Merlin opened Osip restaurant in Bruton, Somerset back in 2020. Growing up in Devon, he was always fascinated by the agriculture surrounding him. After realising cooking was his passion by spending time in his school kitchen, Merlin left school at sixteen, moved to France to pursue it as a career and cut his teeth at two-Michelin-starred Albert 1er in Chamonix, followed by cult restaurant In De Wulf in Belgium.

Once he had come back to the UK, in 2015 Merlin opened Portland restaurant on Great Portland Street in London, which was awarded a Michelin star just nine months after opening when Merlin was only twenty four years old. Four years later in 2019, he left the city for the Somerset countryside and opened his first solo venture, Osip, in Bruton.

Embodying his farm-to-table philosophy of cooking and inspired by the ‘tables d’hote’ of France, Osip’s menu is informed by local produce sourced from the restaurant’s allotment and garden space, run by the kitchen team themselves. Merlin creates each dish according to which ingredients are available that day, and with an ever-changing menu no two dishes appear at Osip twice.

In early 2021, Merlin opened his deli, épicerie and soon to be wine bar The Old Pharmacy just next door to Osip.

www.osiprestaurant.com
@merlin_johnson | @osiprestaurant