Ashley Palmer-Watts and The Devonshire: London's most talked-about pub

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The Staff Canteen

After an “incredible 20-year journey” working with Heston Blumenthal, Ashley Palmer-Watts turned his sights to a new goal – creating a pub he wished already existed.

For most of his stint from 1999 to 2019, Ashley was renowned visionary Heston’s right-hand man, working as head chef at The Fat Duck in Bray, helping it earn three Michelin stars.

Ashley also played a key role in the launch of Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in 2011, which also achieved two Michelin stars.

After two decades, he decided it was time to move on. Then, in 2023, after teaming up with London publican Oisín Rogers and Flat Iron founder Charlie Carroll, the trio opened The Devonshire in Soho.

The pub’s popularity in its first year of trading has been nothing short of remarkable, with guests regularly queuing out of the door, while some of the country’s top chefs and influencers are clamouring for a table in the restaurant. It this week placed number two in Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs of 2025 list.

Oisín runs the pub downstairs, while Ashley heads up a large kitchen team to serve the upstairs restaurant, serving affordable, tasty food, such as white crab salad, lamb hotpot, ribeye of beef and sticky toffee pudding.

Building The Devonshire: A Trio’s Dream Realised

Reflecting on the journey so far, Ashley said: “The goal was to create a place in central London, a pub with a restaurant above, that we wished existed. It was like our version of our perfect place. It's not saying it's the best and it's not saying it's perfect. You have to have a really clear idea of what you're trying to achieve.

“And once you do that, each element can all head towards that sort of certain point of giving that experience.

“The goal was to create a place that people just love to come and wanted to come back, as simple as that.”

He added: “I think the thing that sets The Devonshire apart from other places is it's very specific to the vision that Charlie, Oisin and myself had for this whole place really.

“A busy pub downstairs, got attention to detail running from the pub all the way through up to upstairs with the restaurant. We have a butcher, we have a baker, we age all of our meat here and it's very stripped back, simple, delicious, well-sourced food, cooked really simply over wood embers that we create.

“I think the magic ingredient really is the team. The people really bring all of those elements together and it's about having this common goal of just making people have a good time, whatever they're here for.

“It's about the energy in the place.”

The Devonshire, Soho pub, Ashley Palmer-Watts, Oisin Rogers, Charlie Carroll, Heston Blumenthal, The Staff Canteen+4

Discussing the food offering, Ashley added: “The menu is based around British pub meets chop house. Oisín and Charlie, when they spoke to me the first time they had an outline of the menu and certain things that they wanted to achieve and put on the menu. When I came on board, we spent three days literally sat in a flat talking about every single dish.

“I think the balance of innovation and tradition are closely interlinked. The starting point for every dish was we knew we were going to be doing big covers here and we serve between 550 to 600 covers a day at the moment, every day of the week. I can't be in the kitchen cooking everything. That is a huge volume of food, so how do we build in clever techniques, precision into the recipes that a lot of people can follow? We've got 60 in the kitchen, including our KPs.”

The Pub Atmosphere: Oisin Rogers’ Expertise and Charm

Meanwhile, in the bustling pub area, Oisín’s expertise in the capital keeps business thriving.

“I've been running pubs in London since I came here in 1989,” the Irishman explained.

“I've always loved pubs. I felt for a long time that the West End needed a big pub that was pretty good and we spent a long time looking for a site to do that in.

“It's so full of atmosphere and stories and good fun and craic and it's kind of life giving to work in this business.”

Asked what his proudest moment is so far working at The Devonshire, Oisín added: “We've had loads and I think we have them every day where people tell us how much they love it. But when you get someone like Ed Sheeran coming in, talking to the staff and really enjoying it and going in the back room and doing a private concert for the guys, that’s pretty much a highlight.”

The Devonshire, Soho pub, Ashley Palmer-Watts, Oisin Rogers, Charlie Carroll, Heston Blumenthal, The Staff Canteen+4

Heston Blumenthal’s Influence on Ashley Palmer-Watts

Having started out at Le Petit Canard in Dorset, Ashley’s time with Heston proved transformative.

Reflecting back on those memories, which brought him to this point, Ashley said: “Working with Heston was magical. The man was on a mission.

“Obviously I was a young chef. I'd been following everything that Marco (Pierre White), Gordon (Ramsay), Stephen Terry, Eric Chavot, Philip Britten, John Burton-Race, all of those guys, who were quite classical in a way.

“What drew me in with the Fat Duck was, although it was quite classical, there was a boldness to it. There was this kind of slightly whimsical way that dishes were put together - coxcombs served with roast cod with mint and liquorice and lime and lemon, with lentils and pea puree.

“It was just very, very different than everything else that was going on. When I met Heston for the first time, there was this incredible charisma and I just had to go and work there. It's as simple as that.

“I can't describe why, I just had to go there. I knew I had to go.

“I think back to my time working with Heston and whilst it's a bit like that Instagram versus reality, what you see and what you actually experience are often you have really, really tough times, you have really bad times, but you have really great times.

“So I look back on it really, really fondly. I look forward to catching up with Heston soon.”

The Devonshire, Soho pub, Ashley Palmer-Watts, Oisin Rogers, Charlie Carroll, Heston Blumenthal, The Staff Canteen+4

Asked what continues to drive his passion with his new venture at The Devonshire, Ashley added: “What keeps me going? At 47, I think the energy of something and that enjoyment that people have when they come here. I love working with people. I love watching people develop. I love teaching them. I like watching them achieve things.

“When you're at the top of the tree, that's what it's all about. It's not about me standing there cooking and serving someone. We have 160 people here and myself, Oisin and Charlie are incredibly proud of everyone that plays their part in making this massive juggernaut tick along quite nicely every day and have a great time working here as well.

“We want The Devonshire to be as good as it possibly can be and not rest on our laurels at all.”

The Devonshire, Soho pub, Ashley Palmer-Watts, Oisin Rogers, Charlie Carroll, Heston Blumenthal, The Staff Canteen

 

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Editor 28th January 2025

Ashley Palmer-Watts and The Devonshire: London's most talked-about pub

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