About Us
Run by Ben and Maddie, who fell in love with the enchanting village of Wambrook when they took over the Cotley Inn in July 2018. Originally a farmhouse, the traditional yet stylish building dates back to 17th century, and the well-loved rural Somerset pub has evolved over the years.
​
Having lived and worked in the Canadian Rockies prior to returning to their roots on the Blackdown Hills, Ben and Maddie became inspired by North American hospitality and are delighted to be offering first-class service in this quaint village pub.
​
“We want to share our passion for The Great British pub with all our guests. It is our pleasure to serve our immediate locals and wider community and we are always so excited to welcome those from a little further afield.
We work from the principle that all our visitors are dinner party guests in our own home, and we strive to achieve exemplary service in a relaxed and welcoming setting.We are committed to serving very local, seasonal food and strive to source all our ingredients within 25 miles of the pub.”
​
​
​
Maddie & Ben
The Team
It’s likely you’ll be greeted by owners Maddie and Ben or, if you’re really luckily, our resident Labrador Jasper may be the first to welcome you. Front of house will be headed up by either Ben or Maddie, along with a number of other friendly faces helping out behind the bar.
​
Surrounded by farming community, 25 minutes from the Jurassic coast and an exceptionally colourful vegetable garden, life doesn’t get much better than for a Chef at The Cotley Inn. Leading the kitchen team is head chef Dan Brown. He built his career following a ‘nose to tail’ principle which uses all parts of the animal, and this philosophy aligns with The Cotley’s attitude in helping to reduce waste.
​
Dan started his career working for Masterchef winner Mat Follas at the two AA Rosette The Wild Garlic restaurant. He then went on to work in some of Dorset and Somerset’s food leading pubs, restaurants and hotels, helping to gain a multitude of awards along the way.
​
Dan is ably assisted by Danny Baker, who joined us after a successful stint at The Langford at Fivehead. Chief joker and always up for a laugh, Danny oozes enthusiasm for great tasting food and prides himself on his attention to detail.
Our Food Ethos
When we talk about ‘food miles’ at The Cotley Inn, we really mean food meters. We’re privileged to be on the Cotley Estate where most of our produce is literally at our fingertips.
We have close links with Cotley farm, which means we get first dibs on the very best meat and we can even see the livestock grazing in the field opposite. Whether it’s the Ruby Red Devon cattle, Nigel the shepherd’s lovely lamb, our very own pigs in the paddock next to the lawns or seasonal greens and herbs from our kitchen garden, we aim to source as much as we can locally and sustainably.
Our ethos even extends to smoking our own meat, fish and dairy in our on-site smoker, and putting Jasper our resident Labrador to good use on the local shoot.
We’re immensely proud of our kitchen team, our commitment to a very local menu and our own produce, not only because it means we support our local suppliers, but also that we can be 100% honest about the origin of our ingredients.
Our Location
The Cotley Inn is the perfect place to while away the hours and soak up some of the nation’s most breathtaking scenery.
​
Surrounded by rolling hills, miles of unspoilt rural landscape and a scattering of chocolate box villages, we think it’s everything a proper country pub should be.
​
Tucked away down a peaceful country lane, the only noise you’ll hear is the sound of the clip-clopping of horses hooves or the animals in a nearby field.
​
With several generous lawns and a lavender-edged terrace, you’ll be spoilt for choice of where to enjoy the surrounding scenery from. And if you close your eyes tightly and tap your heels together, you could be in Provence.
