Drive 120 miles southwest of London and you reach the bucolic Somerset town of Bruton. With several top restaurants (including one Michelin-starred venue – Osip), it’s been a foodie destination for some time. For a taste of the region lazy Londoners can journey just to Mayfair. Farm Shop is a cool venue – both retail outlet and restaurant.
Located on a lovely corner spot on Mount Street and South Audley Street, Farm Shop comprises two floors. Upstairs it’s a deli, replete with a butcher and cheese counter. Legs of pig jostle close to pungent fromage. Almost everything that’s available for purchase comes direct from the owners’ farm in Bruton. Beyond food (plus accompanying relishes and chutneys), there’s plenty of homemade beer, cider and wine too. The beverages are well worth sampling.
For those with more time on their hands, head downstairs and enjoy all the produce. The lower level wine bar is a hidden gem. It can either be reached through the back of the shop or by descending a precipitous metal staircase out front. Blink and you may miss it. The room discrete and full of charm, perhaps more reminiscent of an old school City dive (albeit done up) than a 21st Century trendy hangout. Either way, guests could easily lose themselves here for several hours – especially after a couple of glasses. The wine list naturally contains local Somerset fare, but there are some classy offerings too, spanning everything from high-end Bordeaux to new wave Spain.
There’s plenty of food to mop up the booze too. None of it will shoot the lights out, but it’s fresh, simple and has clear provenance. Sharing boards of cheese and charcuterie are the natural place to start. Pimp these with the likes of a super-satisfying Scotch egg. Salads are highly recommended – especially the one with heritage tomatoes and black cherry, an unlikely yet winning combination. For pure comfort, then it has to be the cheese and leek toastie. A whole rotisserie chicken is available for those with more robust appetites. In any scenario, visitors to Farm Shop will almost certainly leave satisfied.