Based at the Hauser & Wirth Gallery in Bruton, Roth Bar & Grill is a blend of food, wine, cocktails and contemporary art. Run by husband-and-wife team Steve and Jules Horrell, the restaurant occupies Durslade Farm’s old cowshed, complete with original roof trusses, chunks of exposed stone wall and a curated collection of food-related art, including Henry Moore’s fine drawing of lobster claws.
Menus are seasonal, but dishes are always sustainably and locally sourced, either from ethical, local producers who share the restaurant’s passion for quality British food, or from Durslade Farm itself. Breakfast options are scant, but generally include a couple of healthy options, such as grilled rhubarb with yogurt and granola or poached egg on toast, and a couple of heartier dishes like home-cured bacon and a fried egg in a brioche roll, or kedgeree. Lunch favourites include cured meats (dry-aged in the purpose-built salt room), colourful salads and Roth Bar & Grill’s signature tomahawk steaks, served with béarnaise sauce. For afters, there are sweet treats such as chocolate mousse with salted caramel, honeycomb and peanut brittle, almond and apricot tart with Somerset cream, and a selection of ice-creams and sorbets. Afternoon tea is also served from 2pm-3.45pm.
Friday and Saturday evenings see the adjoining bar – created by the son and grandson of artist Dieter Roth – at full tilt. As with the restaurant menu, you’ll find that most of the drinks list hails from local craft producers and distilleries, such as Black Cow Vodka from Dorset, and Somerset Cider Brandy from Julian Temperley’s distillery on the Somerset Levels, while fresh juices and cordials are made using produce from the kitchen garden and local hedgerows.