expressed in her interior design. We have standard hotel rooms as well as a nine-bedroom Zulu wing. The African-styled quarters include shields, pictures of elephants, duvets emblazoned with cheetahs and a Zulu spear staircase. The penthouse has a hidden TV that rises from its camouflage at the press of a button. The rooms also feature lots of browns, reds and oranges to create a safari feel. Many of the bathrooms have been fitted out by designer, Fired Earth, to bring a bespoke, elegant style. Egyptian cotton sheets, which are extremely good quality and are traditionally only found in top hotels, are fitted to many of the beds.

Eurocave

With the Hoste's focus on quality wines, this is a useful facility. It can store up to 300 bottles of wine at their optimum temperature and protect them against excessive vibration. The wine storage unit ensures our wine is in the best condition. Poor storage can spoil a wine and when you've gone to the extra effort to ensure that it's the best possible quality that's the last thing you want.

Falling for a fountain

Jeanne found the water fountain in a London design shop. It's a really attractive and quite unusual feature, which I'm very fond of. Having a water fountain contributes to the relaxed ambience of the conservatory and the children always seem to be captivated by the movement of water. I paid about £2,000 for the piece, which I think is good value for the interest it generates.

Fine wine, fine storage

I want the Hoste Arms to offer the best-value selection of premium wines in the UK. To help me achieve this goal, in March 2004 I recruited sommelier David Prior, from Waddesdon Manor in Waddesdon near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. The wine list is highly eclectic and ranges from £10.95 for our house wine to £525 for a bottle of Chateau Petrus Bordeaux 1983. We have three main suppliers Matthew Clark, T&W Wines, in Brandon, Suffolk, and Bordeaux Index, in Farringdon, London. These cover our value, mid-range and premium selections. We have around 300 bins and sell about 30,000 bottles each year. House wines account for more than 30% of this figure. The wines are sourced from traditional producers such as France, South Africa and Chile. We are currently investing in a new £350,000 underground cellar for our fine-wine collection.

Spuds - the meal ticket

During quieter moments I sometimes come and take a look at this photograph just so I can remember where it all began. I set up the potato-selling business in 1977 when I began selling vegetables on a roadside in Peterborough. I supplied potatoes to large fish and chip shop chains like Harry Ramsden's and developed improved methods of storing potatoes to deliver a better chip. By the end of the 1980s I had made enough money to sell up and buy the Hoste Arms as a freehold. It was a great achievement, though I often think that I missed out on having fun in my 20s because I was working so hard.

Tasting sweet success

Our Assietee of Hoste has been incredibly popular because we get a lot of people who would rather try several desserts than stick to one. The sharing platter includes warm apricot clafoutis and clotted cream and a trio of apple crumble, milkshake and mousse. We sell around 200 portions of the dish each week and it accounts for a quarter of all dessert orders. It's on the menu priced £7.95 for two people. I think it's a success because customers like to mix and match and the small portions mean they can eat as little or as much as they like. The platter also looks fantastic.