Paddy is a gifted cook who makes Indian and Continental feasts with equal élan, and it isn’t unusual for her to have friends drive out of their way to feast at her table.

Breakfast, served and savoured on the long wooden table in the verandah, consists of eggs to order, homemade bread, pancakes and farm-fresh fruits. But the pièce de résistance is the array of jams that Paddy makes – gooseberry, pear, bitter marmalade, apple, to name a few – that put the better-known manufacturers to shame. She can also rustle up Indian breakfast fare like parathas on request.

Lunch is best eaten al fresco on the verandah and usually consists of vegetables, curries, a daal, and meat dishes.

Dinner is where it gets really interesting, because you could be enjoying a pukka British meal of grilled chicken, freshly baked bread, mashed potatoes and veggies served with gravy. And while tucking in, family silver in hand, you can imagine how Mr. Smetacek and his guests would have dined back in the day.

Tip: leave room for Paddy’s world-famous-in-Bhimtal, homemade jams at breakfast – they make everything yummier.