Top 50 Gastropubs

Rob Taylor

Proud of our work ethic

Biography

Rob Taylor’s cooks with a quiet confidence, running the kitchen at the Compasses completely on his own.

His dishes have no bells and whistles: they are simply delicious. Fresh ingredients are cooked to perfection and the final product is always visually impressive without resorting to presentational peacocking.

Whilst he traffics in country gastropub-fayre, Taylor is unafraid to experiment with his menu, trialling dishes such as confit sea trout with white beans, which are often popular enough to win a longer run on the menu.

Learn more about Rob

Describe your cooking style

It’s simple in its delivery – I don’t overcomplicate food. I really just cook the food that I’d want to eat when I eat out. Unpretentious but delivered as well as I can possibly deliver it. Some of our dishes may only contain three or four components, but from the very sourcing of the ingredients to how I get them on the plate, I try and incorporate as much flavour as I humanly can. A few simple, clean flavours per plate that really pop out.

What was it that made you fall in love with cooking?

I’ve wanted to cook since I was about nine. It came from watching cookery shows in the morning with my mum. And then further down the line, when I was about fourteen my parents opened up a restaurant so I spent weekends there with them – mostly getting in the way I imagine, but at the time I thought I was helping

What’s the best thing about having The Compasses?

I love creating something that I enjoy and then seeing other people enjoy it is massive. To have people come up to you and tell you how good it is, when they’re genuinely surprised – it’s huge for me. It’s why I do it.

What makes a good chef?

Passion. What I look for isn’t necessarily skills. If I’m looking for an employee, I’m looking for somebody that has a passion for good food and is willing to put the effort in. Pride in what you’re putting on the plate is the biggest thing.