Merlin Labron-Johnson’s Osip – taking world-class cooking beyond the M25
We can all agree that London has an unrivalled array of cuisines from every corner of the globe with numerous examples of truly exceptional restaurants. Of course, you can find better Italian, French, Spanish and Scandinavian places in their countries of origin, but nowhere else has the diversity or range of what is on offer in London.
It is when you venture beyond the M25 that the situation changes for the worse, save for perhaps a couple of dozen establishments throughout the kingdom. Given this state of affairs, I am always encouraged when a talented chef closes shop in London and heads to Sussex or Somerset. This has occurred recently, with Tom Kemble leaving Bonhams restaurant to open The Pass in Horsham, Tracey Peterson and Paul Merrony from Giaconda to the Newell in Sherborne and more recently, Merlin Labron-Johnson at Osip in Bruton.
It is curious how rare it is to find serious restaurants outside of London. For instance, on the drive down to Bruton on the M3 and A303, for the entire distance of 120 miles, there is only one Michelin starred restaurant within 15 miles of the route and that is a pub that no one I know has ever heard of.
Bruton is already a magnet for the sort of people who frequent good restaurants – just like Stratford on Avon has theatre, Aldeburgh has music and Bruton has art to pull people in. Hauser and Wirth, one of the leading international art dealers, spent tens of millions setting up their galleries and restaurant complex on the edge of town and earlier, a converted church called At the Chapel was also a big draw for the sort of people who read FT Weekend. The food at both of these places is good in its way, but doesn’t really aspire to the heights. The other source of customers is Babington House, which is the Soho House outpost close by. Now there is a fourth attraction in the shape of the Newt, a luxurious hideaway hotel with spectacular gardens, which I have yet to visit.
I have had my eye on Merlin Labron-Johnson for a couple of years – he was head chef at The Portland, run by the people behind the Quality Chop House as well as Emilia at Bonhams and Clipstone. After three years there, and the youngest recipient of a Michelin Star, he ran the kitchens at the Conduit, a private club aimed at rich philanthropists in Conduit St in Mayfair but after a year there he decided to return to his roots in the West Country. The last time I bumped into him was in Sicily, where he was hired to cook and do courses for the most stylish private mansion on the island.
The name Osip is Merlin’s second name, which stemmed from his father’s love of the Russian poet Osip Mandelstaum, who was killed by Stalin in the late Thirties. It is a small house at the end of the High St with about 20 covers and only three people in the kitchen apart from Merlin.
The menu is eclectic – there is no beef, lamb or pork as Merlin prefers to work with wild food such as mallard and deer, plus locally reared vegetables and foraged items. There is nothing rarefied about the dishes though – the meal starts with treacle and ale bread with smoked butter, a selection of pickles and potted pheasant.
My favourite plate though was a gloriously rare Torte de Gibier, or more accurately, a Mallard Wellington.
Later, Merlin explained how he ended up in Bruton:
“I grew up in the West Country so this place always had a natural pull for me. I also wanted a place that was an escape from London but wasn’t too far for you to drive down for lunch. Also, most of the produce that excites me comes from the West Country and especially Somerset. This means we tend not to use things that are not locally available, for instance there is no lemon but incredible dairy, game, vegetables and fruit.”
They base each menu on what is available on the day. A local farmer brings in a red deer every fortnight. They end up using every part of the carcass. Merlin knows he could never operate like this in London, where you might serve 100 covers a day – here at best it is around half that number on a good day. There is also a small stylish hotel connected to the restaurant, so he hopes to attract the art crowd who already come to Bruton or perhaps in the summer, people driving down to Cornwall who want to stop off half way. For the moment, it is half locals and half outsiders but it shows every sign of making its mark. One can only hope that more talented young chefs will make the break from London and create places like Osip that do justice to the local produce at a reasonable price.
A la Carte £80 for two. Evening eight course tasting menu £49 – wine pairing £40