We stayed At the chapel, a converted guess-what right in the middle of Bruton. Open all day [but not in the evening] for breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, glass of nice wine anytime – and a good shop and enoteca. Bit strange though staying there on your own at night – not much in the way of support and ‘bed and croissants’ means just that – a bag with two croissants hanging on the bedroom door. Take them back to the café and add coffee, muesli, orange juice etc etc. Of course, we’re here for the Hauser & Wirth gallery and it’s certainly spawned a few local support businesses – and the Michelin Star at Osip.

H&W have galleries across the globe (e.g. New York) but this one is a little different.

Hauser & Wirth Somerset is a pioneering world-class gallery and multi-purpose arts centre which acts as a destination for experiencing art, architecture, and the remarkable Somerset landscape through new and innovative exhibitions of contemporary art. An impressive landscaped garden, designed by internationally renowned landscape architect Piet Oudolf, sits behind the gallery buildings and includes a changing programme of outdoor sculptures, and houses the Radić Pavilion, designed by Smiljan Radić.

Very stylish building converted from some redundant farm buildings – low key – and a fabulous new garden designed by Piet Oudolf – the designer of Scampston in North Yorkshire. The trouble is the garden is fabulous at sometime – we’re guessing June to end of August – but very flat and uninteresting the remainder of the year. And the art…? Reminiscent of the last Venice Bienalle, incredibly, incredibly depressing show by Ida Applebroog -why do they do it? So, one out of three plus a very enjoyable lunch with very old friends at Roth bar and grill inside H&W.

No menu at Osip. They cook whatever has arrived/is seasonal or just takes their fancy. A bit like Maratz and Sohn in Vienna. Tonight it was just fabulous – food, service, wine and atmosphere – even with nearly all tables for 2. It’s a relatively recent Michelin Star, but it doesn’t show – very polished and just the right side of friendly. “Where are from – oh, Yorkshire!” [outer Mongolia it might have been, but the natives were friendly].

Restaurant Osip, Bruton. Well worth the trip.

PS They also have No 1 Bruton, a v nice looking B&B – probably better bet than At The Chapel. See also The Old Pharmacy elsewhere in this blog.

Hauser & Wirth. Nice building and good food.