"There’s a burgeoning food community here, and we wanted to be early adopters," says Nicholas Balfe, the owner of Holm restaurant with rooms in the village of South Petherton in southern Somerset . "We’re at the beginning of something new," he adds. And he’s right.
Somerset is starting to cement itself as one of the go-to destinations for UK stays – it’s more affordable than the nearby celebrity-favoured Cotswolds and less touristy than Cornwall . But how did it get here after long being considered just a drive-through county? Through its food, of course. For Balfe, South Petherton, which is sandwiched between Ilminster and Yeovil, has the makings of some of its nearby more well-known towns such as arty Frome or bouji Bruton .
It’s easy to see why South Petherton is on the brink thanks to its honey-coloured historic buildings, which are draped in multicoloured bunting when I visit ahead of the carnival in September. There’s also thatched cottages with neatly potted pastel-coloured flowers in front gardens, a grand 15th-century church, a market square with a village hall and a busy village pub – all the hallmarks of a quintessential English countryside village. And being mere minutes off the A303, the main artery road through the southwest, makes it far easier to access than it looks on a map – meaning it’s just a matter of time until this part of Somerset is an in-vogue area.
Balfe will be ready. Holm’s restaurant opened in 2021, which in late 2023 was f.