Guest Writer What began as a cheeky test tube shot on a spontaneous night out in York quickly blossomed into a lifelong love story. Now celebrating their 10-year wedding anniversary this July, the couple reflect on a journey that’s taken them from campus courtship to married life, a shared love of fermentation, and plans to return to the city where it all began.
“We met in my second year at York, around November time. I was on a “celebrating being back” night out with my first year housemates and we decided to skip the official club nights and go to another club. As I entered with a friend, my husband immediately came over to introduce himself. Given our group hadn’t yet caught up, I politely completely ignored him.
Later in the night he tried again, offering to buy me a test tube shot. Being a chemistry student, it would’ve been impossible to refuse. The rest, as they say, is history. Our first date was a walk around the historic streets of York and a coffee overlooking the river. We kissed goodbye at the bus stop which would take me home.
We were engaged within 9 months, and within a year he had moved to London to live with my parents and study his apprenticeship. Long distance was difficult for us, but after I graduated we moved in with one of my classmates from York in North London and got married.
We moved to Kent about 3 years ago (to Canterbury, another historic cathedral city that reminded us a lot of York the first time we came here) and are getting ready to celebration our 10 year wedding anniversary this summer. We are getting ready to open up a shop – ‘The Fermentorium’ – of our own nearby (selling all things fermented) and adopted a cat. I still work as an accountant (and love it!) and my husband has found a way to combine his love of fermenting, beer and customer service. We hope to open in the next couple of months and are entering a really exciting period of our lives.
We’re still in contact with many friends we made in York (I was bridesmaid at one of my old uni-housemates’ wedding’s, as she and our other housemate both were at mine) and generally have full and happy lives. We’re hoping to be able to visit York towards the end of this year (taking a well earned rest from the hectic few months after opening should hopefully be) and re-live our courting days.”
