LORRAINE TOMLINSON is the co-founder of Liverpool deli and bistro Il Bacino, situated at Brunswick Dock and opened in September.

She set up the venture with business partner Trish Anderson after they gave up their top salaried City jobs to pursue a labour of love. This was one of her recent days:

5.30am: Get up and ready to leave. Having a home within Liverpool’s south docks means that Il Bacino is only a few minutes away, convenient considering the 17- hour days which are increasing in frequency.

6.15am: I let the chefs in to begin preparations for a corporate breakfast. We have 30 arriving from a local business who intend to have a brainstorm over some freshly-squeezed orange, fresh coffee, pancakes and waffles. I’m more of a do-er than a thinker this early, so I’ll leave them to the ideas while I get the juice squeezed and coffee prepared.

9am: Once the breakfasters have started to thin out, I reply to emails. Usually these are bookings, menu requests or contact from suppliers. We’re getting a lot of interest in our take-away service, where we create bespoke lunches for businesses, and these are priorities.

10am: As one of my previous roles was chief financial officer and deputy chief executive at Wellington Hospital, in London, I’ll get stuck into Il Bacino’s accounts, making sure that billings and invoices are all in order.

10.45am: There is no set time for a lot of our suppliers to deliver, as many of them use couriers. However, our fruit and vegetable supplier, John Dickinson, and meat specialist Lakes are always reliable.

11am: We have a visit from another of our high-quality suppliers to ensure that they are happy with their product being sold at Il Bacino. It is a real coup for us to have been named as Liverpool’s only official stockist of Cristal Champagne, for example – we have to keep our standards high.

12pm: The lunchtime rush begins. I help in the bistro whilst also ensuring customers are attended to quickly in the deli. Our staff are very confident in what they’re doing, which is the key to success when things get busy.

3pm: Lunch is over. We clear through the bistro to get it ready for the evening. Trish and I then have a quick catch-up with our chefs Lee Stevens and Peter Woods. We’ll organise corporate lunches for the following day and talk about new take-away ideas. We are focusing on this so that the New Year brings a lot of new dishes for lunch, as well as for evening meals. We look at what’s been put in the comments book, and what’s been selling well, and make our menu decisions based on these. This also gives us a chance to discuss our marketing strategy.

4pm: A wine merchant drops in with a sample of a fantastic Rosé. After one taste, I’m whisked off to St Tropez, a nice contrast to sorting out an air-conditioning problem a few minutes earlier. The wine is added to the 140-plus we already stock.

5pm: The retail area begins to get busy with people on their way home. I chat with a few regulars before realising I haven’t eaten myself all day, so quickly grab something.

6pm: As the bistro gets busy, I make sure everything is running smoothly. There’s a lovely village feel to this part of Liverpool, and nearby residents see Il Bacino as their local, which was part of our mission when Trish and I began.

11pm: Depending on the day, I leave at any time between 10.30pm to 12am. Another long day, but another one tomorrow, so need to get to bed.