Entrepreneurship is something I would recommend to many, but with the Good comes the Bad … and the Very Bad; the last three years of entrepreneurial life have been the most difficult, frustrating and challenging across 35+ years of business. This story will be told, but not here and not now. Suffice to say, come the end of May I found myself bedraggled, beaten and broken.

Thanks heavens then that CrowdCube helped us raise the funds needed for Forte Medical to look to the future with confidence, courage, motivation … and money, allowing me to step back for a much-needed pause before our relaunch programme really fires up, and a second, bigger fundraise for global scale.

Over this tumultuous time, just one week holiday each year was not nearly enough to sustain the stress and trauma involved and an investment in myself and my good health was long overdue. Two days of rigorous internet research led me to the Mind Body Restorer with Homefield Grange.

Arriving one sunny afternoon I was trepidatious about the five days ahead; the juice option meant I had of course gone for the hardcore detox rather than the small meals choice.  Having rolled rather puffily into the programme on Sunday, I looked forward to emerging swan-like, smooth and sensational by Friday.

Those who know me know that food and wine lie the centre of my world – but I also enjoy a challenge and a challenge did indeed lie ahead. Rather than leave me feeling empty, the HFG juice diet left me full – full of relief for I had at last given myself permission to mend and I could feel it working.

Day One, up at 06:45 for hot water and lemon, progreens shot and juice – 80% vegetable, 20% fruit – before joining the 07:00 Nordic Walking ensemble. Introductions made, we strode out in jolly mood, surrounded by the beautiful undulating Northamptonshire countryside. Unused to early starts, I marvelled at the quality of the light and the ease with which our walk ushered our first glorious day.

Next on the daily agenda: exercise.  Each class was led by a qualified professional; Functional Training, Core and Arms, Body Blast, Legs Bums and Tums, Resistance … every curve and crevice could be honed this week, but most of all this early rousing of body led to a more receptive and open mind for what was to follow. Evening sessions focused on Yoga and Pilates and these proved a perfect dusk to each full, yet rewarding day.

Ensuring our tummies were not overlooked, a celery stick was on offer at 11:00 and dear Reader, let me assure you that this modest snack was most welcome, eaten slowly with a target 30 chews to ensure the food was properly broken down to encourage a diligent digestive process. Known for inhaling my food, even I got used to this recommended way of eating and yes, everything really does taste so much better. We were invited to daily talks about wellness in all its guises and our tutors knew their onions.

On the food front, our juices evolved during the day, all vitamin and fibre packed and frankly absolutely delicious – apple, courgette, celery and broccoli; apple, cucumber, beetroot or ginger; pear, avocado, spinach, parsley are just a few examples of the fuel that introduced us to the day, which also sustained us for lunch before enjoying a savoury soup for supper.

Our 16:30 afternoon glass of health came with a folded paper advising timing for our treatments the following day. Of course, I took full advantage of the HFG offerings and high-five-to-self for so doing.

Each therapy exceeded expectation, carried out by experienced professionals. What I thought was bone in my back massaged into soft-tissue muscle. My face rejuvenated with an anti-ageing facial, leaving it lifted and luminous. My reflexologist identified and helped ameliorate long-term issues with my digestive system, the legacy of a Brief Skirmish with Cancer.  

Hypnotherapy provided the tools to deal with serious stress and a sometimes less-than-healthy lifestyle adopted to deal with it. Having last year been diagnosed with clinical depression and prescribed well-meaning but limited NHS Talking Therapy, I can vouch for the impact of this session. The empathy and understanding of my therapist together with her gentle, firm approach – and a steady supply of tissues – left me feeling dazed but optimistic and much stronger.

To combat the effects of those less-than-healthy habits, I enjoyed two caster-oil liver treatments. This restful process involved the application of an oil-soaked pad to the liver area, covered by a hot towel and 20-minute rest; it took place on a massage-enhanced water bed, the mention of which allows me to introduce you to the Spa.

People, this is not just a Spa. This is the Homefield Grange Spa. Like nothing I have ever seen, comprising enormous hydrotherapy pool (think jacuzzi on steroids), Himalayan Salt Steam room situated next to a funnel delivering crushed ice to rub into the body. The Herbal Sauna located conveniently adjacent to a (very) cold outside plunge-pool.  Hot and cold power-showers of course, plus the aforementioned water-beds and a long bench upon which guests enjoy and benefit from the joint-healing rays of infra-red lamps. All of this rounded off with the thoughtful provision of sofas necessary for recuperation, following the toil involved in such unrelenting spa luxury.

Of course, the expansive Hydrotherapy Pool became something of a meeting place for genial chatter, exchanges of views, encouragement and often hilarity, for my fellow guests were quite simply a joy.

And what of these guests? A leading concern prior to arrival was: who will I be with for five whole days? My unqualified assumption was that these companions in health would be perfect in every way, leaving me to feel somehow inferior. Would they all be slender, glamourous young things? Would they all lead superior and enviable lives? The short answer is: no.

My counterparts arrived in all shapes and sizes aged from 30s to 70s, from comfortably upholstered to slender, with every conceivable bodily nuance in between. How reassured was I to find a bevy of utterly normal, friendly women and men there for the overriding and common purpose of recalibrating good health.

The two couples, one man and the rest of us women in residence had a jolly time becoming acquainted; I generally peeled away early after our soup supper as solitude was one of the reasons for being there. Plenty of day-time opportunities to chat arose however, the most memorable when J and I luxuriated in the pool, putting the world to rights, covering myriad topics and troubles.

Look at us,  I said. Two privileged middle-aged women casting judgement over the world, whilst soaking in a luxury hydrotherapy pool. There’s a Private Eye cartoon right here … She nodded in amused agreement.

A highlight of the week, and one of which I failed to take proper advantage, was the series of chef demonstrations that revealed the simple art of making good, nutritious vegan dishes designed to incorporate into our own established diet whether vegetarian, pescatarian or carnivore. No one way of eating was proscribed, but the tools to support a healthy approach to food very simply prescribed.

Happily, we have received a pdf of recipes, many more than we experienced and many of which I will make on a regular basis. What’s not to like about cauliflower fritters after all? Other delights include Sri Lankan butternut squash and sweet potato curry, red lentil dahl and falafel burgers. Easy and light condiment creations such as cashew-nut mayo rather excited my interest too … quite frankly, yum.

An abiding feature of HFG is its setting, which is both visually and aurally restful. Morning birdsong of joyful chirps and chirrups evolve into a melodious chorus which as dusk descends, relax into notes of calmer lullaby. The HFG gardens are beautifully landscaped bursting with plants of sensory scent, the boundary lined with picture perfect mature trees: oak, copper beech, birch. Embarking on a walk, one wanders past a calf feeding from its mother while two Alpacas observe your progress with lugubrious expression, clearly accustomed to the curiosity elicited from guests.

There is so much more I could say, but you get the picture. Homefield Grange restores mind and body; it will help you recalibrate and revive. It is a haven for mental and physical rest, to come to terms with past troubles and prepare for a positive future. The trick will be to keep up the good work because I am happier, healthier and 8lbs lighter, a condition I wish to improve upon and maintain.

HFG has made me ready to return to work with all guns blazing. Or as my darling brother and Co-Director advised, Please, Giovanna. Just one gun at a time from now on.

© Giovanna Forte 2024