Visit the small Somerset village for heavenly food, contemporary art and verdant countryside
Tucked into the Somerset hills but easily accessible from London, Bristol and Bath by train, Bruton is a great little place for a cheeky day trip. The teeny town has been attracts attention with its luxurious, arty air, and the art galleries, speciality shops, fancy places to eat, and luxe places to stay are around every corner in these cosy streets.
As well as the cultural delights of the town, the opportunity to get into nature is always calling at this Somerset hideaway. Look above to see the Bruton Dovecote, a National Trust-enshrined tower, which you can tramp up to via allotments and charming stonework. So without further ado, here are the best things to do in Bruton.
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Just across the road from Hauser & Wirth's sprawling art gallery lies the town’s community gardens, where you'll find locals working on their stunning 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.
Want to take a taste of Bruton home with you? Visit the Godminster shop for hampers featuring their signature cheeses, Swan Vintage for hand-chosen vintage and Lunaria for stunning floral design that you can pick up from a small 17th century converted stable.
Meat is always on the menu at the Roth Bar & Grill, which is located in the outbuildings attached to Hauser & Wirth. It's an ideal stop on a Sunday for one of the melt-in-your-mouth roasts plus a well-spiced Bloody Mary from the bar. On the 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. And don't expect a menu at farm-to-table restaurant Osip – the team have done away with them. You can put full faith in this small, talented team though.
Roth Bar & Kitchen will reopen on Saturday 25th May 2024
Godminster make their own vodka spirits infused with elderflower, horseradish or blackcurrants, but if you’ve come by car, hop in and drive up the road to the Westcombe Dairy Shop, which, alongside cheese, stocks a full range of bottles brewed locally by the Wild Beer Company.
Scoff down a meal of biblical proportions in this a Grade II-listed, seventeenth-century chapel turned restaurant and bar. In converted church At the Chapel, enjoy a symphony of eating, drinking and chatting with your nearest and dearest. Every morning you can recieve your daily bread via the in-house bakery, graze on beautiful breakfasts, stay for a long lunch, sip cocktails at a lively bar by night and take advantage of the romantic interior to eat by evening. You can even seek sanctuary in one of the deluxe hotel rooms upstairs.
Pay a visit to Hauser & Wirth. This global gallery has established its Somerset outpost just outside the town proper in the Grade II-listed buildings at Durslade Farm and 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 perched waiting at the top of the luscious perennial meadow.
The one-bedroom B&B attached to lifestyle brand Caro is tucked neatly into the upper floor of its garden house, and it’s a two-minute walk from its sister shop where you can pick up everything you need to make your bedroom back at home just as Scandi chic. The sophisticated bathroom is nestled into the sloping roof (there’s no room for a bath but the shower stocked with Aesop goodies so it feels just as luxe) and a night’s stay includes a voucher to spend on breakfast at At the Chapel in the morning. Zzz.
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