The Rising Sun Knapp

Quality cooking in the countryside

This new addition to the Somerset dining scene is one to visit before word gets out, as it’s a notable find for anyone looking for quality cooking in the countryside.

Chef Olly Jackson and front of house Rebecca Jackson are certainly not newbies to the county: they ran the five‑star Langford Fivehead Hotel for many years before it was sold. Happily, this dovetailed with the availability of The Rising Sun in the tiny village of Knapp, so the couple seized the opportunity to do something fresh.

In this new venture, they’ve taken their experience of smart service and crafting beautiful food and woven it into the more casual confines of a charming country pub.

Quality cooking is the hook on which the experience hangs, which is clear from the walls of classic cookbooks that line the rooms of the ancient pub. Escoffier’s A Guide to Modern Cooking and River Cottage Handbooks cram the shelves while dishes such as pan‑fried turbot fillet with broccoli, pea puree, parmentier potatoes and tartare butter sauce adorn the tables.

Puds and homemade bread are as top‑notch as the savoury dishes and crafted with an attention to detail highly unusual in such laid-back surrounds.

Friendly and unfussy service, a joyful wine list (with plenty of picks by the glass), a pub garden for summer feasting and a huge fireplace for winter cosiness tick all the pub-dining boxes.

Trencherman’s tip: the pub’s Sunday lunch (not served in school summer holidays) is definitely worth a winding drive through narrow country lanes.