delicious. reviews: Durslade Farmhouse, Bruton

Tell us more…
If you’re seeking some rural sanctuary but all-out countryside seclusion (and self-sustenance) isn’t your idea of true respite, Durslade Farmhouse is the cosmopolitan solution – you’re just a stroll away from the train station and the site’s ample farm shop, restaurant, art installation-meets-cocktail bar and, yes, an international art gallery.

What’s the place like – and what’s great about it?
Inside, the farmhouse kitchen looks straight out of a period film, with the type of giant wooden table that demands lunches of fresh bread and hunks of cheese. Complimentary provisions (bread, eggs, milk and so on) are provided and goodies can be ordered from the farm shop for your arrival (or a two-course meal placed in the fridge). Hungry from the journey, we shared Bath’s lauded Landrace Bakery bread slathered with butter and a seed-strewn roasted vegetable salad, alongside cider from the farm. A huge six-burner range and the vintage teacups hanging in the dresser add to the effect; our group exercised the collection of old-school coupes for a before-dinner glass of the estate’s own Maid of Bruton rosé fizz (excellent). But the house itself isn’t as chocolate-box stereotypical as it first seems…

When Hauser & Wirth started work on the former dairy farm in 2012 – a cluster of dilapidated grade II buildings dating from as early as 1760 – it had been uninhabited for decades. The renovation of the farmhouse boldly lays bare layers of its history, from floorboards that still creak and plaster walls mottled with paint to the residual spirit of its last residents. The Gilling family lived here in the 1970s: spot the retro stickers labelling the two children’s rooms, alongside preserved wallpapers and mismatched colourful bathroom suites that are oh-so of the period. No two bedrooms are the same, and the vintage furniture (prepare to fight over the room with the stately brass bed) is eclectic, set off with vibrant throws and rugs. All have ensuites.

Food lovers will appreciate the concessions to modernity: a Smeg fridge in the kitchen and Big Green Egg grill on the secluded terrace, with outdoor dining table for eight. And then there’s the art, imbuing the place with Hauser & Wirth flavour: a hanging installation of found glass objects glitters in one living room, while the dining room is wrapped in a brooding mural. Both are works by artists inspired by time spent in Bruton as part of Hauser & Wirth’s residency programme. The contrast of culture old and new is captured in the books propped on a bedroom windowsill: Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility alongside a work by contemporary American artist Roni Horn. There are two sitting rooms for kicking back by the log burner with an (art) book or board game, too – Scrabble provided.

What’s the food like?
You’ll find everything you need to cook a fancy fry-up or feast for friends at the manicured Durslade Farm Shop across the lawn (there’s a sister site in Mayfair and online shop). It stocks the riches from the 1,000-acre estate, including its own lamb and beef (a mix of aberdeen angus, hereford and wagyu). “Everything stays super local,” says farm manager Ben Carter; the abattoir is just 20 minutes away and meat is butchered on site. Making your own lamb mixed grill with juicy cutlets, rump steak and merguez sausages from the butchery counter is highly recommended – just add salsa verde.

The farm’s huge variety of terrain – from meadows humming with insects to pasture, apple orchards and woodlands – has been teased back into productivity over the last decade with diverse ambitions. Beehives in four corners of the farm produce a range of honeys and in 2016 a vineyard was planted – close to where it’s thought a Roman vine terrace existed – to provide the estate’s own wine. While the farm isn’t organic, no insecticides are used and meadows (left un-mown May-July) have been enriched with plants that promote good soil, while the population of muntjac deer is managed for the forest’s health. Old-fashioned coppicing has been brought back to improve woodland habitats. “We’re lucky to make these choices – it doesn’t need to be all lifestyle choice or commercial – there is a middle ground,” says Carter. We spot a buzzard, hare and giant dragonflies as we explore.

The farm’s forager Kenny Jelfs harnesses its wild ingredients – pineapple weed, brambles, wild garlic, burdock – to create bespoke Farm Shop products. These include greengage and meadowsweet jam; birch sap and tomato relish; and sweet cicely hot sauce (just one of the bottles that came home in my shopping bag). The goal is to “keep people coming back to see what’s fresh,” says Carter – including locals. “Like in the gallery, you might see a show – but in six months, there’ll be something new.”

More of an eater than a cook? Since my visit an Italian-inspired restaurant has opened on site. Da Costa is named after Artfarm co-founder Iwan Wirth’s grandfather, who emigrated from Northern Italy to Switzerland where he ran his own restaurant. The vision is locally-grown produce prepared with Italian flair, from radicchio risotto made with Maid of Bruton wine to venison from the estate cooked on the wood-fired grill. There’s also the Roth Bar, centred around a site-specific installation by artist Oddur Roth that he created during his residency in Bruton. The menu covers brunch, burgers, salads, snacks and small plates, with a drinks list peppered with local creations – including the farm’s own wine, cider and cordials.

What is there to do?
Take the opportunity to browse artworks you’re unlikely to have seen before. Hauser and Wirth’s collections are modern and contemporary and spring 2025’s exhibition, An Uncommon Thread, showcases the work of 10 artists whose use of unconventional materials is central to their creative practice.

The garden beyond the gallery, by Piet Oudolf, is worth a visit in itself; the impression is of an alien landscape, with a spacecraft (the Radić Pavilion by Smiljan Radić) at the far boundary. Designed for year-round drama, the stark architectural beauty of the plants is revealed in winter. Gallery and garden are free to visit, with donations encouraged to Good Company Bruton, this year’s nominated charity, which supports local community projects.

What’s not so great?
The farmhouse is adjacent to the gallery, overlooking sculptures on the front lawn; while being a stone’s throw from the action may suit some, others might prefer a touch more separation from the public when renting a whole property.

The commitment to conserving the house’s quirks, almost in an artful state of suspended renovation, may not be to everyone’s taste, either. Some taps splutter forth while others trickle, and the stripes of exposed wiring in one bedroom might be a bridge too far for some. Arty, adventurous types only need apply.

What’s the damage?
From £500 a night, before catering (sleeps 12). Dogs welcome. Restaurant & garden open Weds-Sun.

Find out more about Durslade Farmhouse – and discover more delicious. places to stay with our travel guides.