A Place to be Real Together

Othona's Glorious Food

The Shared Table

Food has a central place in the ethos of Othona. We encourage everyone to value and enjoy preparing food and eating together, not only as a pleasure in itself but also as a powerful symbol (a ‘sacrament’) of community.

In practice this does not mean everybody competing to cook – don't worry! But it does mean we welcome the involvement of even our newest visitor in preparing vegetables or washing up.

Sourcing Our Food

We have a polytunnel for salads, an orchard and a soft fruit cage. We serve homemade jams, marmalades and chutneys, as well as honey from beehives right here in our grounds. Teas and coffees are organic and fair trade. Most of our bread comes from Leakers Bakery, an award-winning artisan bakery in Bridport.

Our reputation is for good, simple, home cooked food and the use of local produce where possible. West Dorset has a wealth of local food producers with Bridport named a ‘beacon’ town in this regard. (Learn more about where Othona's food comes from...)

Our meals include meat and fish, but always with a vegetarian alternative. And we often serve fully vegetarian meals for all, believing some such balance is vital if the whole world is to be fed.

Special Diets

To share the same food is a potent symbol of our shared humanity. But of course some people have allergies or other conditions that limit what they can safely eat. If you have a serious medical intolerance to any foodstuffs please notify us when booking – then we will clarify whether we can exclude them from the menu.

With our small kitchen we cannot provide special meals for those on other dietary regimes. Please do bring any supplementary food you are likely to need; ask for fridge space if you need it; but realise that you won’t usually be able to cook it at Othona. We always stock soya milk, wheat-free bread and rice cakes and our local town, Bridport, has various specialist food shops.