The Number One Bruton hotel is no stranger to gourmet dining, and Sam Lomas’ farm-to-table concept Briar is no exception.
In the former home of the Michelin-starred Osip, Briar celebrates local produce, foraging, and ingredients from the hotel owners’ kitchen garden. In an ethos that feels appropriate to its location in a former hardware store within the renovated townhouse hotel, this venture aims to be a neighbourhood restaurant guided by Somerset traditions - the daily changing menu of small plates, sharing dishes, puddings and hearty beverages will transport you to a countryside farmhouse of years gone by.
The blackboard menu is scrawled on in chalk every day based on the current yields and harvests, but the sort of warming countryside fare you might expect includes Berkshire pork chop with Swiss chard and cider sauce, grilled leg of hogget with white beans and agretti, and enticing vegetarian options such as Jerusalem artichoke and green onion tart, as well as comforting desserts such as honey tart with poached quince.
There’s also an emphasis on communal dining here, with former River Cottage ‘Rising Star’ Lomas planning to host supper clubs and weekend feasts in the Number One’s orchard or ancient courtyard, as well as dinners to celebrate local suppliers like grain specialists Landrace Milling. Lomas also writes an award-winning newsletter, Field Notes, about his journey with foraging and gardening, if you want to read more about the contexts from which the dishes on your plate arose.
For locals or visitors passing through Somerset in search of idyllic rural nostalgia, Briar at the Number One Bruton is the perfect choice for a considered countryside dining experience that does not compromise on taste.