Michelin-starred restaurant Osip in Somerset has unveiled its first artist-in-residence exhibition, alongside a new signature menu and intimate private dining room. Olivia Palamountain reports

At Osip in Bruton, art and gastronomy are merging in a way that blurs the line between maker and chef. The Michelin-starred restaurant helmed by Merlin Labron-Johnson will debut "A Gathering", the first in a new artist-in-residence series curated in collaboration with Jacqueline Moore.

The initiative transforms the restaurant into a gallery space, where hand-crafted works by leading ceramicists, wood sculptors and photographers will be displayed throughout the building until March 2026.

The exhibition explores the relationship between food and craft  both grounded in material sensitivity and the act of making by hand. Works by ceramicists Ken Eastman, Florian Gadsby, Sue Paraskeva, Nicola Tassie and Derek Wilson will appear alongside wooden sculptures by Mark Reddy and monochrome photographs by Jonty Sale. Their pieces, all made with an acute understanding of texture and natural form, reflect the chef’s own approach to ingredients, seasonality and technique.
Installed across Osip’s curved walls, alcoves and ledges, the artworks echo the tones and shapes of the restaurant’s earthenware floors, exposed beams and lime-plastered interiors.

"It was important that the artworks embody the aesthetic of the restaurant and feel like a true reflection of Osip’s philosophy,” says Moore. “The intimacy of the dining experience and the subtle quality of light create a place of warmth and hospitality – an extension of the home.”
Labron-Johnson adds: “In the same way that a chef uses their ingredients, the maker uses the natural resources around them to create something new, distinct and evocative. The seamless creative nature that these works add to the restaurant is an authentic embodiment of Osip’s ideals.” All artworks will be available to purchase, and a series of talks and events will accompany the exhibition throughout its six-month run.
Coinciding with the launch of "A Gathering", Osip has also launched a new signature menu and private dining. The menu, available both in the main restaurant and in the new space, revisits some of the restaurant’s most celebrated dishes, reimagined as a communal feast. Highlights include Cornish lobster with pumpkin satay, Thai basil and citrus; the Osip taco; and the restaurant’s acclaimed game pithivier – a golden pastry encasing quail and venison.Priced at £195 per person, the menu must be booked in advance and is designed to reflect the rhythm of the Somerset seasons.

The private dining room, tucked within the restored 17th-century coaching inn, accommodates up to twelve guests and mirrors Osip’s pared-back aesthetic. Exposed beams and soft plaster walls provide a serene backdrop for contemporary artworks, while white tablecloths and minimal styling allow the food to take centre stage. Bespoke drink pairings – from classic house favourites to Champagne-led experiences – complete the offering, attended by a dedicated service team.