Ómós Digest #173: Field work inspired by Somerset.
Written by Cúán Greene.
I recently travelled to Somerset, traditionally an agricultural county in the U.K. best known for its cider and being the home of Glastonbury. In recent years, it has quickly emerged as a region known for its gastronomy, modern art scene and luckily still, farming. The trip confirmed to me a thought that had been brewing for some time about Ireland’s Midlands: Somerset’s landscape shared an uncanny similarity, what with its rolling hills, forests, wetlands, brooks and rivers. So, rather than focus a marketing campaign almost exclusively around folklore and old ruins like the Ancient East and Hidden Heartlands have done to date, should food, craft and art not be the region's driving force?
I’d followed Chef Merlin Labron-Johnson’s progress ever since his move to the chocolate-box town of Bruton in Somerset, where he set up Osip, a small, high-end, farm-to-table restaurant. My interest peaked when it was revealed that the restaurant was moving to a new location, finding a home in a once derelict roadside inn, of which there are many dotted throughout the region. It was obvious that what he would create would be special and indicative of his sense of taste, experience and cooking style, which focused on seasonal farm produce.
With dinner booked that evening, we arrived at Bristol airport and took a car drive 45-minutes east through rolling hills, with roads ensconced by tall, meticulously kept hawthorn and hazel hedges, to an equally idyllic and tiny village of Batcombe, Shepton Mallet. While Osip’s restaurant had only opened its doors a few weeks prior, the rooms were set for completion at a later date and so we decided our home for the night was to be The Three Horseshoes Inn, owned by Margot Henderson of Rochelle Canteen, one of my favourite restaurants in London. We were immediately welcomed by a roaring fire, a pint of ale and piping hot chicken pie, tightly sealed with a layer of housemade rough puff pastry. The renovated pub, clad with large original paving stones, is located directly below the inn’s 5 bedrooms, each beautifully finished with a country decor true to the building’s heritage, but with attentive details like nice Wildsmith soaps and skinscare, British linen, and thoughtfully written welcome cards and menus.
From world-class galleries and quaint boutiques, with surprisingly affordable antiques, to great independent artisan food purveyors, bakeries and restaurants, there’s no lack of entertainment in the area. Both Osip and The Three Horseshoes celebrated cheese from the Westcombe Dairy (which we visited) on their menus. I loved how in the inn’s bedrooms, the dairy had been highlighted as a trip not to miss. So we went. And it was marvelous. We got an in-depth walk-through of the dairy, discovering local styles of cheeses, including a cheddar that occasionally goes blue – garnering the cheese with a favoured funk! Westcombe also produces wonderful charcuterie and sells various ciders and wine from upcoming local producers. Set in an old estate, the dairy shares its space with Landrace Bakery which provides The Three Horseshoes and local artisan groceries with baked goods made using their famed flours that they mill from landrace grains (ancient pre-hybridised varieties ("races") of wheat, barley, oats, rye and other grains). It’s clear that there is a great sense of pride within the region. Businesses are out to support one another, and as a result, have developed a likeminded community that adds to the economic prosperity and overall wellbeing of Somerset.
