The Pony & Trap to be renamed the Pony Chew Valley

The Eggleton family’s Pony & Trap in Chew Magna will be renamed the Pony Chew Valley when it reopens with a different concept as part of plans to rebrand the group as the Pony Restaurant Group.

Announcing the news on Instagram, chef-owner Josh Eggleton said the site had “formed the root of everything we have ever done, it has seeded our DNA and will continue to do so in its new form later this year”.

The family had already announced that the venue will not continue to operate as a gastropub when it reopens. Due to its size the venue has been unable to trade since March 2020, prompting them to rethink plans for the site.

Josh and Holly Eggleton, who won an Acorn Award in 2016, run the business along with their parents Gail and Chris, and brother Scott.

The family took over the Somerset restaurant in 2006. It won a Michelin star in 2011 but lost the award in the 2021 edition of the guide due to its closure.

The Eggletons have two upcoming openings in the pipeline, including the Pony North Street restaurant in south Bristol, which is set to serve ‘modern British bistro classics'.

They have taken on the Queens pub in Chew Magna and are converting the upstairs area and skittle alley into four double bedrooms for overnight guests.

The team are also due to participate in the 2021 return of Breaking Bread, an outdoor Bristol food pop-up that kept over 100 people in work in 2020.