The former Jamie’s Italian site in Bath has stood empty since the celebrity chef’s UK restaurant empire collapsed in 2019, but it will soon be given a new lease of life by the team behind acclaimed vegetable-led restaurant group Root.
With two small sites in Bristol and Wells, Rob Howell (pictured above, left) and Meg Oakley-Howell might seem unlikely candidates to take on such a large city-centre restaurant. Yet it would be unwise to bet against them: their existing sites, which opened in 2017 and 2022 respectively, have been incredibly well received, with both holding Michelin Bib Gourmands.
Root sits within the Pony Restaurant Group, the South West hospitality collective led by Josh (pictured above, right) and Holly Eggleton. Josh first had the idea for a restaurant that encouraged people to moderate their meat and fish consumption by flipping the menu to make vegetables the star of the show, but Root was ultimately delivered by Howell and Oakley-Howell, both alumni of the Eggletons’ Chew Magna flagship The Pony (formerly The Pony & Trap).
The Bath opening marks a significant milestone for the group, which over the past decade has grown from a single Michelin-starred pub into an eclectic operator of eight (soon to be nine) sites that champions sustainability, community and talent development. We caught up with Howell and Josh to hear about their plans for the site, Root’s independent spirit and how the wider group is faring.
This looks like a huge project
Rob Howell: Yes. We’ve actually reduced the footprint by about a third, but it’s still very large especially when compared to our existing Root sites in Bristol and Wells. I remember coming to Jamie’s Italian in Bath when I was about 14 with my dad and being blown away by it. For it now to be our restaurant is a real pinch-yourself moment for Meg (Oakley-Howell) and me. We’ve come a long way.
Josh Eggleton: It’s a big moment for me too. When I first started in restaurants, Bath felt like a great place to open. Back then Bristol was considered rough around the edges and not the obvious choice for serious restaurants. Things have changed, of course, and I’m happy to say we’ve been part of that transformation. But Bath has always been tricky: it’s such a tourist destination, and it’s been hard to find the right site. We want this to be somewhere locals will use too.
The site hasn’t traded for about six years. What’s the condition like?
RH: They ripped out what they could and left an empty shell. It barely looked like a restaurant when we went in. Some fixtures and fittings remain, but we’ve gutted it and are rebuilding from scratch. This is the first time we’ve started completely from the ground up. The original Root in Bristol had been Josh’s Chicken Shed, and we only closed for 24 hours before reopening. The Wells site was already a restaurant. Bath is our first chance to fully design and shape a space ourselves.
This feels like new territory for the Pony Restaurant Group
JE: Definitely. It’s a very different sort of location and on a larger scale. If we want to keep growing, we have to take these steps. Rents and rates in Bath are more like London levels and so much higher than Bristol. That means the cost base is extremely high, and smaller restaurants just don’t work with Root’s pricing and business model. We’ve had to scale things up to make it viable here
Will Root Bath offer the same menu as its siblings?
RH: The ethos and format are the same, and we’ll carry a few signature dishes over, but all our menus are different. That’s one of the things I love about the brand. Each of the Root restaurants is shaped by the chefs and by what our suppliers can provide. All three Roots share some suppliers but also work with different local growers. Menus are based on what produce is available and in what quantity. At Bath, the kitchen will be led by Joe Fowler, who has worked both at The Pony and as head chef at Root Bristol. The big challenge is scaling up that very responsive approach to a much larger site. I’m confident we can.
JE: Root was my idea, but Rob and Meg have executed it fantastically. There’s no rush to expand, but if we can deliver amazing hospitality with locally-grown vegetables and show people a better way of eating, we could look at other places including Exeter, Oxford, maybe even London.
But Root doesn’t really operate like a restaurant chain…
RH: No, we don’t function like a chain. Sometimes people assume opening multiple sites means you’ve sold out, but I’ve never understood that. We’re hardly corporate. I’m confident we can keep our values intact and build teams that genuinely enjoy being there. Josh and Holly’s group is interconnected, but each brand and team has its own identity.
Has the Root concept changed since launch?
RH: Not really. It’s still Josh’s vision: vegetable-led, with meat and fish playing a supporting role, but it has evolved. We’ve attracted more talented chefs, become better at working with seasonal produce, and tightened up the food. The way we collaborate with growers has massively improved, and we now change the menu pretty much every day. The size of the Bath site might mean we have to be a little more structured, but the principle remains the same.
How much meat and fish do you actually sell?
RH: It varies, but most diners do exactly what’s intended: they focus on the vegetables. Some days we sell only a handful of meat or fish dishes. That’s why Root works. I’m not vegan or vegetarian myself, but I don’t eat loads of meat either. Root is inclusive while also making the point that we can’t keep eating the amount of meat and fish we do. Vegetables are delicious and nutritious, and they can deliver the same pleasure as meat-based meals. It’s our job to prove that. We do attract a lot of vegetarians and vegans, and occasionally people ask why we serve meat at all. That usually comes from a misunderstanding that Root is fully vegetarian, which it never has been.
How is the wider Pony Restaurant Group doing?
JE: Some things are good, some things are bloody awful. But overall, it’s just about working. Our flagship, The Pony, is performing better than last summer, thanks in part to hosting more private and corporate events, which has added resilience. But to be honest, the restaurant isn’t busy enough, especially earlier in the week. The more casual concepts are stronger. Root sits in a sweet spot between casual and special occasion, which is great for us. The Kensington Arms, in Bristol’s Redland suburb, is really tough at the moment. Pubs are hard to get right, but we keep working and innovating, and I’m not afraid to change things if they’re not working. There may be some changes there soon. The problem with hospitality is that we put a smile on our faces and just keep going, so the Government assumes we’re fine. But we’re not.