A provisional power ranking of places to eat in Somerset

With a preamble that includes the shortcomings of traditional food media

As previously stated in this newsletter, Horrell & Horrell is easily one of the best places you can eat in Somerset. But where does it rank in the WFJ’s (somewhat conjectural) list?

Whenever I tell someone what I primarily do for a living, one of the inevitable questions they subsequently field is where their next meal should be. 

Locally speaking, suggestions aren’t as easy to make as people tend to expect. Not because Somerset lacks good places to eat out (it doesn’t), but because the answer’s largely dependent on such factors as how far you’re prepared to travel, how high your expectations are (i.e. London-standard or not London-standard), and how much cash you’re willing to part with.

At some point in the future, perhaps I’ll start referring those people to this ranking list – once it’s more complete – as a decent place to start. Then again, part of me is tentative to do so. You’ll notice this newsletter in full has gone out to paid subscribers exclusively, as I’m reluctant to shout, from the rooftops, which humble local independent restaurants are somehow inferior to other humble local independent restaurants (for the record, I am much less sympathetic towards large chains).

What’s in this ranking

National newspapers will happily publish a list of, say, ‘best restaurants in Somerset’ without having been to any of them. It may surprise you to know that most of those kinds of lists are assembled based on hearsay and general consensus, rather than the actual informed opinion of the author or publication. 

That is not the case here.

To keep things at least somewhat simple and to the point, this list comprises independently-run food-led establishments in Somerset. As for what they’re getting ranked on exactly, it's pretty much just the food. By that I mean not just its quality, but the intrigue, novelty, thoughtfulness, and conscientiousness that goes with it.

Therefore, this basically ignores things like ambience and service, which goes a long way in explaining why some venues are lower (or higher!) on the ranking than their reputation would suggest. 

What’s not in this ranking

Pubs (that is, boozers doing ploughmans – however good – rather than gastropubs), cafes (unless they’re exceptional), kerbside street food (due to their transient nature, at least a temporary omission), large chains (with one or two exceptions), and eating places that do not claim to offer an enlightening gastronomic experience but are rather more about simply Having a Good Time (e.g. curry houses). 

This also goes for venues I’m yet to visit – the likes of Roots, The Pony, Holm, and The Exmoor Inn currently occupy that group.

How this all works

Firstly, may I introduce you to the concept of the ‘power ranking.’ Common in US sports, power rankings will give you a quick and concise idea of how good a particular team are at a particular point in the season. Or, as one sports website neatly puts it, “power rankings are what people come up with in order to organise their thoughts and compare one team to another with limited hassle or confusion.”  

Now take that, except instead of sports teams we’re ranking eating venues. Which are way more subjective, and in that sense might even make them more suitable to this format, as power rankings are partially or mostly based on opinion, nuance, and interpretation – not wholly fact. 

Adding to that, things inevitably change: restaurants appear and disappear, chefs come and go, and menus rotate – all which may, over time, influence where an eating place sits in comparison to its peers. Subsequently, in the coming months, you might see some changes to this list, as some will go up it, some will go down it, and new ones will be added to it.

Firstly though, a few (additional) disclaimers:

• Unless they’re truly exceptional, cafes and breakfast spots don’t have a place here. It is almost impossible for anywhere to put on a breakfast or brunch that we can seriously conceive as exceptionally more than just a method of sustaining oneself. That said, if Coombeshead Farm was in Somerset, it would be one of the first on this list

• A ranking is not always fair – I might’ve visited a place once, where others I’ve visited multiple times. For example, it might surprise you (as it did me) that The Old Pharmacy is mid-table. That’s because I’ve been on only one occasion, and the experience was… okay

• Overwhelmingly, these are concentrated in and around north and east Somerset. Though there’s no intentional bias, this is partly because it is organically where a lot of the interesting stuff gravitates