About Us
Our People
Meet The Team
Laurence & Helen Beere
Proprietors
Helen and Laurence met in London in 1987, whilst training at the Savoy Group. Over the years they held many job titles and positions working in luxury hotels in London and Switzerland. In 1998 Laurence joined The Royal Crescent Hotel as General Manager, and it was at this point the couple fell in love with and decided to settle in Bath. It is not difficult to see why the heritage city stole their hearts!
Five years later they purchased the Queensberry Hotel and Olive Tree Restaurant. The hotel is renowned as one of the leading independent boutique establishments and highly regarded for its exceptional service and prime location, the restaurant for its Michelin star cuisine and relaxed fine dining atmosphere. Combined, they both showcase all that is exceptional about independent businesses. It is no surprise then, that Helen and Laurence are thrilled with all they have achieved and look excitedly towards the future.
Chris Cleghorn
Executive Head Chef
Chris Cleghorn has been Head Chef at the Olive Tree Restaurant since February 2013. His cooking has continually garnered incredible praise and recognition; he was awarded 3 AA rosettes in under 9 months and in October 2018 he was awarded his first Michelin star.
From his first professional kitchen at The Crown at Whitebrook to the Fat Duck in Bray, Chris has filled his career with experiences at the highest level. His mentor for many years, Michael Caines, was the driver behind Chris’ development whilst at Gidleigh Park, holder of 2 Michelin Stars. Chris worked with Michael as Senior Sous Chef before joining the Olive Tree Restaurant in as Head Chef.
After such success, now is not the time to rest on his laurels – his focus on his relationship with local suppliers and his commitment to seasonality in his menus is undeniable. What will the future hold? If the popularity of the Olive Tree’s SIX and NINE tasting menus is anything to go by, the future looks very exciting indeed.
Oliver Harris
General Manager
Oliver joined us in late 2024 with an impressive CV as well as plenty of leadership experience in luxury and boutique hospitality.
Having graduated from The Edge Hotel School in 2016, his career began with the Exclusive Collection, a family-run hotel group, before he became Food and Beverage Manager at Fanhams Hall Hotel. His dynamic leadership and passion for service excellence were further honed during his tenure at the five-red-star and two Michelin Key awarded establishment, Whatley Manor Hotel, where he rose to become Operations Manager in just two and a half years.
In his next role, at Tortworth Court Hotel (part of the De Vere brand), Oliver managed alarger property, of 201 rooms, but his passion for a more bespoke and boutique environment brought him to us in November 2024, and he’s eager to take his and our profile to the next level.
Aisling Bury
Restaurant Manager
We have a new restaurant manager onboard and she is quite the business if we do say so ourselves. The wonderful Aisling Bury grew up in Bath before she felt the enigmatic pull of world travel. She travelled the globe for several years working for hotels in Paris, South Africa and Abu Dhabi, for top luxury brands such as Rosewood, EDITION and Hyatt as well as smaller independents. Serious about hospitality, Aisling studied at the prestigious Les Roches in Switzerland (one of the top three hotel schools in the world) to gain her Postgraduate Diploma. Aisling returned to Bath just before Covid struck and set up an online wine tasting business, entertaining and teaching wine enthusiasts around the world before joining us as assistant manager in May 2021. Now as the restaurant manager, she plans to invest heavily in the training and well-being of her team. Some quickfire fun facts about Aisling: – She graduated with a degree in Arabic studies before deciding to pursue hospitality – Her favourite wine is Guigal’s La Dorianne – Her favourite food is Beef Tartare. “It was the first thing I ever learnt to make!” – Aisling has already started a weekly wine club for the F&B team to develop their knowledge and already the impact is starting to show!
Careers
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