The 10 best things to do in Bruton

We named farm-to-table experience Osip the best restaurant in the UK, and with good reason. Run by Merlin Labron-Johnson, who also runs The Pharmacy, the Michelin-starred restaurant has moved to a new rural location just outside of Bruton, where it has a larger garden to grow its ingredients. What you eat depends on what’s been grown but diners can expect perfect flavour combinations and advanced cooking techniques. You can also stay the night in charming rooms above the restaurant. 

Pay a visit to Hauser & Wirth. This global gallery has established its Somerset outpost just outside the town proper in Grade II-listed buildings at Durslade Farm. It exhibits ever-changing contemporary art all year round. Venture outside to frolic in the gorgeous landscaped garden designed by Piet Oudolf, with Smiljan Radić’s bean-shaped pavilion waiting at the top of the luscious perennial meadow. Check out the on-site Farm Shop for pricey but delish local produce. There’s also a great onsite restaurant, the Italian-ish Da Costa.

After browsing the contemporary art on display at the Hauser & Wirth gallery, stop for big bowls of pasta, risotto or Italian-inspired grills at Da Costa restaurant, on the same farm site. On Bruton’s High Street, book well ahead for a table at Matt’s Kitchen, where self-taught Matt Watson will serve you supper in what used to be his living room. Or there is also The Pharmacy, run by Michelin-starred chef Merlin Labron-Johnson who offers exceptional and fabulously fresh small plates and an expertly-curated wine list. Look out for their lush outdoor dining Field Kitchen events in the summer. 

To reach the dovecote – Bruton’s most iconic landmark – start at Hauser & Wirth’s sprawling art gallery. Just across the road lies the town’s community gardens, where you’ll find locals working on their plots of flowers and veggies. Pass on by after admiring their handiwork and climb up to the Dovecote, which sits above the town in Abbey Park offering idyllic views. Run around and pretend to be in a period drama if that’s your bag, we won’t tell anyone. 

Dressed with quirky art and in vibrant fabrics, Number One Bruton has interior design to turn heads. Its luxurious rooms have gorgeous, tiled bathrooms and are the most convenient in Bruton, sitting on the High Street near boutique shops, not far from the river. The hotel also has a homely restaurant, Briar. It’s a small space but chef Sam Lomas works wonders with seasonal produce and greets diners with genuine friendliness.

Want to take a taste of Bruton home with you? Visit the Godminster shop for hampers featuring their signature cheeses. Some, like the Vintage Bruton Beauty, use age-old recipes, while Rag of Colts is a makers’ boutique where old saddle leather is repurposed into stylish bags. Head to New Romantic for antiques and furniture, The Record Room for vinyl, and the Flower Shop – also on the High Street – for dried flower arrangements and fresh bouquets. Or visit Lunaria, in a village outside Bruton, for floral designs that you can pick up from a small 17th century converted stable.

Taking a trip out of town on a bicycle is a great way to explore the countryside. Bruton Bike Hire offers pedal bikes and electric bikes, which make wheeling down country lanes easier on the thighs. Cycle past quintessential villages with thatched houses, cider farms and country mansions on one of the company’s recommended routes, stopping off for a picnic perhaps or for lunch at a traditional pub.

Bruton’s best pub is the Blue Ball, on the High Street, which has arty, bohemian interiors and roaring fires. The most exciting bar however, is Roth Bar, sitting outside the Hauser & Wirth gallery. The bar is an eclectic piece of art itself, piled high with scavenged items. Lights flash when the revolving door at the entrance spins and there is a tempting cocktail list. If you want a bottle to take home, Godminster make their own vodka spirits infused with elderflower, horseradish or blackcurrants.

Enjoy a meal of biblical proportions in At the Chapel, a Grade II-listed, seventeenth-century chapel turned restaurant and bar. Every morning you can receive your daily bread via the in-house bakery, indulge in beautiful breakfasts, stay for a long lunch, and take advantage of the romantic interior to eat by evening. You can even seek sanctuary afterwards in one of the luxury hotel rooms upstairs.

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There is a new gallery in town, not that it’s big enough to trouble Hauser & Wirth. Bo Lee and Workman sits in another converted chapel, around the corner from the High Street. It displays changing exhibitions from emerging artists on whitewashed walls that still feature original stained glass windows.