IS BRUTON REALLY THE UK'S MONTECITO?

As the quaint Somerset village, home to Stella McCartney and George Osborne, is compared with the affluent California town, JANE WARREN pays a visit to see if the reality lives up to the hype... and what the locals have to say about it

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IM IN a boutique at the bottom of the small cleft in the Somerset hills that is home to the tiny town of Bruton, and toying with a £17 recycled plastic shopping bag that declares "Our Dolce Vita bag is as close as you can get to a 6pm aperitivo". And it's no joke. The bijou town of Bruton was recently dubbed "Britain's Montecito" owing to its high count of local celebs of significant means - and is certainly the living embodiment of the good life.

On top of the hill is Osip, the uber-trendy, farm-to-table Michelin-starred former pub recently named restaurant of the year in the Good Food Guide. Currently "going for its second star", the venue's stylish all-white conversion makes it feel more igloo than last orders. With just 38 covers for dinner, the tasting menu from young chef owner Merlin Labron-Johnson starts at £125 per person.

Meanwhile, behind nearby hedges are the homes of lesser spotted A-listers, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Mariella Frostrup and Stella McCartney, as well as former chancellor George Osborne. A three-bed end-of-terrace will set you back £525,000 in Bruton add on an extra £125,000 for a bungalow and the prices rise from there.

Even the staff in the independent shops here are a cut above.

They include soignée Debs Dufton, an elegant former "grey model" who is helping out owners Kath and Ahmed at trendy Smouk Interiors at the bottom of the pretty high street; Debs was discovered after being "stopped" in Harrods a few decades ago.

She sends me on a short walk up the narrow high street to The Chapel - "the cultural hub of the town" - a stunning conversion of a former Methodist church which offers arts events and speciality baked goods from the onsite bakery.