Our Team at The Elder

Jon Coates

Head Chef

Jon Coates has been appointed Head Chef at The Elder in Bath, re-joining Castlebridge Hospitality following his vital role in the launch of The Woodsman in 2018, another of Mike Robinson’s ventures outside of London. It was here that he won the restaurant the Best New Entry UK in the Waitrose Good Food Guide 2020.

Jon is keeping the long-standing favourites at The Elder but has added some distinctive new options which reflect the skills he honed during his time at the sensational The Greenhouse in London under Bjorn Van de Horst whom he followed to La Noisette as well.

He continues to bring his passionate focus on seasonal, wild, and locally sourced ingredients to create a fantastic menu celebrating the best of the British larder. New dishes to feature on the restaurant’s menu includes slow cooked Berkshire hare ragout with soft polenta, green sauce, and 36-month aged parmesan; and roast Gressingham duck with swede, chicory and pickled blackberries.

Jon will also be continuing the Elder’s love for game on the menu with his stunning Vadouvan spiced muntjac deer tartare and roast pave and faggot of Bathurst estate fallow deer with beetroot tatin, dirty mash, and peppercorn sauce

Mike Robinson

Restaurateur and Owner

Mike is one of the UK’s most respected Chefs. A champion of sustainable wild food and game for over 20 years, Mike has helped create and run some of the UK’s most iconic restaurants.

The Harwood Arms in Fulham, London, which Mike Co-Owns, has held a Michelin Star for 10 years – the only pub in London ever to hold that accolade.

The Woodsman in Stratford upon Avon which opened last year immediately won Best new Restaurant in the UK in the Good Food Guide. The Elder in Bath and The Forge in Chester, will continue this tradition and work to establish themselves as a truly iconic sustainable restaurants, continuing the use of wild, local, seasonal ingredients combined with incredible hospitality.

Wild food is Mike’s passion – He owns Deerbox.com, which manages wild deer over 60,000 acres of private land and supplies his restaurants with amazing venison year round.

Mike was awarded Champion of Champions in the 2020 Eat game Awards for his unparalleled contribution to sustainable wild food in the UK.