A CIDER-MAKING couple, who recently starred in a national television series, have been given permission to open their St Ouen restaurant on certain evenings for six months of the year.
The Royal Court decided to allow Richard and Sarah Matlock to open La Cidrerie Barn restaurant on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings between 1 April and 30 September.
The couple, who run La Petite Robeline, were featured heavily in Jersey & Guernsey, a UK-produced TV show on Channel 5 narrated by Alan Titchmarsh.
Mrs Matlock said the restaurant first opened in 2020 ‘with everybody’s blessing’ and they now wanted to extend their opening hours in the spring and summer.
She said it would close at 10pm on the new evenings, with diners expected to leave by 10.30pm and non-resident staff leaving half an hour later.
One resident objected, complaining that the licence would lead to extra noise from vehicles and customers late in the evenings.
However, Mrs Matlock said the maximum number of diners the restaurant could accommodate was 50, and added: ‘We have never had more than 47 so far.’
Mr and Mrs Matlock were finally able to open their seasonal restaurant last month following a protracted planning process which they said was ‘crippling’ their business, after an appeal was dismissed.
Deputy Bailiff Robert MacRae was presiding, with Jurats Jane Ronge, Elizabeth Dulake, Gareth Hughes, Mike Berry and Mike Entwistle sitting.