Former River Cottage chef Sam Lomas (centre in picture) is to open his first restaurant in September, taking over the site previously occupied by highly rated Osip in Bruton, Somerset.

Called Briar, the restaurant is a partnership with Claudia and Aled Rees (left & right in picture), who opened their boutique hotel Number One Bruton in the high street four years ago.

Osip was a smash hit at the hotel under chef Merlin Labron-Johnson, who will reopen it next month in a renovated property in the nearby countryside following a successful crowdfunding campaign.

Sam plans to serve a daily changing blackboard menu of small and sharing plates using hyper-local produce, with a focus on foraged or kitchen-garden ingredients.

He said: “I am delighted to be bringing Briar into the beautiful space at Number One – we are flattered by the shoes we are stepping into, and are looking forward to bringing our affordable and approachable Somerset fare to the table in Bruton.

“I am fizzing with ideas for Briar and can’t wait to share more details soon – we are hoping to do regular weekend feasts in our ancient orchard, and host dinners and celebrations with our cherished suppliers. There is a lot of excitement brewing and still to come, and we can’t wait to open our doors and share it with our guests.”