To live seasonally means living in pace with the changing seasons throughout the year. From improving your wellness to reducing your environmental impact, there are a whole host of benefits of seasonal living. When it comes to food, fresh, in-season produce which is picked at peaked ripeness delivers richer nutrients and taste than out-of-season produce which is flown across the world to reach our plates.

The South West is home to many restaurants which are creatively serving up the best of what’s in season and making the most of the region’s rich culinary heritage and slow food ingredients. Visiting these restaurants always offers a different experience as menus change frequently to reflect the changing seasonal produce available. Many are field-to-fork restaurants and cultivate their own homegrown produce, allowing your to trace the provenance of each mouthful with ease.

Below you’ll find some of our favourite restaurants in South West England for flavourful meals which reflect the delicious nuances of each season.

Seasonal restaurants to visit in the South West

Pythouse Kitchen Garden

Near Tisbury, Wiltshire

Pythouse Kitchen Garden is tucked into a hill between the Wiltshire villages of Tisbury and Semley. After a particularly scenic drive down winding country lanes, you’ll reach the restaurant through its 18th century walled garden, where visitors can pick flowers or bed down for the night in the restaurant’s glamping accommodation in the orchard. Pythouse is open for lunch from Wednesday to Saturday and for roasts on Sundays. On select evenings, Pythouse also hosts atmospheric supper clubs.

The unpretentious yet creative lunch menu is excellent value at £37.50 per person, including small starters, a main course ‘from the fire’, a selection of homegrown vegetable sides named ‘garden gatherings’ and a seasonal dessert. Given its idyllic location and gardens to explore, visiting Pythouse is an experience best savoured over a few slow hours.

The Bull Inn

Totnes, Devon

At the top of Totnes’ steep and winding high street, you’ll find the light pink painted The Bull Inn. The pub comprises of a supplier-led, organic restaurant and a range of thoughtfully decorated guest bedrooms. The menu is vegetable-first featuring seasonal produce, but also offers mindful meat and select fish dishes. All meals are served in ‘sensible portions’ and there are a range of sharing plates, as well as individual mains and desserts to choose from. The soft, rustic décor features lime-plaster walls, preloved furniture and the work of local artisans. Owner Geetie Singh-Watson’s conscious, ethical approach permeates through everything at The Bull Inn and has won her The Estrella Damm Sustainability Award in the National Restaurant Awards in 2024.

The Pig near Bath

Hunstrete, near Bath

The Pig hotels likely need little introduction and The Pig near Bath is not the only outpost from this well-loved brand in the West Country. It is, however, our local Pig and a great spot to visit for its proximity to the city of Bath. The Pig hotels offer a 25-mile menu, featuring ingredients from local producers and those picked from their very own kitchen gardens. Nestled in the Mendip Hills, the The Pig near Bath stays true to The Pig hotels’ signature fresh take on country house aesthetic, employing muted greens, comfortable furnishings and plenty of eclectic charm. We especially love to visit during autumn. At this atmospheric time of year, the greenhouses are full of huge pumpkins and you can stroll the grounds to spot deer roaming across the fields.

The Garden Café at The Newt in Somerset

Near Castle Cary, Somerset

Overlooking The Newt’s gardens is the aptly-named The Garden Café. Members and hotel guests can tuck into dishes featuring seasonal produce grown across The Newt estate and locally-reared meats. With expansive windows and a wraparound terrace nestled amongst trees, The Garden Café is the perfect spot to take in the impressive Parabola below, a walled garden containing an apple tree maze. To drink, you can taste the estate’s own apple cyder or juice, or choose wines from The Newt’s sister estate Babylonstoren in South Africa.

Beckford Canteen

Bath

Beckford Canteen is located on picturesque Bartlett Street in a former Georgian greenhouse. The large windows and selection of small tables at street level make it ideal for people watching over lunch, or visitors can escape to Beckford Canteen’s hidden courtyard behind. The considered interiors are accented with deep greens, culminating in an impressive plate feature wall. Beckford Canteen delivers modern British dining taking inspiration from the seasons. Since opening in 2023, the restaurant has been a great addition to Bath’s culinary scene and joins the Beckford Group’s four pubs in the South West and The Beckford Bottle Shop, which is just a couple of minutes walk away in Bath.

Osip

Bruton, Somerset

Osip was originally located within boutique hotel Number One Bruton. Here, where owner Merlin Labron-Johnson achieved a Michelin Star in 2021, visitors enjoyed farm-to-table tasting menus using fresh produce grown on the restaurant’s own local plots of land. Outgrowing the original 22 cover restaurant on Bruton’s high street, Labron-Johnson and his team relocated in late summer 2024 to a rural spot just outside of Bruton. The new vision, dubbed ‘Osip 2.0’, will also include bedrooms.

Osip is also supplied by Westcombe Dairy. We interviewed director Tom Calver of Westcombe Dairy to discover his take on regenerative farming and artisan cheesemaking in Somerset.

Seasonal Living Slow Food