Sam Lomas set to launch debut restaurant

An up-and-coming British chef and Great British Menu alumnus is preparing to open his first restaurant, Briar, in September. 

Briar will see Lomas partner with husband-and-wife team, Claudia and Aled Rees, owners of Number One Bruton in Somerset. Their hotel showcases local suppliers and craft heritage, a brand that is well-suited to the chef's debut farm-to-table venture. 

Launching in the Georgian townhouse's old hardware store, Briar will be a neighbourhood restaurant that embraces the West Country. Inspired by its namesake (a wild bramble or shrub native to England), the menu will celebrate hyper-local produce, and foraged ingredients, dictated by the growing seasons of the kitchen garden. 

Dining at Briar

The restaurant will serve a daily changing blackboard of small plates, snacks, sharing dishes and puddings, alongside a carefully curated drinks selection. 

As a former River Cottage 'Rising Star' and Roux Scholarship finalist, Lomas will be busy planning in the run-up to the launch. Having worked on several fruit and vegetable patches in Number One's kitchen gardens, he will also be tending to further fresh ingredients in the hotel owners' garden up the road in Batcombe. Visitors will be able to follow Lomas and his team's progress via his recipe newsletter, Field Notes, which won the self-published writing accolade at this year's Guild Food of Writers awards. 

Open for lunch and dinner Wednesday to Saturday, the kitchen will feature large hanging blackboard menus where dishes will be chalked up every morning based on yields and harvests. Sample plates from the former head chef of Devon's Glebe House include porridge loaf with local butter (£3); Wescome gougeres (£6); trout crudo with parsley, whitecurrants and chilli (£11); Bruton dairy curds with grilled courgettes and sourdough crumbs (£8); blood cake with gooseberry chutney and mustard leaves (£12); Berkshire pork chop with Swiss chard and cider sauce (£32); grilled leg of hogget with white beans and agretti (£28); Jerusalem artichoke and green onion tart with poached egg (£18); honey tart with poached quince (£9); and blackcurrant leaf ice cream (£5). 

"I'm delighted to be bringing Briar into the beautiful space at Number One," says Lomas. "We are flattered by the shoes we're stepping into and are looking forward to bringing our affordable and approachable Somerset fare to the table in Bruton. I am fizzing with ideas for Briar and can't wait to share more details soon. We're hoping to do regular weekend feasts in our ancient orchard, and host dinners and celebrations with our cherished suppliers. There's a lot of excitement brewing and still to come, and we can't wait to open our doors and share it with our guests."

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