Jenny enjoys her Royal appointment

By Leah Williamson

February 2012

See this article as it appears in the magazine

THERE'S no place like home for owner of The Royal Hotel, Cromarty, Jenny Henderson.

Whether it is making the most of home grown produce, employing the skills of local tradesmen or establishing her business in the heart of her community, Jenny is firm believer in supporting your local economy.

"We have such a fragile community here so it is important to keep money in the local economy," Jenny told Executive.

"Otherwise rural communities like this just die and that would be a terrible thing."

Jenny would be the first to admit she is a home bird and proud of it.

At various times in her life she has lived and worked in a clutch of cities around the UK and even spent a year in Australia but the pull of home has always proved too strong.

The Black Isle, it seems, is in her blood.

Jenny was brought up on a farm near Conon Bridge until she was seven when the family moved to Udale Farm near Cromarty where they have remained ever since.

She attended the local schools, Newhall primary and then Fortrose Academy before heading off to Napier University in Edinburgh to study Business Management.

Jenny spent four happy years in Edinburgh and after graduating with her Honours degree she planned to take a gap year to travel the world.

But during a visit to the Highland Show at Ingliston she came across a stand for Grampian Country Food Group and was hugely impressed.

"They seemed to be a very vibrant, young company but fast growing and I thought I would enjoy working for them. It was a job in agriculture but based in an office so I fitted really well into that."

The company specialised in food production from field to fork and Jenny worked in the chicken rearing division in Aberdeen on a graduate placement scheme.

But the travel bug had not been completely squashed.

"I'd been working there happily for a few years and I just got to the stage where I needed a new challenge. I wasn't ready to make ties but I knew I had to make some changes."

Jenny decided to take a year out and travel around Australia.

"A lot of people thought I was mad giving up a good job to go backpacking but I felt it was a really good time to go. I had no ties here, no property or anything like that, so I went. It was a fantastic experience and I have no regrets."

Jenny returned home after almost a year away and worked on the family farm before opening up an antiques business in Cromarty with her mum.

The shop in Cromarty proved a huge success and Jenny was offered a job in London with a silver antiques dealer. She jumped at the opportunity.

However, 10 months in the capital only reinforced her growing sense that what she truly wanted was to build a business and life for herself in her own community.

"I very quickly realised that London had far too many people for me and it took ages to get anywhere in the city. I was homesick for Scotland and missed my family and my friends. I realised that I wanted to be in Cromarty."

Whether it was fate or just pure luck, Jenny's return home came at just the right time.

The village's Pantry teashop had just been put up for sale.

"I remember it was a snowy, cold February day when I saw the 'for sale' sign and I thought 'that would be a good business to run'. Luckily I knew the lady who owned it so I set off in a blizzard to look round the teashop. I made an offer on the Tuesday and by the Friday it was mine!

"It was a gut instinct and I felt running the teashop was something I could do – then the panic set in. I'd never even baked a scone before! I thought I'd better learn how to cook.

"My brothers still remember the 'scone test'! I tried about 30 different recipes and they tested them all until we found the perfect scone. The most important thing in a teashop is the scones and we must have done a good job because they are always sold out!"

The business was going well and the Pantry remains one of the most popular places to eat in Cromarty but after a few years Jenny felt she needed to try something new.

Once again the fates seemed to smile kindly and her search for a new challenge coincided with Cromarty landmark, The Royal Hotel, being put up for sale.

"I didn't want to make the wrong commitment and when the hotel came onto the market I didn't think twice about it until another hotelier said he thought I would be really good at that.

"Sometimes it takes someone outside your circle to say it. I did a lot of soul searching, wrote a business plan, went to the bank and on February 24, 2010 took a great leap into the unknown!"

With its enviable location right on the seafront and long history in the village, The Royal is a Cromarty institution.

Taking it into the 21st century without damaging its heritage was going to be a challenge indeed.

"The picture I had in my mind was somewhere people could come on a Saturday night or have Sunday lunch and find their table is next to someone they know but hadn't seen for a while. I wanted somewhere informal where people could meet their friends and catch up. That's happened so many times. It's been brilliant.

"The hotel needed a bit of TLC. I'd never done any refurbishing before, but I project managed the job and worked with some very good, local tradesmen.

"I was gutting the building and learning how to run a hotel all at the same time so it was hectic! But I was very lucky. My family and friends were amazing – we spent two whole weekends together just stripping wallpaper.

"The workmen were great too. They stayed on late to finish jobs and gave me their input. I wanted the ladies' toilets in the lounge to have the wow factor and I remember my plumber phoning me up all excited saying he'd found taps he thought I'd really like.

"That's one of the reasons I like using local tradesmen. They seem to take more of a personal interest in what you're trying to do."

Community, in every sense, is very important to Jenny.

The menus feature as much local, seasonal produce as possible with beef from Jenny's family farm, 
pork, lamb and chicken from the local butcher, 
bread from the Cromarty Bakery round the corner, eggs from nearby Fearn and, in season, Cromarty landed shellfish.

But the hotel is more than just somewhere to have a meal, a night out or somewhere to stay.

It is a meeting place for local community groups and organisations and for a spell it was the only place in Cromarty for locals to buy their daily newspapers. Jenny also judges the annual Splash and Dash into the Cromarty Firth on New Year's Day as well as providing the hot toddies and changing facilities for those hardy souls braving the freezing waters.

Her vision is that the hotel be all things to everyone in the community from fishermen wanting a pint after long hours at sea, regulars who want to enjoy a few quiet drams and craic with their friends to youngsters on a night out at the weekend or between university

college terms and families enjoying a celebratory meal with their children.

Of course, having a prominent position in such a close-knit community does have some downsides.

"You do feel that you live in a goldfish bowl sometimes and that's something I wasn't prepared for. You have to be quite tactful, diplomatic and patient. I'm not always but nobody's perfect!

"I've been quite lucky because generally people don't like change. They understand what I'm trying to do with The Royal so I've been accepted. Being part of the local farming community has also been a big help. I've had a lot of support.

"It's been very full-on but it is like that for any business in its first few years when you're trying to build it up. I'm from a farming background so long hours don't bother me.

"In business you can never rest on your laurels. You have to invest and move with the times. Businesses that stand still or become complacent, however successful they are, are in real danger.

"No matter how well my business is doing I always ask myself 'have I done enough?' I think that's a personality trait. I always feel I can do better. I'm always looking for ways to improve but I think that's a good thing."

Looking to the future, Jenny admits that she has some reservations about the year ahead given the current economic climate. But if anything, that has only spurred her on to make The Royal the best it can be and the venue of choice when people decide to treat themselves.

"I feel the recession hit the Highlands last and it is just kicking in. When that happens, you have to try harder. Even when you're doing well there's no room for complacency. People still want to treat themselves or celebrate birthdays or special occasions in a recession and they want to make sure they're getting good value for money and good service when they do.

"You have to work even harder to get your share and I'll be working harder to try and encourage people to choose The Royal."

Jenny added that she has been encouraged by the plans to redevelop the former fabrication yard at nearby Nigg on the Cromarty Firth which could see 2,000 people employed on the site by 2015.

"It's bound to filter down into the local community, not just Cromarty but across the Black Isle, Tain and Invergordon. We could see more jobs and more public spending in the area and that will benefit everyone here.

"2012 certainly won't be a year to sit back and relax but as a farmer's daughter I'm an optimist by nature."