“We were a good partnership, the front of house was Anne’s domain, the kitchen was mine. There was a door between us, and we appreciated each other’s expertise,” Rick said.
In 1986, they purchased a Dutch tea house in rural Bethlehem and moved from Wellington to Tauranga to pursue their dream of owning a restaurant.
Rick left his role as a chef, while Anne stepped away from her accounting career to return to hospitality – a field Rick said was her “passion”.
Together, they opened Somerset Cottage on July 4, 1986.
“We came up from Wellington quite naive and excited, but we just jumped into it basically and went for it. We worked our butts off.”
Rick said their first service was “absolutely atrocious”.
“We ran out of food, we were chock-full, understaffed, so we went for a walk into the paddock afterwards, sat down, had a debrief and then got on with it.”
And get on with it they did for the next four decades, building Somerset Cottage into an “institution”.
In 1986, Anne and Rick purchased a Dutch tea house in rural Bethlehem, and moved to Tauranga to pursue their dream of owning a restaurant.
“Consistency and quality was what people knew they were going to get here,” Rick said.
“We wanted to be local, and that’s what we developed over the years, which was a huge strength for us.”
More than just a restaurant
In its early days, Somerset operated six days a week. It served lunch and dinner, hosting wine-paired dinners, and became fully licensed.
“We realised that some of the food we were doing was a little bit out there for Tauranga at the time, in terms of the size of the market,” Rick said.
Somerset was known for its fine-dining seasonal New Zealand cuisine, extensive wine list and consistently high standards.
The restaurant was a 2022 NZ Cuisine Good Food Awards finalist and won the 2024 Bay Hospitality Awards Supreme Establishment Award.
“We produced a style of food that people would feel comfortable with, and I think, as a business, that was very important.”
Anne Butcher and Rick Lowe were the partnership behind Somerset Cottage.
As they grew, Anne and Rick diversified Somerset beyond the restaurant floor.
They launched cooking schools from the restaurant, then took the concept overseas and built a loyal following that spanned more than 25 years.
Rick demonstrated recipes and cooking techniques while Anne shared stories and practical insights, before participants sat down together to enjoy the food.
He said Anne’s philosophy always centred on people and how she made them feel, describing her as “warm and welcoming”.
“People left the restaurant feeling really positive, like they had a good time, and she was like that in life.”
Community of Somerset
Community worker Tommy Wilson, who worked for Te Tuinga Whānau before its closure in 2024, said the impact of Somerset Cottage extended well beyond its restaurant walls.
The outside of Somerset Cottage before it went through some alterations over the years.
He said Anne, with the support of Somerset diners, helped provide 30 children with brand-new bikes for Christmas in 2014.
“It was a beautiful thing to see. It brought a lot of joy, and that’s what Anne is well known for, her kindness and the joy she sprinkled on the community.
“She was a shining star.”
Former Bay of Plenty MP and National Party leader Todd Muller said he made many cherished memories at Somerset Cottage.
Muller recalled that he had just started university when the restaurant first opened.
“I can remember the first visit was a celebration of some university achievement, probably some good mark in politics.”
He said Somerset had “walked alongside” the community and contributed to it in so many ways.
“It was always Rick and Anne, and that was the magic, the specialness of the environment, the warmth of the greeting and the quality of the food.”
A family legacy
Hannah Lowe, Anne’s daughter, said her mum “always joked” that she and her sister couldn’t go anywhere without someone knowing them from Somerset.
“Turned out to be very true growing up. Everyone knew who Mum and Dad were and therefore, by association, knew who we were.”
She said there was a blurry line between customers and friends, and more often than not, those customers became part of the family.
“That’s what I’m incredibly grateful for now, the community of good friends and family, we’ve seen that in the support since Mum’s passed, and it’s just been huge.”
Somerset Cottage closed on June 12, and Lowe said the sense of community could not be replicated elsewhere.
The family behind Somerset Cottage, Hannah Lowe (left front), Rick Lowe (left back), Courteney Lowe (right back), and Anne Butcher (right front).
“Walking through those doors and not having Mum greet you, it’s not Somerset.
“It was never solely a business, it was a passion, a purpose that gave so much joy and that was reflected in the service provided.”
Rick said closing Somerset was a “hard decision”, but it was the right time.
“Somerset was Anne and me, so with no Anne there’s no Somerset. I knew straight away that was it.”
He said Anne’s death left many people in shock, and he was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the community.
“I don’t know how to thank everyone but there are a lot of people out there who have made Somerset special and we can’t thank them enough.”
Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.