11th June 2026, Merlin Labron-Johnson’s The Old Pharmacy in Bruton will be reborn as The Pharmacy, with two new head chefs at the helm, Marc Ackland and Zsuzsanna Toth. It will also see the launch of a new project from Merlin and The Pharmacy team; Pharmacy Field Kitchen. A new experiential dining and events concept, Pharmacy Field Kitchen will blend seasonal cooking, playful design and warm hospitality with their love for the great outdoors, and will launch with a series of outdoor events in Somerset this summer.
Joining The Pharmacy and Pharmacy Field Kitchen as joint head chef is Zsuzsanna Toth; a self-taught cook and creative director. After ten years in editorial and creative production, Zsuzsanna trained at Forsthaus Strelitz, a family-run farm-to-table restaurant in rural Germany. She co-founded and ran summer garden-to-table restaurant project GAIA outside Berlin in 2021 and 2022, before going on to cook for restaurant pop-ups and events across Europe; including Aux Des Amis and Dame Jane in Paris. Zsuzsanna will work alongside joint head chef Marc Ackland, who joined The Pharmacy team in 2024. Before joining The Pharmacy, Marc worked with acclaimed Australian chef Rachel O’Sullivan, and spent time in some of Kent’s best kitchens, including The Rose in Deal and The Fort Road Hotel.
Together, Merlin, Zsuzsanna and Marc will launch Pharmacy Field Kitchen in June; a new catering endeavor that seeks to unite seasonal dining, joyful design, and heartfelt hospitality, shaped by a deep connection to the outdoors. An extension of The Pharmacy and Osip’s ethos, the food and offerings will be driven by the farms’ produce, celebrating mindful horticulture, home-grown vegetables, and the landscape surrounding Somerset. Through food and art direction, the team will combine their unique backgrounds and shared vision for a distinctive approach to event production. Alongside catering for the likes of private gatherings, brand launches, vernissages and weddings, this summer, Pharmacy Field Kitchen will host a series of events at one of Osip and The Pharmacy’s farms and at other locations in Somerset. There will always be an immersive element to the events held outdoors; such as those at Osip’s farm, where guests will be able to explore, learn about, and pick some of the produce they'll eat that night. The first Pharmacy Field Kitchen events will be in partnership with Bocca di Lupo, in celebration of the Italian holiday Ferragosto, taking place on 15th and 16th August, at nearby Wyke House in Champflower, Somerset. Further events will take place throughout the summer at Osip’s Coombe Farm; including an homage to the concept of Grand Aioli Provencale; a classic Provençal feast which celebrates the sun-drenched flavors of southern France, with platters of seasonal vegetables, seafood and plenty of aioli (further details to be announced soon).
The Pharmacy shares the same values as its sister restaurant, Osip, serving hyperlocal food, predominantly sourced from Osip’s two working farms and other local suppliers. The menu is written daily based on the harvest, with a focus on vegetables, cooked simply but with imagination and care, and influenced by the simple peasant cooking and regional cuisines of France and Italy. In the morning, The Pharmacy serves coffee and house-made cakes such as Madeleines, alongside pastries from The Newt in Somerset. At lunch, there is a short a la carte menu, with a rotating cast of dishes such as Local mozzarella and pickled radicchio and Tokyo turnip Caesar salad; plus a small menu of daily changing sandwiches, such as Fried courgette flowers with hot honey and ricotta and Soft shell crab in a Somerset bun, all made with bread from Laundrace Bakery in Bath. In the evening, the restaurant and wine bar serves a selection of small and large plates, such as Pork collar tonnato; Chicory with pickled squash and kumquat; Grilled Cornish mackerel, Buttermilk pickled chili and wild garlic flowers; and Roast poussin with Pink Fire radish and aioli. A pasta or gnocchi dish is always available; with recent offerings including the likes of Fettuccine bolognese and Fried gnocchi with confit fennel and citrus. Each day, one dessert is on offer, such as Blood orange pudding with Caramel and custard or Dark chocolate and espresso mousse with rhubarb.
Housed in a 16th century building which was once the village pharmacy, the kitchen and 22 cover dining space have been designed to feel reminiscent of a home kitchen: with flickering candles, mismatched furniture, a vintage hifi system, paper tablecloths and the smell of cooking wafting over from the stove.
Merlin Labron-Johnson said of the new developments: ‘I’m thrilled to be entering this new chapter at The Pharmacy with Zsuzsanna and Marc, and to be launching Pharmacy Field Kitchen with them. We’re really excited to bring our approach to seasonal cooking, playful aesthetics, and hospitality out of Bruton, and into the wider world’.
