Our Slow Supper Club is a series of restaurant guides and recipes dedicated to celebrating slow food and seasonal eating. The series hopes to leave you inspired to explore the best of British produce.

Osip Restaurant: garden-to-table eating and simple styling

Osip is a tiny farm-to-table restaurant in the popular Somerset town of Bruton. Owned by chef Merlin Labron-Johnson, Osip has not only earned a Michelin star, but also took the top spot in SquareMeal’s list of the Top 100 Restaurants in the UK in 2022. The restaurant is part of Number One Bruton, a boutique hotel that is well worth considering if you’re staying in the area, and takes up residence in a former ironmonger’s shop. The atmosphere is relaxed with paired back décor that allows the rustic nature of the building to be celebrated. We loved the simple uneven white tiles and dried herbs hanging from hooks. The beautiful ceramics the dishes are served on are created by Kana London.

Osip offers a set menu of up to nine courses, but you can also opt for six, or the menu du jour at lunchtime. The courses are ever-changing, depending on what fresh produce is available (much of which comes from the restaurant’s own land), and each course is announced by the server, meaning it’s a menu-less experience. In Osip’s words, they intend to “curate an experience that celebrates a time and a place in Somerset, using ingredients that have been grown by us or our neighbours.”

Each course and flavour was considered, allowing the fresh, seasonal ingredients to take centre stage. In early September, some of the dishes on our seasonal menu included treacle and ale bread with smoked butter, chilled courgette soup with gooseberry jam, fig leaf ice cream, macerated blackberries and fig leaf oil and honey madeleines, cherry and meadowsweet.

Make it a weekend:

Bruton and the surrounding area makes for the perfect staycation destination. It’s no surprise it’s gaining quite the foodie reputation.

Stay: Hunker down at Number One Bruton, The Bower Treehouse, Durslade Farmhouse, Caro B&B, At the Chapel, or peruse AirBnB.

Do: Visit an exhibition at Hauser + Wirth Gallery, explore the gardens at The Newt, shop at Caro Somerset, or browse an antiques fair at Shepton Mallet.

Eat Some More: Try Matt’s Kitchen, Roth Bar & Grill, At the Chapel, The Old Pharmacy (sister restaurant to Osip, right next door).

Osip, 1 High St, Bruton BA10 0AB

For more great places to eat in the South West, browse our favourite seasonal restaurants and our travel guide to Bath.

Seasonal Living Slow Food Slow Supper Club