Great British Menu’s Sally Abé Joins Cotswolds Pub The Bull
By
3 weeks ago
The London chef is heading to the countryside for her next venture
Since its big revamp in 2023, Charlbury pub The Bull has garnered a reputation as one of the Cotswolds’ top gastropubs, earning a spot on Estrella Damm’s prestigious 2025 list. And now it’s about to get even better thanks to the arrival of one of London’s most acclaimed young chefs Sally Abé, who is joining as the new head of food.
Sally Abé To Lead Kitchen At The Bull
In her new role, Abé will lead the kitchen and continue to build on the pub’s farm-to-fork ethos, working closely with the team at Public House Produce farm at Bruern Farms, located 15 minutes away from The Bull. ‘I am absolutely thrilled to be joining The Bull in Charlbury,’ she said. ‘It feels like a homecoming for me – returning to my roots and getting to cook proper British pub grub once again. I can’t wait to work with all the amazing produce from the farm. I’m so excited to get back to these incredible British ingredients and just get cracking.’
The news comes shortly after Abé announced that she would be leaving The Pem restaurant at the Conrad London St James hotel at the end of April, after four successful years. Prior to this, Abé worked at a number of top establishments including The Savoy and The Ledbury before becoming head chef at the Harwood Arms, London’s only Michelin-starred pub.
Abé has also starred on Great British Menu multiple times, including the most recent series, where she represented the Central region. She went through to the final, but it was school chef Amber Francis who was named Champion of Champions for 2025.
The Bull Charlbury
The Bull has stood on the corner of Sheep Street in the chocolate box town of Charlbury since the early 1500s. In 2023, it reopened under the helm of Charlbury-born Phil Winser and James Gummer, the hospitality duo behind Notting Hill hotspot The Pelican. Alongside the acclaimed restaurant, there are 10 cosy bedrooms dotted around the inn. The menu is centred around open fire cooking, focusing on elevated pub classics – think pies, steak and fish specials like hand dived scallops and gurnard with sorrel.
James Gummer, Founder of Public House group, said, ‘We are so excited to welcome Sally to The Bull. She is one of the country’s most talented chefs and her love for British produce and great pub food perfectly aligns with ours. We cannot wait to see her creativity in action.’
