Menu
Described on their Instagram feed as ‘Grandma cuisine’, The Old Pharmacy hits just the right note in the quaint Somerset town of Bruton, offering a great spot to eat hearty and well thought through dishes with your dog at your side. The understated wine bar, bistro and grocery store is housed in a centuries-old building that used to be a Pharmacy on Bruton High Street; now a foodie destination, thanks to Merlin Labron-Johnson who also owns Osip – a fine dining restaurant located next door – serving a tasting menu with a fork-to-field ethos.
The décor is simple and chic with a rustic vibe – bare floorboards, original stone walls and wooden tables set against olive green and cream walls and ceramic lighting with books, preserves and dried flowers displayed on simple shelving. The small space is entirely dog friendly with around seven tables and bar-stool seating at the window.
Well behaved dogs are welcome to join you in at The Old Pharmacy.
There’s a daily-changing blackboard displaying the menu that offers a selection of hearty and delicious small plates to share, celebrating Somerset produce, using homegrown ingredients from their own farm.
Inspiration is also taken from farmhouse kitchens in rural France and Italy. From simple nibbles and small plates through to the ‘slightly larger plates’ and moreish puddings, you’ll be blown away with powerful flavour combos and interesting seasonal dishes including pea hummus with mange tout, broad beans, pea shoots and flowers, farm salads and honeymoon melon with prosciutto.
The simple and fresh hand cut pappardelle with pesto and straciatella cheese is every pasta lover’s dream and for meat-eaters, you can’t go wrong with the roast
Tamworth, served with tonnato sauce, Cantabrian anchovies and marjoram.
End with a seriously good pudding – from marinated prunes and sough dough ice cream to cherry and almond tart with marscapone.
On Sundays, The Old Pharmacy offers a set menu that we can highly recommend – venison terrine with red cabbage and aged wild boar, served with herbed-potatoes and seasonal greens.
During the day it’s a great spot to pop in for coffee by Roundhill – one of our favourite Roasteries – and incredibly tasty pastries from Rye bakery. There’s also a tiny adjacent shop that sells grocery items as well as Roundhill coffee, organic wines and local ciders.
There are endless options for dog walking in and around the town from the deep combes of north Bruton or a shorter stroll up the gentler hills to the south – we love an amble through the rural landscape to the south of the town with a few steep accents, visiting pretty Pitcombe Church – a highlight along the way.
There are also some beautiful routes to Batcombe veil and back – medium to long, depending on your chosen route. We particularly enjoy Spargrove for its open fields, and footpaths along the River Alham, also the scenic four-mile off road route to Castle Cary and the three-mile direct route to the Newt.
For insane views head to Creech Hill where the vistas extend from Alfred’s Tower to the east and Cranborne Chase in Dorset to the south, to the Brendon Hills and the Devon boarder 40 miles west, with much of Somerset in between. Don’t leave without visiting Godminster cheese, located at the bottom of the town and
Westcombe Dairy, five minutes’ drive away – both of which are dog friendly.
This is such a cosy little spot, I couldn’t get enough of all the meaty sniffs and enjoyed making friends with fellow four-legs. My humans were stingy with the tip bits which shows how much they enjoyed it! There are lots of great walks to choose from a stone’s throw away, as well as a ton of cheese!
5/5 Paws
Hotel Stays, Doggy Treats , Competitions...
Sign-up to our newsletter to be kept updated
Sign-up to the Canine Cornwall newsletter to sniff out news, reviews, competitions and special offers.