The Caro Podcast

When I think of Comins Tea, I think of friendliness, expertise and integrity. This comes across in everything they do from how they communicate, the partnerships they form, the service they provide and the beautiful products they offer. Describing herself and her husband - the other half of Comins - as translators of tea, it is clear they have a connection with tea culture that is full of curiosity and intent. We all drink tea without thinking too much about it but there are many stages to the process before we hold that cup in our hand. Michelle Comins and I sit down and really get into the subject of tea. We talk about ceremony and ritual, travelling around the world visiting tree farms, the expression of a tea leaf and about having a deep purpose to business and our lives, as a whole. Michelle is poetic, honest, full of adventure and overflowing with enterprise. If you have the chance, please visit the next Tea House she opens, I have no doubt it’ll be incredible. cominstea.com

I am yet to walk passed Briar and not see someone I recognise seated at a table! Since opening the doors, not even two years ago, this beautiful restaurant is hot on the lips of locals and visitors to Bruton. Housed in Number One, a Georgian townhouse hotel, Briar is a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant, recognised for exceptional food that does not break the bank.Chef Sam Lomas is warm, generous and unassuming. With an amazing background working at River Cottage and Glebe House, he has brought his passion for old school craft cooking, and his appreciation for what the season’s bring us, to Briar. With a small team working besides him, he talks about them being the backbone to the business and we share in talking how food brings an indescribable connection to our lives. numberonebruton.com/briar@briar_restaurant

If someone was to ask me to name a business I admire from afar, it would be Pump Street Chocolate and Bakery. There is a magic about it that’s like stepping into a book that you really love. THE most delicious chocolate I have ever tasted, they have flavours such croissant, cinnamon bun and sourdough to name a few, as well as the classics, and wrapped in their iconic Suffolk pink paper. A true bean-to-bar craft chocolate, made in small batches from their Suffolk chocolate factory, they also serve heavenly pastry goods in their bakery in Orford. Revered across the world and boasted on many a bakery menu, Pump St really has the golden recipe - not only in flavour but in brand, community and style. Please welcome co-founder, Joanna Brennan to the podcast. pumpstreetchocolate.com@pumpstbakery@pumpstreetchocolate

There isn’t a broadsheet or glossy mag that hasn’t featured this man’s name across their pages. Merlin Labron-Johnson’s, chef and owner of Osip, the Michelin starred restaurant in Bruton, has a reputation for quietly refined and deeply seasonal food that is rooted in the land has led to a foundation that is authentic and revered by many. This sense of identity is delivered not only in his culinary creations but also in his considered eye when it comes to aesthetic and artistry. We met in his restaurant at the end of the breakfast service so you’ll hear the lovely clattering of background noise. @osiprestaurantosiprestaurant.com

This week’s epsiode welcomes the artist Collette Woods. I have admired Colette’s ceramics and paintings on a daily basis since her studio opened on Bruton High St some 5 or so years ago. Each piece of art she make has a sense of storytelling about it, with proportions that feel unreal but confident, imperfect lines and unapologetic imperfections that culminate in a piece of beauty. I am instinctively drawn to her finishes and colour palette which feel grounded and magical at the same time. And she makes her own pigments!Not only does Collete’s work adorn the tables at the michelin starred restaurant Osip but I am pleased to announce that Collete’s work will launch at Petersham nursery at the beginning of May. So head down to Richmond and take a look at her collection of landscapes paintings and ceramics chosen by Ronny de Koning. It is an absolutely pleasure to welcome Collette Woods on to the podcast!

I have been raving to all that will listen since first tasting the delicious, creamy and inventive flavours of Brickell’s ice-cream. The flavours are a perfect balance of that homemade feel, with natural ingredients, you just know that they are a brand about quality. I feel like everyone might have dreamt of having an ice ceram company at some point in their life, so I was excited to hear from 2 people that are actually doing it - Rob and Iona Gore. We get sciencey about ice cream and hear about their french curd-style of making ice cream, we talk about what set’s them apart from the big guns in teh industry and of course, we talk about their flavours. I have never had as good a chocolate ice cream as the Brickell’s one - so it was no surprise to hear that they use Pump St chocolate, my favourite chocolate maker too! This epsiode really sets us up for dreaming about summer afternoons, please welcome the guys behind Brickells ice cream….