Jan Ostle is the Chef Owner of Michelin-starred, Wilsons Restaurant.

Jan is a visionary culinary artist dedicated to redefining the gastronomic landscape through his renowned restaurant, Wilsons. 

Nestled within the heart of Redland, Bristol, Wilsons emerges as a captivating gem—a petite, independently owned farm-to-table eatery.

Wilsons’ ethos is reflected in their careful sourcing of ingredients, working closely with local, small-scale, and regenerative farmers and producers.

Each ingredient is a brushstroke, contributing to the masterpiece that graces thier guest’s plates.

Background

He entered hospitality as a teenager, starting out as a pot washer before moving into the kitchen. His talent quickly took him to some of the UK’s most respected restaurants — Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, The Square, L’Enclume, The Hand and Flowers, and Midsummer House — working under chefs like Phil Howard.

Jan also admitted to his personal struggles, battling substance abuse before meeting his now-wife and business partner, Mary Wilson. 

After working together on a farm in Spain, Jan and Mary eventually moved to Bristol, where they opened Wilsons in 2016.

The menu, handwritten daily on a chalkboard, shifts constantly based on what the farm yields. Dishes have included red mullet soup with house-made kimchi, monkfish with celeriac foam, and dry-aged chicken with parsnip sauce. Everything, down to the broths and pickles, is infused with care and consideration.

The importance of sustainability

For Jan, sustainability isn’t a marketing tool — it’s the foundation of everything he does. At Wilsons, sustainability means:

  • Growing their own produce at a small farm in Barrow Gurney, managed by Mary.

  • Planning menus around what’s harvested each day, not the other way around. If something’s not available, it’s simply not on the menu.

  • Zero-waste cooking, with pickling, fermenting, and preserving used to extend the life of ingredients and minimize waste.

  • No imported luxury items — no foie gras, no out-of-season asparagus flown in from abroad, no unnecessary frills.

  • Sourcing local, ethical meat and fish from producers they trust — often delivered personally by small-scale farmers and fishers.

He said: “Sustainability is a term often bandied around for marketing purposes but, at Wilsons, we follow a ‘ground-up’ approach where we involve the whole team on the journey and encourage them to challenge our propositions. For us, sustainability is a viable economic model which works in our favour.”

Accolades

In 2022, Wilsons was awarded a Michelin Green Star for sustainability — recognition of the couple’s commitment to zero-waste practices and regenerative agriculture. And in 2025, the restaurant earned its first Michelin star.