Opened in April 2025, The Kerfield Arms quickly established itself as one of London’s standout new gastropubs.
Under Jay’s leadership, the restaurant won a Michelin star within 10 months of opening, becoming part of a small group of Michelin-starred pubs in the capital and reinforcing the strength of the team behind both The Kerfield Arms and its Islington sister site, The Baring.
Set on Grove Lane in Camberwell, The Kerfield Arms combines the atmosphere of a neighbourhood pub with ambitious, produce-led cooking. Michelin praised the kitchen for its pared-back approach, with dishes that let the quality of the ingredients do the work, while the pub has also gained wider recognition through its ranking in the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list.
Early career and background
Originally from Essex, Jay began his career working in kitchens across the county before committing to cooking full time after several years spent in music. That slightly less conventional route into hospitality has helped shape a style of cooking that feels instinctive, confident and personal rather than overworked.
His food today is rooted in strong sourcing, seasonality and restraint, with subtle influences drawn from formative summers spent with family in the Philippines. Those early memories of cooking over fire and eating bold, vibrant flavours remain part of his culinary identity and can still be felt in the food he cooks now.
London kitchens and The Baring
Before opening The Kerfield Arms, Jay built experience in a number of produce-led London kitchens, including Elliot’s and Clipstone.
He later joined Kerridge’s Bar & Grill at the Corinthia Hotel London under Tom Kerridge, adding another layer of experience in high-level hospitality before stepping into a more defining role.
That next chapter came at The Baring in Islington, where Jay spent three years as head chef, working closely with chef-owner Rob Tecwyn.
During that time, he helped establish the restaurant’s reputation for bold, ingredient-led cooking and played a central role in turning it into one of the capital’s most talked-about pubs.
Opening The Kerfield Arms
Jay later moved on to open The Kerfield Arms in Camberwell as head chef and co-owner.
The pub, launched by Adam Symonds and Rob Tecwyn as the sister site to The Baring, gave Jay the opportunity to lead a kitchen from the start and develop a restaurant with its own distinct identity.
The opening menu reflected that ambition.
Dishes such as cuttlefish and lardo shish with pul biber, fried pig’s head with smoked eel and warm tartare sauce, and grilled monkfish with hand-rolled fregola and shrimp bisque showed a kitchen confident enough to be ambitious while still grounded in the generosity expected from a serious pub.
A number of popular ideas from The Baring also carried over, including the much-praised midweek lunch offer and a strong Sunday roast.
Jay Styler’s cooking style
Jay’s cooking at The Kerfield Arms is ingredient-led and direct, built around simplicity, precision and flavour. Rather than relying on unnecessary complexity, his dishes are designed to let excellent produce shine. Fire plays an important role in that approach, bringing depth and character to plates that remain focused and restrained.
That style has helped define The Kerfield Arms as more than just a new opening from an established pub team. Under Jay, it has become a restaurant with a clear identity of its own: modern, seasonal and serious about food, but still relaxed enough to feel like a place people want to return to regularly.
