Higher Farm

The story

Higher Farm Castle Cary | Regenerative Modern British Dining

The soil and the kitchen

At Higher Farm in Castle Cary, brothers Matteo and Giacomo Grasso practice a distinct form of modern British cuisine rooted in soil health. They launched their operation in 2023 after deciding to replace industrial agriculture with regenerative food systems. Thousands of trees now grow across fifty acres to create food forests that sequester carbon and restore local biodiversity. They build natural fertility without artificial inputs, trusting that the ecology of flavour will emerge when the ground itself recovers. The Good Food Guide awarded the venue a Very Good rating, specifically praising how the founders let ecological balance dictate the plate rather than chasing trends.

Inside the barn

Sunlight pours through a large picture window into a room defined by exposed stone walls and a rough concrete floor. Earthenware jugs holding dried flowers sit alongside blackboards that track the month’s harvest, while shelving constructed from repurposed wine crates holds the quiet clutter of a working farm. Blackboards handwritten with the month’s harvest hang beside wine crate shelving, reinforcing the connection between field and fork. The layout feels intentionally unpretentious, resembling a seasonal pop-up more than a traditional restaurant. This straightforward British cooking style relies on whatever the surrounding land yields during the season, keeping every service fresh and connected to the ground.

Seasonal plates and pours

The regularly shifting menu balances protein with vegetables, offering glistening ham served with smooth buttery mash and vibrant parsley sauce. Trout fillets rest on neat plinths of potato salad while leeks appear smothered in a rich rarebit topping accompanied by pickled onion shards and rye croûtons. Guests consistently return for the house chips, which are made from compressed potato slices slow cooked in butter overnight before reaching a crisp finish. A short drinks menu highlights regional Somerset ciders and English wines, though the full bottle list leans heavily toward low intervention Italian selections. The modern British table closes with light desserts like rhubarb sorbet, washed down with inventive cocktails or carefully curated vintages.