James & Fjona are the founders of Michelin Starred destination Hampton Manor.

We design and deliver engaging and inspiring company retreats.  Through story, workshops and world class hospitality we create the space and stimulus for your teams to converse, reflect and engage with your deeper purpose and values.

The world is transitioning to a new kind of luxury. Consumers are moving from making purchases for status reasons to choosing brands that deliver experience and meaning built on sustainable values and ethics.  Future consumers are less interested in what they own and more interested in how they experience the world and leave it in a better way for future generations.

Lets us help you unlock the conversations about thriving in this future.

In 2008 at the age of 26 James & Fjona embarked on the ambitious task of restoring a dilapidated country estate. Together they have directed all aspects of the redevelopment to create a multi layered destination experience.

The scope of the project has extended to the opening of 3 restaurants, a bakery, a working walled garden run on organic principles and 24 bedrooms.  Recognised widely in the press as a “foodie destination” the estate won a Michelin star, a total of 10 AA rosettes for culinary excellence, a top 20 spot in the 2022 Good Food Guide restaurant awards and in 2023 was crowned the Best restaurant in the UK in the SquareMeal top 100.

James & Fjona have spoken to leading companies on the subject of new luxury and consumer experience including Jaguar Land Rover, Rolex and the Sytner Group.

Settle in, make the manor your home and let the founders guide you through a sensory and immersive team retreat that will unlock the potential of your time together.

We combine bespoke workshops, inspiring talks and convivial hospitality to help create insights and inspiration for your team.  By understanding your goals and objectives we adapt our experience and resources to curate a programme that enables people to move past the distractions and into an engaged and reflective state that can be transformational for your business.

James & Fjona and their team of experts are available for talks and workshops both on and off the estate.  For a fully costed proposal drop us a note with your requirements.

James & Fjona’s Openings:

The Manor House – Five AA Stars for Guest Accommodation

Peel’s Restaurant – Michelin Star, 4 AA Rosettes

Smoke – GQ “One of Britain’s best new restaurants 2022”, Good Food Guide “Very Good”

Grace & Savour – 4 AA Rosettes, Good Food Guide Top 20 Restaurants for 2022,

The UK’s Best Restaurant 2023 in SquareMeal’s top 100

1. Understanding – We come to you…. James and Fjona personally take you through a process to understand the objectives of your time away together.
2. Curation – They design a full offsite experience for you based on a 4 part framework designed to create powerful moments that make a lasting impact.
3. Invitation – Once you’ve signed off on the plan and budgets its time to raise expectations.  Your team will receive a tailored newspaper sent out to prepare them for their visit and what lies ahead.
4. Delivery – You come to us… James and Fjona will personally host your offsite and oversee the experience from start to finish.
5. Capture – So often memories are lost.   We deploy a documentary photographer and ethnographer to capture your time together and hand back to you a visual story of your time together.

Fees: The full process of design and oversight by James and Fjona is £5000 excluding hospitality services.  Alternatively individual interventions, workshops and lighter touch services can also be booked with prices on application.

James and Fjona are bookable for a range of workshops and talks including:

Talks 

“The Journey to a Star” | The story of how Hampton Manor uncovered some surprising truths on the road to winning a Michelin Star. 

“New Luxury” | The end of consumption as know it, unpacking the shift from status to experience and sustainability

“The circular economy” | How food and beverage consumption is moving to a new mode of thinking

“Pivot” | How a hospitality destination survives and thrives in a global pandemic

“The death of flavour” | The surprising truth that deliciousness and optimum human health are intrinsically linked

Interactive workshops and tastings

“How wine is dividing the world” | A new movement in wine consumption

“Beyond Starbucks” | Understanding how the speciality tea and coffee is redefining the world’s favourite habit

“Invisible” | The secret ingredient to wellness and sustainability that we all need to know

“Peak” | The hidden thinking behind powerful moments and experiences

To book James & Fjona please send details of your enquiry for a full proposal and quotation 

James delivers dynamic keynote speeches on a range of business and hospitality related topics and is bookable for off and onsite events. Use inspiring stories to unlock your most important business conversations.

Gathered around our table is a community of creatives: chefs and sommeliers, gardeners and bakers, potters and designers. Built at the birth of the arts and crafts era, the Manor was a celebration of craftsmanship and the beauty of nature. Today the team perpetuate this same ethos, bringing their imagination to our story.  We’ll harness their skills in creating your experience.

James & Fjona offer everything from the full design service for your offsite retreats and away days to delivering elements that complement your own itinerary.  We have a range of experiences that create powerful consumer insights for companies looking to succeed in the luxury and lifestyle market.  Please enquire for bespoke packages both on and offsite.