My new venture launched a week ago and, although it’s early days yet, I’d like to say thank you.

Thank you, Mark Twain for this piece of advice,

I’m not usually a great one for inspirational quotes but this struck a chord in me. It was brought to my attention by my eldest son (Thank you, Finn). It had been the subject of a school assembly (Thank you, Headmaster) and my then 12-year old was inspired enough to mention it to me.

As I was trying to instill into my son how important I thought it was to be brave, it occurred to me that I should lead by example. I had for a long time been casting around for a way of successfully redefining myself post career, post the avalanche of three young children, post a certain age. I had an idea and this small piece of sagacity helped push it toward becoming a reality.

It’s been a crazy adventure filled with moments of great happiness and pride interspersed with sleepless nights polluted by sweaty fear and the doldrums of self-doubt. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve learnt from them. The next stage is about to begin.

Throughout it all, I’ve been supported by others and now is the time to express my heartfelt gratitude.

There are a great many people to whom I owe a debt of thanks. There are the obvious, my mother – an indomitable force in a tiny package. Always thinking, always traveling, always excelling in her commitment to people and causes. Astute, intelligent and brave. A scientist with a sense of wonder. A parent who took every barb her difficult daughter threw at her. She continues to be a thoroughly modern woman.

Thank you to my father for his sense of compassion and justice, his interest in philosophies, religions, history and people. His ability to say no, and mean it, to both my mother and me.

I am glad to finally be adult enough (it’s taken a long time) to appreciate everything they sacrificed for me and all the principles they taught me. I thank them for teaching me to travel, how to cook, how to always have a book at my side.

Thank you to my wonderful husband who believes in me even when I don’t – we make a great team. To my children who make me laugh, yell and cry – you are funny, vibrant, caring, special boys who fill me with pride.

Thank you to my friends, old and new, who have provided endless cups of coffee, shoulders to cry on, texts filled with inappropriate emojis and ceaseless encouragement to do my own thing (especially Miss Curly).

Thank you also to the professionals who have helped steer me, the endlessly patient teams at Rubber Cheese and Sookio, the talented Mike Sim who captured the essence of the wonderful people you see wearing our aprons and to the ‘models’ you see on our site. Thank you as well to the skilled workmen and women who put so much effort into making each one of our aprons a small work of art.

To all those who’ve visited our new site, I hope you love what you see. Most of all, thank you to our first customers - I hope you are delighted with your aprons.