Hugh and Jane Forestier-Walker moved from Abergavenny, South Wales where for the last 20 years they ran their famous Minola Smokery. Two of our three children have joined us at the Quinta. Edward has been involved with the reconstruction team and our daughter Caroline, a top pastry chef, recently of The Glasshouse at Kew (* Michelin star) will use her culinary skills from around the world to develop a food experience. Rebecca will be staying in the UK carrying on with her nursing career at Harefield hospital.

Many of our friends have asked how we found “Quinta dos Três Rios”. In the autumn of 2004 great friends (Peter and Dorothy Legry) knew of our yearning to move abroad and start a new project away from the “red tape, onerous legislation and UK rat-race”. A fax spewed out from my machine at the smokery giving an outline description of Quinta dos Três Rios. We flew out some 10 days later to see the property and knew this was it! Saw it on a Friday: shook hands with the owner on the Monday!!