The Good Food Guide has crowned a Somerset-based Osip, as its Restaurant of the Year. The small farm-to-table restaurant in Bruton is owned by Merlin Labron-Johnson and primarily serves dishes made from vegetables grown on a nearby farm, wild herbs, and local game.
Instead of a set menu, the kitchen prepares a series of dishes for each guest based on what has been harvested from the farm that day. In January 2021, after only eight months of operation, Osip was awarded a Michelin star.
The winners of the Good Food Guide 2025 were announced at the annual awards ceremony on Monday, February 3, at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in central London, hosted by TV presenter and food enthusiast Richard Bacon. Chloë Hamilton, editor of The Good Food Guide, said that Osip was chosen after several anonymous visits and described their decision as “down to the wire.”
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She added: “More so now than ever Merlin’s cooking offers a sense of place that leaps off the plate with a stunning clarity of flavour. Our decision was down to the wire but the latest of our multiple (anonymous) visits to Osip’s new home in January was a showcase of style and confidence; totally aspirational but without unnecessary frills or a huge price tag”.
The Good Food Guide Awards 2025, in partnership with OpenTable, has announced its winners. Among the shortlisted restaurants for Restaurant of the Year were Restaurant Jericho in Leicestershire, St John in London, Opheem in Birmingham and The Ritz Restaurant in London, reports Somerset Live.
However, it was Osip in Somerset that took home the top prize. Other winners included Skof in Manchester for Best New Restaurant, Timberyard and Montrose in Edinburgh for Drinks List of the Year, and Duncan Robertson from Dongnae in Bristol as Chef to Watch.
The Devonshire in London won the award for Best Value Set Menu, while The Dover in London was named Most Beautiful Restaurant.
David Carter from DCCO group, Jason and Irha Atherton from The Social Company who are the winners, James Gummer, Olivier van Themsche and Phil Winser from Public House Group, Guirong Wei from Master Wei, X’ian Impression, Dream X’ian, Florence Mae Maglanoc from Maginhawa Group, Dom Hamdy from Ham Group, and Jonathan MacDonald and Daniel Spurr from Scoop Restaurants.