Michelin-starred Osip in Somerset announces 2025 Japanese chef collaboration series

Merlin Labron-Johnson, chef-owner of the Michelin-starred restaurant Osip in Bruton, Somerset, has announced the line-up for a series of collaborative dinners titled Osip Collaborates: Japan. There will be guest appearances from Japanese chefs Endo Kazutoshi, Atsushi Tanaka and Kanji Kobayashi in an initiative that aims to celebrate culinary traditions of the country and its influence on the restaurant’s cuisine.

The opening offering will be on 23^rd June with Endo Kazutoshi, the third-generation sushi master behind London’s Endo at the Rotunda and culinary director of Creative Restaurant Group. Atsushi Tanaka of Paris’s A.T. joins Labron-Johnson on 15^th September, followed by Kanji Kobayashi of Villa Aida in Wakayama, Japan, on 8^th December. Labron-Johnson, who has cited Japanese cuisine as a significant influence on his own culinary style, will work alongside each guest chef to create menus that blend British ingredients with Japanese techniques and sensibilities.

The collaboration with Kazutoshi will highlight the concept of Omotenashi – or hospitality rooted in empathy – alongside Osip’s ingredient-led approach, with seafood sourced from the south west of England and the majority of produce coming from Osip’s own farms. The evening will begin with a personal greeting at a temporary sushi counter, where the visiting chef will serve four nigiri “directly into each guest’s palm, to preserve the freshness of the dish”. The co-created menu will include cold starters such as Cold Tomato Tea with Tomato Brioche, Kefir Cream and Tomato Jelly and Sea Bream with Isle of Skye Tomato. Hot starters will feature Monkfish with Miso and Ramson Capers and Lobster with Homemade Shio-Koji. Main courses include Stuffed Duck with Truffles and Yakitori Leg, followed by a Rocket Sorbet and Gooseberry Juice palate cleanser and Burnt Chocolate Tart with Apricot Kernel Ice Cream for dessert.

The second dinner on 15^th September will feature Atushi Tanaka, whose Paris restaurant A.T. serves “light, aesthetically distinct and poetically flavourful dishes”. Finally, on 8^th December Kanji Kobayashi marks his first collaboration dinner in the UK, showcasing Villa Aida’s “garden gastronomy”.

Reservations for the first Osip Collaborates: Japan dinner open this Monday 9^th June. The menu is priced at £215 per person, with optional drinks pairings offered.

Food Desk

For further information about the Osip Collaborates: Japan dinner series, visit the restaurant’s website here.