WHEN Andrea Lindsay got the call about the opportunity of a lifetime, she grabbed it with both hands.

Now she is about to open the bistro at her newly refurbished pub and restaurant in the picturesque village of Great Bromley near Colchester having already re-opened the bar at the end of September.

It is a far cry from what she has been doing for a job for the past decade, but Andrea explains she also wanted to get back into the hospitality industry.

“I had a very successful restaurant about 15 years ago in Thorpe-le-Soken, called the Olive Branch, and I really loved every minute of it.

“I ran it with my husband at the time, but when we split up we had to sadly leave and although I wanted to always get back into the industry, the right opportunity just did not come up and I had two small children to think about as well,” explains Andrea whose sons, Patrick and James Wharrier, are now aged 20 and 17.

You could say fate intervened as by the time the chance to take over the former premises of the Snooty Fox in Great Bromley, Andrea had been working in insurance for the best part of ten years and was then embarking on a new venture carrying out gardening jobs for people.

She explains: “I actually had been made redundant from my insurance job in May and was starting to do gardening jobs.

“I had also been looking at potential premises for maybe a teashop with sharing platters for customers but that did not come about in the end.

“Then I set up the little gardening business and I went to see the owners of the Snooty Fox about a gardening job.

“The lady knew I had run a restaurant before and they asked me about taking on the premises,” she says.

This was in August and following a programme of redecoration and refurbishment, Andrea re-opened.

And she decided to give it the new name of the White Rose.

“I think it reflects my love of gardening and also it means serenity and tranquillity and that is what I am trying to create here,” says Andrea.

Having opened with a limited bar menu, including hugely popular roast dinners on Sundays, the bistro will officially open with a more extensive menu tomorrow.

Chef Tom Hartman will be taking charge of the kitchen, ably assisted by Andrea’s son Patrick who has already been working hard to provide food in the run-up to the launch of the bistro.

It is a family affair all round as younger brother James also pitches in helping his mum front of house.

“They have grown up around it so it is in their blood I think,” adds Andrea who says she is trying to create a “mini version” of hugely successful venues like the Crown at Nayland.

The newly launched bistro menu includes a ‘nibbles’ section where people can tuck into a bowl of crispy whitebait or garlic bread with mozzarella before heading to the starters.

Shredded confit of duck, with roasted beetroot and feta salad and baked honey and toasted almond camembert are among the selection of starters while main dishes range from pan seared ox liver to lemon garlic and herb marinated free range chicken supreme or char grilled steaks.

Andrea says a great deal of thought has also gone into vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

“That is quite a big market at the moment. It is all about dietary choice,” she says.

Children are also catered for with a special menu - and not a chicken nugget in sight.

“It is a small menu but it is all going to be fresh and home-made, no chicken nuggets from a packet. There is a mini cheeseburger and home-made breaded fish fingers among the choices.”

The feedback from customers, including villagers, has been hugely positive adds Andrea and she is looking forward to launching the bistro.

“I really enjoy it, it is what makes me tick and I have already got a great team behind me.”