Beth and Jack Bond’s eyes first met when they worked side by side in the kitchen of chef Marcus Wareing’s now-defunct Tredwells restaurant in Covent Garden.
The young couple were at the very start of their culinary careers, but they shared a dream of one day opening their own fine dining restaurant — ideally something deep in the countryside, and with a few rooms for guests.
Achieving their dream took more than a decade of hard work, a new seize-the-day attitude born out of a family crisis, and a huge financial risk.
But today Beth, Jack, and their new born son Reuben, are happily ensconced in a 17th-century coaching inn surrounded by woodland, serving Michelin-star food to diners who travel from across the UK to be there.
“It is an unbelievable change,” said Beth. “Two years ago we were living and working in London, but my dream was to have my own business, and a family, and I just couldn’t see that happening if we stayed.”
At the start of the pandemic the couple, both 32, were living in a one bedroom flat in Finsbury Park. Their careers had blossomed since they met as junior kitchen staff. Jack was a development chef at the Gordon Ramsay Restaurants Group and Beth was general manager of the upscale Apricity restaurant in Mayfair.
But Covid-19 hit the hospitality industry hard, and the couple suddenly found themselves with plenty of time to talk and think. Then Beth’s father broke the news that he was seriously ill.
“It spurred us on to make some life decisions, including getting married” said Beth.
The couple decided the Lake District, where Jack spent many happy childhood holidays, would be the perfect spot for a wedding. And while planning the event they stumbled upon their new life.
For their honeymoon the couple wanted to stay on in the lakes and selected two hotels to visit: The Lake, near Ullswater, and The Cottage in the Wood, a rustic (but Michelin-starred) retreat in Whinlatter Forest, near Keswick
“I found out that Another Place was looking for a food and beverage manager, and I said to Jack: "Shall we just stay?",” said Beth. “He said apply for the job, and if you get it we will move up.”
When Beth was offered the role, the couple found a flat to rent in Ambleside and rented their London flat to a friend. They moved to the lakes in spring 2023 and Jack got a job at Gilpin Hotel, near Lake Windermere.
They got married that May, and loved their honeymoon stay at The Cottage in the Wood.
“I knew that it was for sale and we met with the owners, Kath and Liam Berney,” said Beth. “It was on for £1 million, for a quick sale. The problem was we didn’t have £1 million.”
Beth and Jack tried to secure a bank loan to buy The Cottage outright, but without a hefty deposit they struggled to find a bank willing to loan them the money. Undeterred the couple negotiated an alternative deal — sold their flat for £460,000 and borrowed some money from Beth’s mum to buy the business. They agreed to lease the building for five years, with an option to buy it down the line.
They took over the running of the business in January 2024 and became its formal owners in July.
Living and working together can be a tricky situation to navigate. “We might not always agree about day-to-day things but we do share a common goal,” said Beth. “We want to make people happy. We want them to leave us in a better mood than they arrived in.”
Running her own business was only one of Beth’s dreams. She also wanted to be a mother and in June, she and Jack welcomed their first child, Reuben. The little family lives in a two bedroom cottage beside the main inn, with their Patterpoo dog Delia, who adores her new life in the great outdoors.
“I love living in the Lake District,” said Beth. “We are both quite active so when we are not working we go out for long walks on the fells with the dog, or we go wild swimming in the lakes, paddle boarding, and kayaking.”
