Heading into town from the Bruton’s train station, you’d be forgiven for meandering past Bean Shot Coffee, tucked in an unassuming industrial unit. Founded by Australian Nick Law, the artisan roastery has an espresso-sized on-site café, which welcomes you to sip on an Antipodean-style filter beneath a ceiling draped with coffee sacks. Pop in for a bag of just-roasted beans on your way home to eke out that Bruton good life.

Watering holes are the lifeblood of the West Country – order a cider and segue into an oh-so Somerset pace of being. Bruton Castle (all leather seats and log-burning stoves) and The Sun Inn (dating from the 13th century) are popular among locals, but we love taking the pleasant amble to Iwan and Manuela Wirth’s The Bull Inn, a 17th-century pub which has been given a quirky, Fawlty Towers-esque facelift. After visiting nearby King Alfred’s Tower, head here to imbibe craft ales in the garden or enjoy hearty pub fare (made from Durslade Farm produce, of course) by the fire.

If you hadn’t guessed by now, At The Chapel is something of a one-stop-shop for Brutonians. Its Wine Store sells a selection of quaffable organic and biodynamic wines and libations from small, often local, producers. Prices are surprisingly reasonable. Buy a bottle for a taste of At The Chapel back home, order (chilled, if required) to go with a takeaway picnic or find a perch in the congregational chapel-turned-restaurant for a glass.

Somerset is the core of the UK’s cider-making scene; to visit the county without knocking back its bold, fruity, bittersweet brews feels like an opportunity missed. You’ll find local swill served in many of Bruton’s bars and restaurants, but we recommend an excursion to this farm and award-winning distillery which has been pressing cider for more than 200 years. It sells upwards of 40 vintage varieties in autumn, including the much-loved Burrow Hill Cider.

With more than 50 years’ experience specialising in French wines and a host of awards to its name, the family-run Yapp Brothers is among Britain’s most-loved wine merchants. It’s across the county border in Wiltshire, so you’ll have to drive a good 15 minutes to reach it, but if you have the wheels, it’s perfect for stocking up your cellar (read: drinks cupboard).