Swapping the city for coastal calm

LEWIS CLARKE catches up with the husband and wife who realised their dream and turned a cafe into a haven for locals and returning tourists

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THE first thing that hits you at the Clock Tower Cafe isn't the smell of fresh-baked sponge or the salty tang of sea air. It's the view. Perched high above the sweeping Connaught Gardens of Sidmouth, the cafe looks out across the Jurassic Coast, and for owner Lewis Macleod, it's nothing short of a dream realised - with a cherry on top.

In just a few short years, Lewis and his wife Susie have transformed the cafe into something of a local legend. With bakes the size of your fist (or, as broadcaster Jeremy Vine famously put it, "in human dimensions, bigger than my hand"), the Clock Tower Cafe has become a haven for locals and a pilgrimage site for returning tourists.

But behind the generous slices and seaside charm lies a tale of reinvention, resilience, and a life far removed from spreadsheets and studio lights.

FROM CITY SUITS TO COASTAL CAKES

Before they were baking towering cakes and handing out deckchairs, Lewis and Susie were navigating the high-octane world of London careers. Lewis worked in accountancy, while Susie held a post with Disney. But the couple found themselves burnt out and yearning for change.

"We were looking for a different lifestyle," Lewis said. "We wanted out of the city."

The pandemic, oddly enough, provided an opportunity. As the country emerged from lockdown in late 2021, the cafe went up for sale. The pair, originally from Scotland and already acquainted with Sidmouth through friends, saw a new life by the sea as more than just a whim. By November that year, they had the keys and a steep learning curve ahead.

"When we took over, it was very much start from scratch," Lewis explained. "The previous owners hadn't geared up for reopening, so we had to figure everything out - what worked, what didn't."