Merlin Labron-Johnson to open restaurant in Somerset

Former Portland head chef Merlin Labron-Johnson is set to open a restaurant in November.

The chef, who helped earn a star for the Woodhead Group restaurant in 2015 before leaving last year, announced the news on Instagram, stating that it would be a "tiny farm-to-table restaurant in the heart of Somerset," serving organic vegetables and products "sourced from friends in the surrounding villages. 

• We interviewed Merlin Labron-Johnson in 2016 and filmed him making some of his signature dishes, check it out here

The as-of-yet unnamed restaurant will also have rooms - as well as "fine cider and lovely wine," according to the chef, who said he would share details on the project closer to the launch. 

"In the meantime I’m looking for talented chefs and FOH of all levels," he added.

The chef, who helped open The Conduit, in Mayfair, said he would "of course" continue his work there, too. 

Watch Merlin Labron-Johnson make three dishes: 

Gâteau of foie gras, rhubarb, pickled onions and doughnut bread; cave grown Paris mushrooms, buckwheat and 24-month Parmigiano and a dessert of Kabocha pumpkin, citrus and meringue.