This much I know: Peter Stokes

Everyone thought we were bonkers, taking on a 300-year-old mansion with 5,000 acres.

Castle Durrow certainly seems like home to me now, although we came to live here purely by accident. We were driving through Durrow village on our way home from looking at a completely different property when someone pointed out the entrance to castle. It was almost totally derelict but a few weeks later we arrived back with a cheque. We simply fell in love with the place, even though it was much too big for the ‘restaurant with accommodation’ which we’d had in mind.

After school, I got a job in an insurance company until I realised that my real dream was to open a restaurant. I opened my first business, Barrels steak and wine bar, in 1976. After that I started Coopers, which became a successful brand.