When Louise Chidgey and Cass Titcombe moved from London to Dorset it was a temporary thing, a chance to spend time with their young son and recharge their batteries for a few months.
Almost a decade later the couple are firmly entrenched in country life, their toddler son, Jesse, is now 11, the couple have grown an impressive foodie empire, and cannot imagine a return to the capital.
Although work has, if anything, sped up since they moved when they do have time off things could not be more different to hectic London.
“Friends come to stay, my husband is a keen sea fisherman so he and my son spend a lot of time doing that, we go to the beach, we go for walks,” said Louise.
“It is all very wholesome, but also lovely – it is really beautiful here.”
Before the move the family lived in a house in Kensal Rise, west London. Louise was a trend forecaster, specialising in fashion and interiors, and Cass was running the acclaimed modern British restaurant Canteen in Spitalfields.
Until Jesse was born their busy London life suited them well. And initially Louise, born and raised in west London, was adamant about staying put.
Then, during her maternity leave, she started to imagine how nice it would be to find a country cottage to escape to now and again.
She and Cass agreed to rent a pretty cottage in Dorset they could escape to at weekends.
“I ended up spending a lot of my maternity leave there,” said Louise. “It was really delightful, and really close to the sea.”
Why don’t we sell the flat and buy down here? Because then I wouldn’t be a Londoner anymore
Once her leave ended Louise returned to London and to work but found balancing career and motherhood a struggle.
“The pressure got a bit much,” she said. Then her company offered her voluntary redundancy – just at the time that Cass was ready to sell Canteen and move on to a new venture.
“It seemed like it might be a sign, and I said: ‘Why don’t we go down to the cottage for a year and figure out what to do next’,” said Louise.
Although they didn’t plan on it when they decamped, opportunity rapidly knocked in the form of a Grade II listed building in the town of Beaminster which the couple noticed was up for rent.
Seduced by its quaint looks they decided to lease it and open a new restaurant – Brassica opened in 2014. It was followed by Brassica Mercantile, a café/book and homewares store run by Louise, and, more recently, Brassica Forno, a bakery in nearby Bridport.
The couple also run an upmarket ready meal company which was launched during the pandemic when restaurants were closed and is still going strong.
The business is a real family affair with Cass’s grown up children, Tabatha, 25, and Oscar, 24, both working in the restaurant.
“We probably worked harder than we worked in London – at the start we worked nights and weekends, and it has been hard,” said Louise. “We have just got an executive chef for the restaurant so my husband doesn’t work nights any more, but he still gets up at 4am to bake.
“It has been very, very challenging, and the stress levels have been fairly high,” she added. “But I am proud that we have created it just on our own.”
Louise sold the house in Kensal Rise to help fund the start up of Brassica, but bought a flat in North Kensington as a base in the capital. It is now rented out.
This means she and Cass, 53, aren’t in a position to buy a property in Dorset, but are happily renting a house on a country estate in nearby Mapperton with four bedrooms and sea views.
It costs £1,750pcm – only £50pcm more than the rent they receive for their “one and a half bedroom” London flat.
“Why don’t we sell the flat and buy down here? Because then I wouldn’t be a Londoner anymore,” said Louise. “I have got a real attachment to it.”
