From love affairs to fine affairs: Lord Erroll & the restaurant named after him

Known for its impeccable service, refined European-inspired cuisine, and elegant ambience, The Lord Erroll restaurant which is located in the tranquil heart of Runda stands tall as the crown jewel of fine dining.

The restaurant that is owned by Gideon Moi blends charm, creativity, and culinary mastery in equal measure to give a dining experience that has consistently placed Kenya on the world map and has consistently ranked among the best in the world.

It was acquired by former Baringo Senator, Gideon Moi in 2013 after operating for more than two decades.

The Lord Erroll opened its doors in 1997 and quickly became known for its impeccable service, fine dining excellence and a menu that turns every meal into an experience of the art of culinary craftsmanship.

Behind it were three entrepreneurs: Hans Stoecklin, Michael Craig and Felix Huwler who noticed a gap in the market and stepped in to offer an irresistible global dining experience infused with the authentic Kenyan hospitality.

The trio named the restaurant "The Lord Erroll", a name that is interwoven the history of colonial Kenya.

Who was Lord Erroll

Long before Nairobi became the entertainment capital of the region, flamboyant British aristocrat, Josslyn Victor Hay who was later known as Lord Erroll turned it into his seat of influence and adventure.

Born in 1901, Lord Erroll was the first-born son of Victor Hay, the Earl of Erroll who served as a High Commissioner in Berlin.

Keen on having their son follow in his footsteps, Victor took Josslyn to the best schools in the world in the hope that he would continue the family’s legacy as a high-ranking diplomat.

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Ater just two years in Eton College, Josslyn was expelled much to the disappointment of his father and what followed was a wild fairy-tale love adventure with several women gracing his life and eventual to location to Kenya.

At 22 years of age, Lord Erroll fell madly in love with Lady Idina Sackville, a divorcee who was eight years older than him.

Idina had been through two divorces when she became romantically involved with Errol and in the highly religious British society in which divorce was frowned upon, their relationship was not well-received.

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That her lover was the first-born son of a high-ranking diplomat and was expected to carry on with his father’s legacy only made the scrutiny into their personal lives intense.

Relocation to Kenya & throwing wild parties

The pair got married in 1923 and decided to relocate to Kenya which was a British colony at the time to escape the public scrutiny and criticism that their relationship attracted.

Lady Idina sold her property and the couple used the proceeds to find their footing in the affluent community of white settlers in Central Kenya identifying as the Happy Valley Sect.

Kenya came with its fair share of adventure with the couple hosting some of the wildest parties, giving fun and adventure a while new meaning in the close-knit settler community.

Josslyn and Idina threw exclusive parties where moral and marriage boundaries were tested to the limits and the aristocratic community stirred to the core by the wild reign of the couple.

It did not take long before things fell apart for the couple that defined party life for the settler community.

The union ended in 1930 with lady Idina accusing Lord Erroll of cheating her out of her fortune, partly amassed from the sale of property acquired in her previous marriages.

A new chapter for Lord Erroll: Bagging another divorcee

A master of new beginnings, Lord Erroll moved on swiftly the small settler community was his hunting ground for new love interest.

He caught the eye of yet another older divorcee, Molly Ramsay-Hill and married her in February 1930.

As the relationship blossomed, the pair moved to Oserian in Nakuru for yet another phase of Lord Erroll’s adventurous life.

Molly Ramsay-Hill died on October 13, 1939, marking the end of another chapter in Lord Erroll’s romantic escapades and ushering in yet another woman.

Love interest that stirred the affluent settler community

As with the previous relationship, Erroll turned to the affluent settler community for his next relationship and this time he settled on Diana Coldwell, the wife of a respected diplomat, Jock Broughton.

Erroll met Jock Broughton at an exclusive golf club and the baron introduced his wife to Erroll, unaware that he would snatch her away.

The affair began discreetly with the Erroll seeing Coldwell behind her husband’s back.

However, nothing stays hidden forever and the affair quickly became public, embarrassing the respected diplomat with his wife making it to the list of women who graced Lord Erroll’s life.

The death of Lord Erroll

The whirlwind of adventure ended abruptly when he was ambushed by unknown assailants on the morning of January 24, 1941.

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He was found dead in his car at the junction of Karen and Ngong roads after the assailants fired a bullet into his head.

Erroll had stepped on many toes during his wild reign, with the insecurity in the pre-colonial period only adding to the mystery of his death.