A weekend in Bruton, Somerset: food, art and culture in the countryside
A small, historic market town in Somerset might seem an unlikely epicentre for art, creativity and food. Yet walk around Bruton’s narrow, Hamstone cottage-lined streets and you’ll find farm-to-table restaurants run by Michelin-starred chefs, independent stores with makers-in-residence and handcrafted objects, and world-renowned galleries with contemporary art from established and new talent. But it’s the historic buildings that form the basis of Bruton’s creative charm. The restaurant which was once an ironmonger; a wine bar housed in a half-a-century-old pharmacy; the Grade II-listed chapel artfully renovated into a triumvirate of bakery, restaurant and B&B.
The River Brue threads its way through the middle of the town, while the open landscape surrounding Bruton is punctuated by ecclesiastical monuments that offer a clearer glimpse. John Steinbeck, an unlikely one-time resident of Bruton, once wrote of the landscape: “I wish you could feel this place. There’s goodness here… something that clears your eyes”. With that in mind, here’s our pick of what to see and do, plus where to shop and eat in Bruton.
SEE
1. Hauser & Wirth
The internationally renowned gallery – with locations in London, New York, Los Angeles, Menorca and Hong Kong – opened in Bruton in 2014, and has been a testimony to the location’s creative influence ever since. It’s a place to experience contemporary art, modern architecture and the Somerset landscape all at once. Behind the arts centre is an impressive garden designed by landscape architect Piet Oudolf, and the unique Radić Pavilion (formerly at London’s Serpentine Gallery) designed by Chilean architect Smiljan Radić. As well as an acclaimed year-round exhibition series, Hauser & Wirth Somerset hosts an array of talks, seminars, workshops and film screenings.
2. King Alfred’s Tower
Designed by Henry Flitcroft in 1772 to commemorate the end of the Seven Years’ War, this 49m-high folly is believed to mark the site where King Alfred the Great rallied his troops in 878 AD. The tower was built as a monument, rather than a functional dwelling, and has become an icon of the Somerset landscape. Visitors are able to climb to the top of the hollow triangular tower for panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.
3. Bruton Dovecote
A Grade II-listed building, the Bruton Dovecote is a limestone tower believed to have been built in the 16th century as a watchtower, once belonging to Bruton Abbey – a relic from the town’s ecclesiastical past. It was then converted into a dovecote – a structure intended to house pigeons or doves – in the 18th century. It offers an expansive view of Bruton – although the birds might get a better look from up top.
EAT
4. Osip
What was once an ironmonger’s shop is now a cosy farm-to-table restaurant offering the best seasonal produce, artfully served up on handmade stoneware. There are no menus at Osip. Instead, guests are invited to put their faith in Britain’s one-time youngest Michelin-starred chef, Merlin Labron-Johnson, and the ingredients cultivated on the restaurant’s own farmland nearby.
5. Roth Bar & Grill
As can perhaps be expected of Hauser & Wirth’s on-site restaurant, Roth Bar & Grill contains works of art as well as sustainably-sourced produce. The dining room – a former cowshed – is lined with food-focused artwork from the private collection of Iwan and Manuela Wirth. Take note of the site-specific bar created by Björn and Oddur Roth, the son and grandson of artist Dieter Roth. While the seasonal menu champions vegetables from its own walled garden, the meat comes from the farm too and is dry-aged in the restaurant’s own Salt Room.
6. At The Chapel
This bakery and restaurant with rooms sits at the heart of Bruton High Street in a Grade II-listed 17th-century former chapel. The beautifully converted main space is flooded with light thanks to soaring ceilings and original arched windows. Championing local growers alongside organic and biodynamic produce, expect wholesome Mediterranean-inspired plates for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between.
7. The Old Pharmacy
Housed in a 500-year-old building, The Old Pharmacy is a wine bar, bistro and deli offering groceries and a small menu from its shared farm with sister establishment Osip. Sip on organic wines, share dishes inspired by French and Italian farmhouse cooking or head into its adjacent shop to purchase fresh produce, local cider and coffee from the neighbouring town’s Roundhill Roastery.
8. Matt’s Kitchen
Matt’s Kitchen is just that – a restaurant based downstairs in self-taught chef Matt Watson’s Georgian cottage on Bruton High Street. The restaurant offers an affordable set menu that rotates weekly (the kitchen is only open three nights a week, Thursday to Sunday), which means there’s as little waste as possible. Come for the seasonal food, diverse menu and intimate setting; stay for the friendly service.
9. The Three Horseshoes, Batcombe
Batcombe isn’t in Bruton, but it’s jolly near – and now that the village’s pretty 17th-century pub, The Three Horseshoes, has reopened to great fanfare, it’s something of a destination. With a kitchen overseen by Margot Henderson, a head chef who came from St John, artfully simple interiors by Frances Penn, and gardens by Libby Russell, it’s no surprise.
Localism is at the fore here – note the serried taps offering ales and beers from Somerset, Dorset and Devon, and the menu’s champion cheddar and bread that come from neighbouring Westcombe Dairy – and the menu changes often. That said, the pie is invariably worth getting, as is the devilled pig’s skin. After such indulgences, you’ll likely be too full to move, so take our advice and book one of the five sumptuously comfortably bedrooms upstairs in advance. You won’t regret it.
SHOP
10. Hole & Corner
The first eponymous shop from the team behind Hole & Corner, a quarterly publication celebrating craftsmanship and heritage, launched in 2019 as a platform for work by emerging and established makers. Browse a selection of thoughtfully curated objects, from functional homeware and Japanese ceramics to handcrafted furniture, as well as make-your-own craft kits, sustainable clothing and woven textiles.
11. Durslade Farm Shop
While you’re at Hauser & Wirth, make your way to Durslade Farm Shop to pick up some pantry essentials, seasonal vegetables and gift boxes featuring local fare from the farm. Supporting local growers, farmers and makers – not just from their own farm – the space is expansive, with a wooden-beamed ceiling, exposed brick walls, a bright fully glazed entrance, with a view across the farmland, in case you needed a reminder of where the colourful produce came from.
12. Make Hauser & Wirth
The walk to Hauser & Wirth is hardly arduous, but if you’d prefer to stay in town, head down the high street to Make Hauser & Wirth, the second outpost from the gallery. It’s a small space across two rooms in a Georgian townhouse, dedicated to contemporary making and the crafted object, showcasing emerging and established artist-makers – often exclusively commissioning pieces that respond to the local and surrounding area. Better yet, all works are for sale and range from sculptures to functional vessels.
13. Lunaria
A floral studio by formerly London-based interior architect Deborah Bain, who creates elegant arrangements from her small 17th-century converted stable at the bottom of her garden. With an emphasis on sustainably grown flowers and dried bouquets, Lunaria also has its own cutting garden, and uses the seasons to inform its floral designs. You might even see some of Deborah’s arrangements in Hauser & Wirth, down the road at The Newt or in local stores across the South West.
DO
14. Westcombe Dairy
Famed for its flagship cheddar – a tangy, nutty cheese aged for 12-18 months – Westcombe has been an artisan dairy since the early 20th century, overseen today by chief cheesemaker, Tom Calver. A 10-minute drive out of Bruton, it specialises in producing traditional West Country cheeses, and thanks to the Westcombe ‘terroir’, they’ve also started hand-making their own charcuterie on-site in small batches.
15. Stourhead National Trust
A sprawling, world-famous landscape garden in neighbouring Wiltshire – about a 20-minute drive east of Bruton – Stourhead dates back to the 18th century. Exploring all 2,650 acres of land might be ambitious, but the 1.8 mile lake-side walk will take you to classical temples, across the Palladian bridge and past the towering obelisk.
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