Josh Eggleton, The Pony and Trap

The Staff Canteen
Josh Eggleton

Josh Eggleton discusses his role as Chef patron at The Pony & Trap and his own inspirations with regards to pursuing a career as a Chef.

Name: Josh Eggleton

Place of work: The Pony & Trap

Role: Chef patron

Bio: Josh’s love for food was discovered at the age of 15 when he was working in a local fish and chip shop. Following his passion, in 2003 he won the Gordon Ramsay College Scholar competition, then started at the Olive Shed in Bristol, where he was Head Chef for two years. From here he went on to travel and work in restaurants around the world, including French Laundry in California. After returning to the UK, Josh took over The Pony and Trap in 2006 with his sister Holly, making him one of the youngest pub and restaurant proprietors in the country. The pub has held a Michelin star since 2011. 

See more about The Pony and Trap here: www.theponyandtrap.so.uk @theponyandtrap

Follow Josh on Twitter here: @josh_eggleton

Chef Skills

Josh Eggleton takes us through his personal experiences whilst being in the Culinary Industry. These key skills that young Chefs and industry professionals learn as part of their basic training.

How long have you been in this role?

9 years.

What made you want to own and work in a pub?

All I ever wanted to do was to run my own business. I worked in a fish and chip shop when I was 15 and a love of food stemmed from there.

What experience and how many years would someone need in order to progress to the top level of the industry?

They don’t need years of experience, just drive and a desire to be the best.

What are your ultimate top five tips for someone looking to start a career in the hospitality sector?

 1. You need to have an unbelievable drive to do it and a complete commitment.

2. You need to love it. If you don’t then don’t do it.

3. Learn as much as you can, you’ll never stop learning and that’s all part of it.

4. Know about seasonality and be true to it in your menus. Sustainability is very important to today’s diners.

5. Collaborate with people you respect. I was lucky to be surrounded by some fantastic peers from the start.

What are you looking out for on a CV or in an interview if someone was applying to work with you? 

A cover letter – if someone only sends me the CV and no reasoning on why they want to work with us then they probably won’t get a good response. We would see that as a sure sign of laziness.

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Editor 2nd March 2017

Josh Eggleton, The Pony and Trap