Frome, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

In a picturesque location on the Longleat Estate, this old rural pub with rooms is consistently well-rated. Wine is sourced by a sister business – The Beckford Bottle Shop in nearby Bath (about 30 minutes’ drive) – while meat and game from the estate help supply the kitchen. In April 2023, The Telegraph’s William Sitwell pronounced himself a fan, and enjoyed “a faultless lunch of amped-up pub classics”.

“Worth the trip to the pretty, hip rural Somerset village of Bruton for an occasion” – Merlin Labron-Johnson’s “incredible” venue enjoys a massive following out of all proportions to its tiny size; and is one of the most commented-on destinations outside London in our annual diners’ poll this year. There’s no menu at this “very farm-to-table oriented place” – for £120 per person (with a cheaper, cut-down lunch alternative) you put yourself in his hands and the “expertly prepared” results are “exquisite… bursting with flavour”. “Service is light but gracious and the atmosphere, in the small but beautifully decorated room, is lovely if lacking a bit of life…” but all that’s about to change since, in autumn 2023 he successfully completed an oversubscribed £125,000 kickstarter campaign to create ‘Osip 2.0’ in a new space. Details to follow.

This stunning converted chapel (with rooms, artisan bakery and wine shop) was long in the hands of Catherine Butler, but in summer 2022 slotted into the Stay Original Company’s roster of SW boutique hotels and pubs. “For a small town Bruton has plenty of places to enjoy good food” – and, albeit “less fancy than the others”, this remains a safe choice for “straightforward, well-cooked fare” (including “a lovely lunch after a walk round the wonderful Newt” country estate).

2023 Review: The “food and wine are always interesting” and are “still as good as ever” at engaging Anglo-Scottish chef Gordon Jones’s former sandwich shop on the southern edge of town. There’s “a single tasting menu available” (the only choice is whether to have 7 or 9 courses) and it comes as a complete surprise, with each dish introduced as it arrives at your table (and no vegetarian or other options).

2023 Review: A “quirky and interesting” local with a “good atmosphere” serving a “creative menu, with cooking of a consistent high standard”. It makes a “fantastic pub for Sunday lunch”, with “outstanding roasts”.

“Great for game if you are in Bath” – a “pleasant” and clubby hotel-restaurant that’s the brainchild of Mike Robinson, of London’s acclaimed Harwood Arms, and accordingly strong on venison et. al. The venue occupies several adjoining Georgian townhouses, and the victuals are “gusty” and “immensely satisfying”, as The Telegraph’s William Sitwell put it in a Nov 2022 review (also proclaiming that he would “rave about this joint well into the New Year”).

2022 Review: Taking afternoon tea in this “wonderful Georgian setting with a trio playing during the meal” – and the Roman baths next door – is to wallow in English history, with literary visitors from Jane Austen to Charles Dickens as your guides. The nibbles – “beetroot-cured smoked salmon with homemade blini”, perhaps – are a secondary consideration, “but well worth having!”.

“Very enjoyable French food in a convivial atmosphere” ensures the continued high success of Chris Tabbitt (ex-of London haunt Bibendum) and Sarah Olivier’s modern European, est. 2016 and named after their first child. It’s a “comfortable and not showy” sort of place with “casual” service, where no one doubts the “very proficient” cooking (“not cheap, but definitely felt good value for the overall meal”).

Limited but positive feedback this year on this well-established wine bar and bottle shop, whose distinguishing feature is a large, barn-like extension and terrace that really comes into its own during the warmer months.

“Buzzy” and “very popular city centre spot” that excels for its “great food, friendly ambience and good value”. Chef-patron Rob Clayton opened it 12 years ago, after seven years as head chef at the Bath Priory Hotel. He has worked in top kitchens for 35 years, including a stint at Chez Nico in London.

This “interesting restaurant set in a bottle shop” (est. 2015) is part of the Beckford group, which runs four SW England inns, and – as of December 2022 – Bath’s Beckford Canteen, set in a Georgian greenhouse. The “tapas-style food” is “very moreish” and there’s unsurprisingly a “good, reasonably priced wine list” to go with it, making it “very popular” and “deservedly so”.

“Pleased to say standards remain high in this popular and much commented-on bistro serving modern European food”, in a useful central location. it’s “one of the best choices in a city served mainly by the chains”.

This gastropub with a garden, in an attractive setting near Victoria Park, is handy for the city centre and won solid support all-round this year in our annual diners’ poll.

2023 Review: Long a bastion of traditional fine dining in Bath, this luxury hotel was the first acquired by Andrew & Christine Brownsword almost 30 years ago, as they started to put together their portfolio of leading properties. Ratings have slipped in the past couple of years, though, with a high proportion of reports even from fans suggesting that “the prices are too much” for “food and service not at the level expected”. Damning critiques are absent, however – it’s a question of value.

“Outstanding views from the dining area” and “lovely garden” over the surrounding countryside (top walking territory) characterise this well-liked stone gastroboozer; there are plaudits too for its “small menu of good classics” (plus latterly small plates).

2023 Review: “Fantastic for a foodie weekend” – this comfortably boho country-house hotel in the Mendip Hills from the Pig group owes its vibe to the shabby-chic interior designed by Judy Hutson, wife of Robin Hutson (ex-Hotel du Vin and Soho House) who founded the chain a dozen years ago with backing from Ineos billionaire Jim Ratcliffe. The 25-mile kitchen sourcing regime results in some “amazing local ingredients” on the table.

“A treat after viewing the interesting gardens” – this ‘Country House Reimagined’ is a handsome, limestone Georgian pile in lovely Somerset countryside and is the brainchild of billionaire Koos Bekker and his wife Karen Roos’s (ex-editor of Elle Decoration). Where eating is concerned, the main event is a “gorgeous” panelled traditional chamber (for more inexpensive meals, head for The Garden Café – “a beautifully designed glass box” overlooking the kitchen garden and orchards – ). “Good local produce, much from the grounds just outside” is presented alongside meat from heritage breeds on a three-course menu for £85 per person. One or two reports suggest “it’s good but doesn’t quite hit the heights it’s aiming for” but on most accounts it’s merely a “fantastic” experience – “love the range of Newt ciders” too.

“This small family-run restaurant never fails to please” – Adam & Martine Fellows celebrate the 20th anniversary of their fish-focused, French-inspired bistro this year, having moved to a new townhouse address in 2022. Their dishes are always “beautifully cooked and presented” and there’s a “variety of menus to suit different budgets”. Top Menu Tip – “excellent scallops in a champagne sauce with samphire and asparagus”.

This “superb country pub with fabulous food” on the Fonthill Estate dates from 1740 and boasts a “country-house ambience and upper-crust service” that make it “popular with the local gentry” (and very well commented-on in our annual diners’ poll by the standards of venues in the area). An ivy-clad facade and “roaring log fires” are complemented by a smartly modernised interior, while “seasonal menus mix traditional country fayre and touches of the more exotic” – so there’s “truly something for everyone”.