Bryn Jones

Bryn Jones

“…a modest but extremely accomplished chef-patron. Bryn cooks delicious food serving it with a minimum of fuss and maximum flavour.” – Rev. R.S.

Chef-owner Bryn Jones, alongside his wife Oxana, has transformed THE GORDON ARMS Restaurant with Rooms in the Yarrow Valley, Scottish Borders, into a destination for outstanding food and warm hospitality since their arrival in April 2022.

Within just six months of opening, Bryn and Oxana were awarded four stars by the AA for their rooms and restaurant, alongside an AA Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence. 

Bryn and Oxana’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship has also garnered recognition. Their efforts to achieve sustainable tourism for guests, employees, and the local community have made them finalists in the Boutique Hotelier Awards for “Best Sustainable Achievement” in both 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 and “Best Sustainable Business” by Scottish Excellence Award 2024

In December 2023, THE GORDON ARMS Restaurant with Rooms was included in the Good Food Guide with a “Good+” rating, further cementing its place as one of the top dining establishments in the region. It was also named among the Best 100 Local Restaurants in Great Britain by The Good Food Guide in July 2024 and one of the Top 12 Best Restaurants with Rooms in Scotland by The Scotsman in August 2024.

Bryn’s culinary journey began with formal training at three colleges, including Westminster College in London. He honed his skills at several renowned establishments, such as Bentley’s Group, before co-founding The Gourmet Pizza Company and Riviera Restaurants Group, operating six successful London restaurants for over a decade. After selling his business to Pizza Express, Bryn relocated to Oxfordshire, where he spent 20 years running the multi-award-winning dining pub The Oxford Arms in Kirtlington village.

During his time in Oxfordshire, Bryn’s exceptional cooking earned inclusion in leading international food guides, such as The Good Food Guide, AA Pub Guide, The Good Pub Guide, and Sawday’s. His establishment was featured in Sawday’s Great British Pub Guide as one of the “Best 500 Places to Eat and Drink” in the UK, representing the top 1% of pubs nationwide.

Now in the Scottish Borders, Bryn continues to demonstrate his passion for delivering maximum flavour with minimum fuss. Supported by Oxana, his wife, THE GORDON ARMS Restaurant with Rooms has become a globally recognised food destination, celebrated for its dedication to quality, sustainability, and community engagement.

Bryn Jones is a very modest Chef-Patron and let one of our customers to say on his behalf: “Dear Bryn, Just to thank you so very much for a wonderful Sunday lunch. It’s always a treat to be cooked for by you, but this meal was particularly memorable. I guess that because you are toiling away at your stove so much of the time, you sometimes don’t realise the remarkable (and consistently excellent) quality of your dishes, in which the flavours and textures of your fine local produce really sing. I eat out quite a lot in London, and get very irritated by expensive, fussy, ‘showing off’ cooking. What a relief to return to well-judged flavour combinations and real quality (that magnificent beef on Sunday, for instance) at very reasonable prices.I can only dimly imagine quite what hard work is involved in running a small eatery at a time of economic stringency; all I can say is that your industry, expertise and invariably warm welcome make eating at your place a consistent delight. With best wishes, Rev. R. S.”

Bryn Jones’s rules are very simple:

We do look after you from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave.

We don’t pile our food up so it looks like a bonfire.

We don’t serve anything but soup in soup plate.

We don’t have ‘A la this’ or ‘A la that’ on our menu.

We do serve only prime cuts of the aged beef.

We do serve more than 80% of local produce.

We do worry about our planet.

Our quality is remembered long after the price is forgiven.