This is likely to be our last blog on what we’ve gone through as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.

But it won’t be the last we hear of coronavirus.

What the effects will be on our health and wellbeing, daily judgments and way of life remain to be seen.

The restrictions imposed upon us here at The Glost House will take some time to get used to. We’d love to come back and serve a full house, or have a bit of a chinwag with you at the counter.

But that’s not to be for now.

We will also be undergoing additional training, and tackling some new technology.

But the heart of what we do, the reasons why we do it – none of that has changed.

Actually, we hope it will shine through even brighter.

We’ve always been committed to exceptionally high standards, particularly in terms of cleanliness. That won’t change. In fact we have fully redecorated the whole café while we have been closed – walls painted, floor restored, upholstery steam cleaned. Some items have been removed such as soft furnishings and table condiments. Every area of the café has undergone an extra deep clean and from now on you will see us carrying out extra checks and cleaning procedures while we are open.

We’ve always done our utmost to serve freshly made, quality food and drink.

That won’t change. The choice may be slightly limited to begin with as the local companies we work with start to bring their own delivery staff back from furlough and the supply chain gets up to speed. But this time we have been closed has allowed us to forge even closer links with local producers, reducing food miles and ensuring the best quality ingredients in our dishes.

We’ve always focused on delivering a friendly, welcoming service.

That won’t change. So we won’t be able to stand and chat face-to-face but we have years of experience in swift and accurate table service. And we have always been streets ahead in ensuring all customers respect personal space. We have added extra protection measures such as distance markers, a screen at the till and a number of hand sanitiser stations, but the overall look and feel of The Glost House is still the same. We have worked very hard to make that happen.

We’ve always believed in good, ‘clean’ food made from scratch.

That won’t change. Our opening hours may be reduced to begin with but that will allow us to enhance our takeaway and sit-in offering with afternoon and high tea available, cake and drinks packages and a new focus on vegan, vegetarian and gluten free choices.

The systems and services that will change, we hope, are all for the good.

When you arrive we will be asking you to come into the café via the side door. The front doors will be for exit only.

At the side door you will be greeted by a host who will allocate a table for you – inside or out. You can also book by getting in touch with us in advance. Either way, we will take a few details from you to comply with track and trace requirements but we will make it as painless as possible.

Your server will bring over sanitised menus for you to make your choices before taking your order as usual, and delivering your cutlery and food to your table as usual.

We will be clearing your table as usual too.

All we ask is that while you are at The Glost House you respect social distancing guides, such as our one-way system and only sending one person to the till. And we’re sure you’re all used to that by now!

Rest assured, we have gone above and beyond at The Glost House to minimise risk while also ensuring our café is a pleasant, relaxing place to be. We just can’t wait to welcome you all back.