1. Roger Bates, knew he wanted his own restaurant when he was 23. But he didn't make his move until he was 39. The property he and his wife, Sandra, bought is a restaurant with rooms for guests, which is down a quiet lane on the wooded slopes of a beautiful valley. "People will come and find you if you are good enough. That was the challenge." Roger says the only unpredicted difficulty was the attitude of some of the customers. "It was hard to get used to being treated like servants.' For Sandra, the most demanding part was the physical work. She also had the difficulty of taking over someone else's staff and someone else's menus. She gradually changed the menus, and she has a little more time off now that the business is established.

2. Tony and Gina Wignell of Strathlachlan in Scotland, have spent their whole lives in the hotel and catering industry. They have made one major sacrifice, however, as by moving into a restaurant they have taken a considerable drop in income for a better quality of life. Tony and Gina used to manage a hotel, which provided financial security but never-ending work. Moving to the restaurant has meant working seven days a week in the high season, but they can make time for themselves by shutting in the afternoon. And by closing down entirely during the off-season, they get a clear two months off. But they found it hard to combine being in the restaurant trade with bringing up a family. Despite this they carried on and their children, now 18 and 20, look back and say that they never realised that there was any other life.

3. It's a similar story for Tina Bricknell-Webb and her husband Tony. "I'm on my feet for such long hours. You have to be incredibly strong to do this job.' Tina's first experience of cooking in a restaurant was when the chef walked out three days after it opened. Gradually, her confidence has built up. For Tony and Tina the hard work has been made worthwhile by a special award for excellent food. Tony believes their restaurant works because they run the show themselves. "If you have a place like this, the customers want to see you there every time they come in. You're an actor and they've bought your performance with the price of a dinner." Clearly proud of their achievement, the Bricknell-Webbs admit there have been sacrifices. They have no social life and no children. If they did start a family, the restaurant would have to go.

4. David and Jane Blackford found this to be true. When their restaurant opened for business they had two small children. "When they were very small we could manage by putting them to bed early but later there was a real conflict of interest. On Saturdays and Sundays we'd sit them down in front of videos. I ended up feeling it was David and the restaurant against me and the children.’ When David caught pneumonia, they made their decision. The family had to come first. "One day we may have another adventure in the restaurant trade, but for the time being putting up the "closed" sign has been a great relief.'