Botanical Rooms

The story

Botanical Rooms at The Newt in Somerset – Michelin Recommended Dining in Castle Cary

Botanical Rooms

On the sprawling estate of The Newt in Somerset, just outside Castle Cary, the Botanical Rooms offers a dining experience rooted in the land around it. This is Modern British cooking at its most grounded—seasonal, precise, and driven by the estate’s own gardens, farm, and orchards.

The restaurant is one of several on the estate, each with its own character. While the Farmyard Kitchen leans into relaxed, shareable feasts in a converted threshing barn, the Botanical Rooms presents a more refined setting for lunch and dinner. The kitchen works with what the estate provides: vegetables from the gardens, meat from the farm, and fruit from the cyder orchards. The result is a menu that changes with the seasons, reflecting what is ready to be picked or harvested that week.

The ethos of the wider estate—"food is the edible thread that ties all our endeavours together"—is on full display here. Guests can expect dishes that let the produce speak, prepared by a team that understands the value of simplicity done well. The international influences that appear on the menu are subtle, always in service of the core ingredients rather than overshadowing them.

The Botanical Rooms has earned a Michelin Recommended distinction, a nod to the quality and consistency of what emerges from its kitchen. It is open daily for both lunch and dinner, and advance booking is required. Whether you are staying on the estate or visiting for the day, it is a place to settle in and eat well, surrounded by the Somerset landscape that makes it all possible.