CELEBRATE good times

Harriet Hastings restored a traditional Suffolk longhouse and built a new party barn beside it - and it's really the most wonderful place to spend Christmas

- SARA BIRD

For Harriet and Stevie Congdon, it was an unwitting 'try before you buy' situation that led to them securing their Suffolk house. The couple, founders of iced biscuit company Biscuiteers, were friends with the former owners, architects Sir Michael and Lady Patty Hopkins and frequently stayed as guests.

'Michael had bought the property from the church in the 1960s and created the open-plan space that exists today,' says Harriet. 'We weren't really looking for a house at the time, it was just serendipity that Michael and Patty moved to another place and we made a spontaneous decision to make it ours.'

The house was structurally sound but missing elements needed for modern life. 'We were spending more time there than the former owners, so needed more sockets to plug things in, as well as some household essentials,' says Harriet. 'It was also going to be a home for our young children and dogs, so needed to be warm, comfortable and relaxed.'