Summer is a special time for me and my family

Schools out and that means daddy gets to dote on his darling daughters. We moved from our former pub, The New Inn, at Baschurch, earlier this year to Brompton Cookery School and B&B, on the National Trust Estate, at Attingham, near Shrewsbury.

So this summer is really special for the four of us. It will be the first time that we'll have been able to enjoy it all together. We can't wait.

Jenny and I work long, hard hours and it's blissful when we're able to kick back and relax. Brompton is the best place in the world to do that.There's a delightful farm house on the estate where we live which doubles as a B&B. It's surrounded by a picturesque garden, which is filled with fruit, vegetables and herbs that I use in the cookery school.

Summer is a beautiful time of year. The raspberry canes are filled with fruit, the gooseberries are ready to burst and the herbs are heavy with new leaves. Our strawberry patch is just getting started and the vegetable beds are also full.

As well as the vegetable garden, there's plenty of space in which the girls can play. We're lucky that they can enjoy the best of the countryside as children. And just beyond the house and its garden are beautiful golden fields.

At this time of year, Brompton looks as pretty as a picture. On summer evenings, the sun sets beyond ancient oak trees, casting a golden glow across the estate.

It would be wonderful to enjoy all of the summer with my family, but there's still plenty of work to do.

We get really busy in the B&B at this time of year as people from across the region book in. It's no surprise that they want to get away – Brompton is such an idyllic place that we're always busy. Big companies also like to send their staff to us.

As I write, we're looking forward to welcoming a team from one of the UK's biggest administrative companies. I'll be showing them how to cook and then they'll be having a go. By the end of the day, they'll have cooked their own supper and had plenty of fun doing it.

I've started doing more one-on-one courses, too. While we run cookery courses for classes of up to 16, some people also want to spend time with me learning how to master a particular skill. The one-on-one courses tend to be more relaxed. When I'm teaching a group of 16, I'm constantly on my feet. It's really important to give people the time and attention that they deserve.

I'm also working on my first book. I've signed a deal with Duncan Baird Books, which is a great publishing house. It's got a stable of great authors, including many of the UK's most respected cookery writers. It's a real honour to be joining that group and I'll be busy writing recipes for the next couple of weeks.

Writing a book is hard work and great fun all at the same time. There are deadlines to keep to, recipes to be written and tested and photography to be arranged. Then there are sales people, designers, editors and publishers; it's a huge team effort. I'm hoping that my first book will be a terrific success and that it will lead to more.

But, most of all, I'm looking forward to spending a little quality time with my family. During the summer months, my family are my number one priority and I intend to enjoy as much time as possible with them.

Marcus Bean is a regular on ITV This Morning. He owns the Brompton Cookery School, at Atcham, near Shrewsbury, on a National Trust Estate. Read his weekly column first in your Weekend Shropshire Star, every Saturday.