Before moving to Central Europe in the early 2001, she worked for more than a decade in the hospitality industry in the Caribbean, including management of two exclusive private island resorts.

She was educated at Rye. St. Antony School, Headington, Oxford. (1977 - 1982)

Learn more about Catherine's Cottages here

1. When did you arrive in Hungary and what brought you here?
A cold January day in 2001, January 27th to be precise.

2. Have you ever been an expatriate elsewhere?
Oh yes, British Virgin Islands for 10 years and Normandy, France for two.

3. What surprised you most about Hungary?
The countryside, there are plenty of beautiful and unspolit pockets of Hungarian countryside a lot of people miss.

4. Friends are in Budapest for a weekend - what must they absolutely see and do?
Go and stay at Catherine’s Cottages, sample the local wines with dinner and visit to our lovely swish local spa in Szekesfehervar and if they ride, go riding in the Vertes woods on a sunny day, it cannot be beat.

5. What is your favourite Hungarian food?
Home grown asparagus.

6. What is never missing from your refrigerator?
Butter.

7.What is your favourite Hungarian word?
At the moment it is Tuti

8. What do you miss most from home?
Farmer’s markets, great deli stores, decent chocolates, crisps, treacle tart.

9. What career other than yours would you love to pursue?
Disc jockey

10. What's a job you would definitely never want?
Security guard in a chemist shop.

11. Where did you spend your last vacation?
Provence, France.

12. Where do you hope to spend your next holiday?
At home for Christmas.

13. What was your favourite band, film, or hobby as a teen?
Brand New Heavies, Something’s Gotta Give, riding.

14. What can't you resist?
Hugs from my daughter

15. Red wine or white?
Rose

16. Book or movie?
A good book is better than a good movie.

17. Morning person or night person?
Evening.

18. Which social issue do you feel most strongly about?
Climate change

19. Buda or Pest side?
Pest.

20. What would you say is your personal motto?
10% of your life is what happens to you, 90% is how you react to it