Foodie Weekend: Frome

Frome has risen in popularity over the last decade and it's not surprising that some fantastic places to eat have popped up as a result. In addition, Frome is just a train ride away from Bath which will spoil any foodie for choice, and Bruton which, for it's tiny size, is weighed down with high-end options. If you can get out of town for a bit, then you can also explore the pubs, farm shops and hidden gems that are just a few miles away.

TL:DR? Scroll to the bottom for my highlights.

Friday...

If you're looking to stay in Frome, Bistro Lotte is a French restaurant that offers accommodation as well as food and is fairly central so you can eat there or venture out to explore other options. I recommend the The Steak Frites.

Eight Stony Street has cool wine bar vibes and decent pizza. It's a big enough venue that they can take walk-ins if you don't want to book in advance.

Arriving by train and wanting food on arrival? Try Station Approach for their Friday fun with Burrito Boi, Rye Bakery Pizza or Lungi Babas' Keralan food. This option is better in summer because you can enjoy the al fresco dining, but they are all takeout places so you can grab and go if it's raining. You can order online in advance.

If you arrive seriously hungry then head to The Griffin which looks like a traditional English pub but actually serves mammoth dirty burgers with American diner style sides and a huge variety of beers.

Fancy a drink before food? See if you can find Hydeaway for cocktails, organic wine or craft beer. Alternatively Palmer Street Bottle stock a host of local craft beers and ciders.

For out of town accommodation, I'd suggest looking at the Bath Arms at Longleat or The Talbot Inn, both of which are part of the Beckford group. Living here I have not had need of a hotel, but The Talbot Inn does good food in an elegant, comfortable setting, and the rooms look like they follow suit. Arrive, unwind, enjoy a good dinner and get ready for a busy foodie weekend.

Saturday...

I would expect a decent breakfast to be included in the places I have suggested but if not the best full english I've found so far is at White Row, a farm shop just out of town. Their sausage butties are amazing and you can meet their piggies trotting around just outside. Alternatively why not try Mes Amis Cafe Deli in Beckington, the food is great and it's a very cute, cosy place to sit and people watch. Check opening hours in advance.

In town try Rye Bakery (the Whittox lane venue) for a cool setting, decent coffee and show-stopper breads and pastries.

Once fed you can set off to enjoy the streets of Frome, laden with independent food shops like Choc et al, Still Life Gin and The Garden Cafe (post covid it's more of a shop/deli). Just opposite, Hamper does great sandwiches.

Grab a coffee at Moo and Two to keep you going before heading over to either Projects (sustainable focus) or Lo Rapitenic (Spanish tapas) for lunch.

Afternoon activity might involve passing through the general market (check out the cheese stall and sample the falafel) or painting pottery with a cup of tea and cake at Made at Nest.

There are also a host of fantastic foodie activities in and around Frome. Check out Hejgro for foraging walks and  Get Pickled Somerset for fermentation workshops. There are some very cool things happening over at 42 Acres; at present most 1 day courses seem to be on Thursdays or Fridays but it's definitely worth a look.

After all of that, you might want to lie down for a bit. And then it will be dinner time!

I asked a few foodie friends and unanimously they suggested The High Pavement for a special dinner . You need to book in advance and be aware that they are only open Thurs-Sat. I've not yet been (babies prevent too many (any!) evenings out) but it's top of my list to try when I can.

Sunday...

If you're here on the first Sunday of the month you will spend all of Sunday at The Frome Independent, a market that takes over the whole of the town centre. Local, small batch food producers as well as street food vendors will mean you are spoilt for choice and honestly as long as you can stomach the crowds, then you'll have no need to go any further.

If, however, it's a different weekend, head to River House Cafe for brunch and then make your way out of town to find a country pub for Sunday Roast. I am partial to The Mill at Rode which has a river running under it, or The George Inn at Nunney. Mells is a picturesque village with a community run village shop you can pop into, and the aforementioned Talbot Inn offers cosy fires in winter and a substantial beer garden for those warmer days.

Talking of which, if it is a lovely sunny day you should head out to Pallet and Pasture, a dairy farm turned Ice Cream Parlour about 10 mins outside of Frome. If you're coming with kids make sure you check to see if there are any of the seasonal trails happening as they are a lot of fun for all ages but you might need to book, and it will likely fill a full morning/afternoon. It was P&P that convinced my husband we should move to the nearby village :)

That's a lot of info so here are my highlights...

Coffee: Moo and Two
Full English: White Row Farmshop cafe
Lunch: Projects
Dinner: High Pavement
Sunday Roast: Mill at Rode
Takeout: Lungi Babas

As I mentioned at the start of this blog, Frome isn't far from a whole host of other towns and cities, ripe for the foodie picking. I'll be covering them in future blogs so please feel free to tell me about any of your favourite Somerset eateries as there will be many I haven't yet discovered. Bruton and Taunton are next on the list.