Living abroad: South of England

moving lock, stock and barrel

When Danish brewer Stig Anker Andersen chanced upon a sales ad for a brewery in rural England, he jumped at the opportunity for a new life abroad with his young family

words by Camilla Tjellesen
photography by Jacob Ainley

It was purely by chance that Stig Anker Andersen saw the “For Sale” ad for the brewery that is now such a big part of his life. In early 1993, the Danish master brewer was working at Danish brewery Slotsmøllen, where they sometimes received an English beer trade magazine. Flicking through the ads, he noticed a brewery for sale in the South West of England, built in an old mill. It piqued his sense of adventure and awakened a longing for something new.

“I was sick and tired of making cheap beer for supermarkets,” Andersen recalls. “We were brewing the same thing the whole time and it was getting so boring. I wanted to make decent beer.” A life-changing plan took form in his head and, luckily, his wife Anna Marie was up for it. In July 1993 they moved to England with their seven-month-old daughter, Amalie, and took ownership of the brewery in the small village of Netheravon, near the famous ancient stone circle, Stonhenge. The dream was to brew ale – proper English ale – under the name Stonehenge Ales. Needless to say, the path to success wasn’t smooth.

“When we arrived, the three employees who were here fled. I don’t think they thought we’d last long,” Andersen says with a laugh. The first two years were full of hard work and finances were tight. The family lived on the top floor of the old mill, which also houses the brewery. “I remember seeing the old-fashioned coal-fire stove in the flat above the brewery, and thinking ‘Wow!’,” says Anna Marie. “I learned to use it properly and cooked on it.”

Those first years were hectic for the Danish couple, adjusting to a different culture and having to prove themselves. “People here didn’t seem to think that a Dane could brew proper English ale,” says Andersen. For the first two to three years they struggled with just a couple of employees and no profits in sight, still living in the small flat above the brewery. But before long things started to take a turn for the better for the family and their Stonehenge Ales. And Andersen has certainly proven his critics wrong when it comes to brewing English ale.

“I always say that I’ve only become a real master brewer since having my own brewery. You never really get your hands on it properly until you’re in charge of every aspect,” he says. And Andersen’s approach is fully hands-on – he even makes delivery rounds to the pubs himself.

When the Andersens first purchased the brewery a permit to build on the grounds was included, and the plan had always been to build a big family home when they could afford it. Ten years after buying, they had finally made enough profit to start building. “We spent around £250,000 on the house, and it’s just the way we wanted,” says Andersen. The investment has turned out to be a shrewd one: three years on, the house’s value has been estimated at £600,000. It has a beautiful view of the stream that used to power the old mill, and is decorated in the increasingly popular Scandinavian style, with lots of space, light and a big kitchen.

How is England treating them now that they have the house of their dreams and a profitable business? “It was relatively easy to move here, compared with other places,” reckons Anna Marie. “We already knew the language, and the Danish and English sense of humour is very similar.” Although she admits that doing business in rural England can be trying. “People just take longer to do things than in Denmark. There are so many rules and regulations. People also take a long time to pay us for orders. It’s just a different mentality than we’re used to in Denmark, where things seem more efficient.”

They’ve integrated very well into the village, along with Amalie, who is now 13 and refers to herself as “English with Danish parents”. Anna Marie says of her daughter: “Even though we try to keep a lot of the Danish traditions and have taught Amalie to speak Danish, she is really English. I remember once we were on holiday in Denmark, and went to a waterpark. Everybody would just change into their bathing suits in the communal changing rooms, but Amalie was very shy. She’s taken on the English ways and wasn’t used to undressing in public.”

The family goes to Denmark twice a year, and recently Andersen has been flying Sterling back to Denmark to act as a consultant for a Danish micro-brewery.

So are there any plans to leave their adopted country and move back to Denmark in the future? It seems not. “We’ve changed too much. In many ways we’ve become English, and we don’t even know who the politicians and football players are in Denmark anymore!” they laugh. It looks like the brewery and the big, bright house next to it will be the centre of their lives for several years to come.