Bill Sewell has three cafés in church buildings, of which Café Below is the original. It started life as The Place Below, back in 1989.

Bill says: 'While training as an accountant in the City I’d spotted that the square mile would be a great place to open a restaurant.

There were plenty of people needing a delicious but speedy lunch, and if I could find a special enough location I might even be able to tempt them in for a bite to eat on their way home.

Having failed to acquire a couple of potentially disastrous sites I happened to visit St Mary-le-Bow church in London’s Cheapside – a friend was having an exhibition of paintings in the vestibule.

At the private view we all had a glass of wine in the Crypt, which was filled with Formica tables and a parish kitchen dating from Father McCulloch's time as rector 25 years previously.

It was a wonderful space which appeared to be only lightly used.

The next morning, in great excitement, I nervously asked Victor Stock, the newly arrived incumbent, whether he would consider having a restaurant in his crypt.

Victor was keen for St Mary-le-Bow to develop more links with those who worked in its parish (the only resident was said to be the Governor of the Bank of England). 18 months later, The Place Below opened.'

For 20 years it’s been a busy place, serving simple but delicious home-made food to about 200 people a day.

The Place Below changed its name to Café Below in 2009 to help passers-by realise wonderful food was on offer just below their feet.