L'OLIVIER IN BILLINGSHURST
Published on 1st October 2025
L’Olivier, a family-run café and delicatessen, opened in The Maltings, Billingshurst, on 5 September. It has taken over the unit previously occupied by Truffles bakery, re-establishing a popular community hub while introducing a touch of Mediterranean style to the village.
Chantal Colairo-Wesley, who lives in Billingshurst, owns the business alongside parents Paul and Lucy Colairo. Underlining L’Olivier’s status as a family-run enterprise, Chantal’s brother Martin has designed the company’s website, while her husband John-Paul built many of the interior displays and units. Several other relatives work in the café too.
‘For all of my life, home-cooked food has been at the heart of our family,’ says Chantal. ‘My grandad moved to the UK from Malta and opened a café, where my dad, uncle and many other relatives started their own careers in the industry. I moved to Billingshurst, seeking a new challenge after working in real estate in Dubai for five years. I sensed there was an opportunity for a Mediterranean-inspired café, offering something new and exciting. It’s a village that is very popular with families, so we offer our own slice of family life, with a melting pot of cuisine shaped and influenced not only by our Maltese and Tunisian heritage, but by decades of experience working with artisan bakers and pâtissiers.’
FAMILY ROOTS
Chantal’s parents Paul and Lucy bring with them invaluable industry experience. Paul developed his culinary skills at Chez Monique, his father’s ‘greasy spoon’ in Holborn. He then established Colairo’s in Caterham, working alongside his wife, eventually building a successful business.
In addition to the Caterham branch, Colairo’s opened takeaway hubs at railways stations in Purley, Norbury and Dorking. The Caterham site closed during the pandemic after 18 years, but Colairo’s attained greater heights in Crystal Palace, establishing a fine reputation for freshly ground coffee, pastries and patisserie cakes. Most of its outlets have now been closed or sold (they continue to own the Dorking site) as the couple have tried to reduce their intense workload. However, they have thrown their support behind Chantal as she aims to write her own chapter in the family story at L’Olivier.
Paul said: ‘We moved to Billingshurst to be closer to Chantal, who settled in the village when her husband, John-Paul, was involved in building the new Bohunt School in Horsham. For all of my working life, I’ve been used to waking up in the early hours to bake and prepare food. I was having to leave at 3am every day to get everything ready in time for opening at our Crystal Palace branch, and with each passing year this became more draining. The point of moving from London to Sussex was to take life easier, so I decided the time had come for a change.
‘When we heard that Truffles was closing as its lease came to an end (Truffles has since opened a new branch in Pulborough), we felt there was an opportunity. We discussed terms with the landlord and the pieces fell into place quickly. Since then, Chantal has led the project and the concept of L’Olivier has been entirely her vision. Her attention to detail has been impressive, right down to the wonderful bathroom decoration! The unit needed a complete refurbishment, including a bespoke 7m refrigerated display made to precise specifications, which is the pièce de resistance!’
MED-STYLE
Central to Chantal’s vision was creating a space that captured the essence of the Mediterranean. This was achieved partly through a spacious interior, with potted olive trees planted inside and out, its relaxing white and sage décor, and even a mural of an olive tree, hand-painted by a local botanical artist on one of the walls. A deli section also contributes to the Mediterranean feel by offering products such as organic sauces, artisan pasta, extra virgin olive oil and antipasto. Some of this produce is used in the dishes offered on the menu, also inspired by the family’s love of traditional cuisine.
Lucy Colairo said: ‘When we opened our first café many years ago, we served simple home-made food, such as jacket potatoes and lasagne. Even today, we prepare food using the same produce we’ve always used, making traditional meals such as Shakshuka, a Tunisian dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion and garlic. We love sharing cooking tips too, especially with people unfamiliar with the produce, to make sure they get the best out of them.
‘As well as Shakshuka (a vegan option is also available), the breakfast and brunch menu includes Ouef L’Olivier (grilled sourdough topped with green pesto, buffalo mozzarella, Italian prosciutto, vine tomatoes and free ranged poached egg), L’Olivier Fromage Toastie (with Sussex blommer, smoked ham and melted cheddar cheese) and Truffle Scrambled (grilled sourdough bread with avocado, Scottish smoked salmon and scrambled eggs). Other options include buttermilk pancakes and a Greek yoghurt-inspired Breakfast Bowl. L'Olivier offers sandwiches too, including Mediterranean Meatballs, Tuna Focaccia and a Sussex Sarnie, as well as Mediterranean, Truffle and Caesar salads. Pasta dishes include Lemon Pesto Rigatoni and Vegetable Lasagne, while there are sharing platters of Italian and French cold meats and cheeses.
However, many customers look no further than the patisserie counter. Paul said: ‘I have worked with a fantastic patisserie chef for four years. He supplied our café in Crystal Palace and his creations have always been very popular. The first time my dad tried one of his cakes, he knew instantly that he was French, as it was so elegant! Also, a French patisserie always make eclairs with Chantilly cream, so that’s what we have. We also serve our own secret blend of coffee, working in partnership with an artisan roaster. Some people take a good cup of coffee for granted, but it involves a lot of work. The coffee machine must be cleaned thoroughly every day. It’s like maintaining a vintage car; if you keep looking after it properly, it will last forever.’
COMMUNITY LINKS
Chantal named the business L’Olivier – a literal translation of the Olive Tree – not only for its Mediterranean connotations, but also to represent a business rooted in family life that is continuing to grow. Any doubts as to whether she could foster such an environment in Billingshurst were quashed on the first day, when the family ended up opening a bottle of wine and chatting to a table of new customers for over an hour!
‘That’s the ambience we love, as it feels like home,’ says Chantal. ‘It’s wonderful to see people walking in and being awe-struck by the changes we have made. When they see the patisserie cakes, pastries and savouries all displayed beautifully, they seem captivated, excited by having to decide which ones to eat! That is exactly what we hoped for. In that respect, I hope we are bringing a little class to the village and that we can also complement other shops and businesses in the village, such as the hairdressers, pet shop, hardware store and also another independent café, Little Bean. This is our home too, so we want to be an asset to Billingshurst and for the village to be as good as it can be. So far, people have responded well to L’Olivier and for me personally, it has been wonderful to work closely with my family, especially my parents. I hope they’re proud of what we have achieved!’
Further information:
L’Olivier is open 7-days a week at 8 The Maltings, Billingshurst, RH14 9JL
