A relaxing stay at HOLM, Somerset
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Last week Chris and I hopped across the county border into Somerset for a couple of days at wonderful restaurant-with-rooms HOLM – a relaxing and very welcome escape from the renovation chaos at home.
Founded and run by Chef Director Nicholas Balfe, who opened London eateries Salon, Levan and Larry’s before moving back to his West Country roots, HOLM sits in the honey-hued Hamstone village of South Petherton, 15 minutes outside Yeovil. It began welcoming diners in 2021, with the guest rooms following a couple of years later, and an overnight stay had been at the top of my wishlist ever since we took my parents there for a birthday meal back in 2023. So, when we were invited on a midweek break by Curated Spaces Club, we leapt at the chance – and it certainly lived up to our (very high!) expectations.
The design
HOLM occupies a smart 1830s townhouse, originally built for a wealthy merchant before later becoming a high street bank. The whole place has been sensitively restored by architects Gundry & Ducker and local designer Decca Lang, who introduced a clean, minimalist aesthetic while honouring the history and character of the building.
The resulting interiors are pared-back yet tactile, with swathes of exposed lime plaster providing the perfect backdrop for a considered mix of rustic antiques, custom joinery and mid-century modern furniture from the likes of Ercol, Knoll and G-Plan. Walls are adorned with abstract paintings, many of them by Bristol-based Tom Morris and the Polish artist Caziel, who spent his later years living and working in Somerset. There are lots of snuggly blankets and sheepskins, and dotted here and there are handcrafted pieces by West Country makers, including hewn-oak bedside tables, trays and bud vases from North Devon studio Pacha Design.
The rooms
Accessed via a striking concrete and iron staircase, the seven guest bedrooms are calm, cosy sanctuaries named after British trees.
We stayed in Sessile (a type of oak), which sits at the front of the building and has three tall windows overlooking South Petherton’s main street and octagonal church tower. We adored the supremely comfortable super-kingsize bed, layered with Egyptian cotton sheets and a soft linen throw, and the forest green zellige-tiled ensuite shower room, illuminated by a porthole window set high in the wall between it and the bedroom. What really made it special, though, were the little touches: a hand-written card explaining the story behind the name, a tea and coffee station hidden in a cupboard, vases of dried flowers, and a plate of freshly made chocolate cookies waiting for us on arrival.
I got the chance to have a peek at some of the other rooms in between guests, and they were just as beautiful. Elm was a particular standout, with a four-poster bed, a decadent egg-shaped bath, a sofa, a pair of arched niches and a bespoke minibar cabinet from local furniture maker Tortie Hoare. I also loved the look of Osier (a variety of Willow often used for basket-making), which has a fireplace and a distinctive spindle bed, and Hornbeam, nestled into the rafters on the top floor with a freestanding tub beneath its skylight.
The food & drink
The dining room has the same warm, minimalist decor as the bedrooms, with leather banquettes, mid-century spindle-back chairs and raw-plaster walls that seem to glow in the light of flickering tabletop candles. There’s also a small bar area, with sink-into sofas and armchairs arranged around a large exposed-brick chimney breast. The whole place has a wonderfully relaxed, convivial atmosphere: this is a hub for locals as much as a destination restaurant.
The food is rooted in the seasons and a deep respect for the surrounding Somerset countryside, with tasting menus and à la carte options built around local produce. On our first evening we sat at the informal ‘chef’s counter’, watching Nicholas and his team at work in the open kitchen as we tucked into HOLM’s signature Westcombe cheddar fries, trout tartare with beetroot and horseradish, an autumnal goat’s curd-filled agnolotti pasta served with sweetcorn and girolles, venison with confit carrots, and then a butterscotch mousse with spiced apple and oats to finish. Every dish was delicious, and the chefs happily chatted about the thinking behind each course as they chopped, stirred, seasoned and plated.
On our second evening, we got to try the burgers, which are normally available on Tuesdays only. Cooked with the same commitment to provenance and traceability as the main menu, they’re made from local meat and topped with a moreish beef and onion marmalade. They somehow managed to impress both burger aficionado Chris and normal burger-shunner me, which is no mean feat!
Breakfast each morning was excellent, too. It’s included in the room rate for overnight guests and features homemade granola and fruit compote, followed by hot options such as bacon with HOLM ketchup and a crisp potato rosti.
The communal spaces
As well as the sofa area in the bar, there’s a sunny upstairs studio with comfy seats and a selection of books to browse. It’s also used for events, which include Wednesday and Friday morning yoga sessions and regular wine tastings. Our stay happened to coincide with one of the latter and it was excellent, with five different riojas (including one from 1982 – a year older than me!) served alongside carefully matched canapés.
Outside, there’s a lavender-fringed terrace with tables beneath large umbrellas, and an alfresco bar that opens up in the warmer months. It backs onto a garden planted with herbs, vegetables and figs, many of which find their way into dishes in the restaurant.
The local area
With the Blackdown Hills to the west, the ancient wetlands of the Somerset Levels to the north and the Dorset border to the south, South Petherton makes a great base for exploring.
We spent our time ambling around the gardens of two nearby National Trust estates, Barrington Court and Montacute House, stopping in between for excellent coffee and pastries from The Barrington Bakery in the postcard-pretty village of the same name. Also within easy reach are the Temperley family’s Burrow Hill Cider Distillery and Martock’s 13th-century Treasurer’s House – the oldest house in the country after the Bishop’s Palace in Wells. It’s also worth visiting the village of Muchelney, where you’ll find a ruined abbey, a thatched priest’s house and John Leach’s Muchelney Pottery, whose wares can be found on display back at HOLM.
Book a stay at HOLM here. Rooms start from £119 per night on a B&B basis. There are also various ‘stay and dine’ offers, including two-night festive packages from £496.
All photography by Abi Dare
