In this episode of Mise en Place, we sit down with Jan Ostle of Wilson’s in Bristol for a conversation that stretches far beyond the pass. Recorded inside the restaurant’s remarkable 100-year-old bakery, this is a vivid, funny and deeply human story about how one of the UK’s most exciting restaurants came to be — and the messy, unpredictable journey behind it.

Jan takes us right back to the beginning: leaving school early, feeling out of place, and discovering a sense of belonging for the first time in the chaos of a professional kitchen. From pot-washing in Oxford to the intensity of kitchens like Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and The Square, he speaks with total honesty about failure, fear, addiction and the long, uneven path to finding his voice — not just as a chef, but as a person.

At the centre of it all is Wilson’s — a restaurant built not on polish or perfection, but on instinct, partnership and community. Jan shares the story of building it alongside Mary, taking on the old bakery next door during Covid, and shaping something that reflects their values rather than the expectations of the industry. It’s a story about family, about Bristol’s support for independent restaurants, and about creating a place that feels genuinely welcoming rather than exclusive.

This is Jan Ostle unfiltered: thoughtful, self-deprecating, chaotic and deeply sincere. He talks openly about the pressures of running a restaurant, the emotional weight of responsibility, and why — despite everything — he still loves this industry. Honest, moving and often very funny, this is one of our most revealing conversations yet.

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