Dine like a Trencherman

The Trencherman’s Guide is the discerning diner’s passport to the South West’s most exceptional restaurants. Editor Abi Manning shares eight destinations to dine at this winter

Osip, Bruton, Somerset

Uber contemporary farm‑to‑table fare

Osip is revelling in its new digs on the outskirts of Bruton, where it’s now housed in a slick barn with a giant window connecting diners with the surrounding landscape. It’s an apt metaphor for a restaurant that, along with a Michelin star, holds a Michelin Green Star for its sustainable credentials.

Chef‑owner Merlin Labron‑Johnson is obsessed with ingredient integrity so the produce is hyper‑local and the entire team do a stint on a gardening rota that keeps them close to the source of produce. Thought‑provoking dishes naturally centre around hero veg, while any meat used is whole‑animal or -bird, organic and processed in‑house.

Circa, Totnes, Devon

Eco‑conscious cooking with unusual ingredients

Following its success at Sharpham Wine’s HQ at Sandridge Barton (where it continues to serve low-key lunches), Circa launched at a Grade II-listed building in Totnes this October. Despite the new location, chef‑director Rob Weeks’ passion for all things seasonal, organic and sustainable remains unchanged.

The team are constantly working to improve their zero‑waste systems while concocting expansion plans that include a fermentation lab, mushroom grow‑room, kitchen garden and microbrewery. The aim is to guarantee wholesome and full‑flavoured produce for dishes such as fallow‑deer tartare with hawthorn and celeriac, and ember beetroot with nettle and labneh.

BANK, Bristol

Fired-up sharing plates

Set in a former Lloyds Bank near Temple Meads Station, this easygoing neighbourhood restaurant enjoys a city‑wide reputation for its contemporary flame‑cooked sharing plates.

Fire is treated more like seasoning than a method of cooking and is incorporated into every course, including dessert. Head chef and co‑owner Jack Briggs‑Horan champions local ingredients, with all meat sourced from within a 30‑mile radius and vegetables harvested from the restaurant’s own smallholding.

Feast on pork belly and octopus with Sichuan and orange kosho, or leave the decision-making in the hands of the kitchen team and roll with their relaxed take on a tasting menu.

The Circus Restaurant, Bath

Dine in historic surrounds

Situated in a golden‑stone Georgian townhouse, The Circus Restaurant exudes the city’s historic splendour – minus pomp or pretension.

The buzzy family‑run establishment specialises in modern European cooking and global wines. French‑inspired mains crafted from South West ingredients include the likes of French‑trimmed guinea fowl served with goat’s cheese arancini, courgette ribbons and roasted peach.

The sweet‑toothed can relish desserts such as lemon and elderflower posset with lemon curd, crushed ricciarelli biscuits and lemon verbena.

Catch at the Old Fish Market, Weymouth, Dorset

Smart seafood by the water

Weymouth’s Grade II‑listed Old Fish Market provides a fitting home for a restaurant delivering dishes that provide a culinary journey through the town’s maritime history.

Led by executive chef (and former Great British Menu contestant) Mike Naidoo, the kitchen team create ever‑changing set menus designed to surprise and delight. Dishes such as lobster croustade are elevated to star status with the assistance of black pepper, ginger and chilli‑oil seasoning, kaffir‑lime‑leaf mayonnaise and toasted nori accompaniment.

The chefs are supplied by traditional artisan fishmonger Weyfish which sits below the restaurant – arrive at the right time and see dayboats landing baskets of Portland crab, oysters, and line‑caught sea bass, mackerel and pollock.

The Woolpack Inn, Slad, Gloucestershire

Cool Cotswolds local

A history dating back 300 years, views stretching across the heart of England, and a critically acclaimed chef in the modern kitchen: it’s no surprise this homely inn has become a fashionable favourite.

Beneath its popularity, The Woolpack remains as resolutely rustic and true to its local heritage as owner (and celebrated British artist) Daniel Chadwick hoped when he bought it in 1999.

Head chef Adam Glover’s daily changing seasonal menu takes inspiration from Mediterranean cooking and British classics with a twist – think whole plaice with braised fennel or ChalkStream trout en papillote.

Barnaby’s, Trevibban Mill near Padstow

Vine dining

This home of hyper‑local seasonal sharing plates (and sister site to popular Prawn on the Lawn) is ensconced within family‑run Trevibban Mill vineyard and orchards.

Barnaby’s specialises in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes made with produce from nearby farms, fishermen and growers. The team also do butchery in‑house and make their own charcuterie.

Pair the likes of bass roti tostada, fermented cabbage and bronze fennel mayo with a sparkling pink Pinot Noir grown on vines surrounding the restaurant.

The Sheppey Inn, Lower Godney, Somerset

Funky country pub

Farm workers on the Somerset Levels have lubricated their thirsty throats at this Godney pub for centuries, so when Tamsin and Ben Costigan took over The Sheppey they were determined to maintain its position at the heart of the community. A renovation with eclectic materials and furnishings, paired with superior food, turned the dream into reality.

In the kitchen, head chef Callum O’Doherty whips up modern European food with a Somerset twist. Try the longstanding house classic: fish stew made with smoked haddock, mussels, cod and salmon, served with fresh bread, parmesan and romesco. Accompanying the edibles are fine wines, a roster of local beers and ales, and a bar stocked with exceptional cask ciders.

Authentic, Creative and Innovative

The new 32nd edition of the Trencherman’s Guide includes 111 restaurants across Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, Bath, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. Each restaurant meets the extremely high scoring criteria required to be included, and the guide (pictured with Trencherman’s chairman, Michael Caines) makes a perfect gift for discerning diners.

£12.99 from trenchermans‑guide.com