The Nut Tree

It was my birthday last week. To celebrate the occasion, my girlfriend took me to The Nut Tree: a one Michelin star gastro-pub just outside of Oxford. Now when I say just outside Oxford, I mean only around six miles out of the town centre. Unfortunately there was no direct route and the roads to get us there were mainly small and winding country roads. Owing to a slightly optimistic estimate of when I would finish work, we found ourselves a bit pushed for time resulting in a bit of a mad dash - me flogging an underpowered hatchback, my girlfriend calling out instructions like a rally co-driver. Fortunately our sat-nav got us there in decent time; overheard conversations from others suggest that their companions weren't as lucky.

The drive was worth it with interest. As promised on the website, the exterior was utterly picturesque; thatched roof, duck pond (with a duck house that MPs would be proud of) and a well-tended garden. Round the back was a huge car park with a fish pond and some exterior seating.

Walking up to the door, we received a warm welcome from the lady of the establishment. For a bit of background; a few years ago a young, local, couple bought the pub having dreamed of owning it for years. This is one of the many details that I like; there's a romance to it and it gave the whole atmosphere an air of warmth.

The inside was beautiful: log fires burned gently giving the whole place a cosy feeling (and a beautiful smell). The ceiling had lovely exposed beams and the bar was well stocked with a homely and welcoming look. Best of all there were a couple of large Chesterfield sofas and huge button-leather armchairs accompanying them. It was like a large living room. Despite the fact that we arrived a few minutes after our stated booking time (even with my best attempt at a Stig impression) we weren't rushed to a table. Instead we were eased into the big armchairs and given time to peruse the menu at our leisure with a drink.

Before I re-tell the evening further, it is worth taking a second to commend The Nut Tree on it's sense of balance. I have written before about my scepticism about the concept of gastro-pubs. Usually they tend to be either attempted restaurants with an overly prominent bars or pubs with an overly ambitious chef. This place is neither. While the majority of floor space is given over to eating, there was plenty space for those who fancied just coming in for a drink. In fact, a group of local builders appeared to be doing just that; testament to the fact that everybody was welcome. This was let down slightly (but only slightly) by the fact that the only food available was the fine-dining menu. There was nothing to cater for the hunger generated by a couple of post-work pints. However I can forgive it that. There was also a well stocked cigar humidor which I thought was a nice touch.

The main dining room is a modern extension to the original building. It managed to retain the feeling of the tap room while also being light and airy. I particularly liked the well-thumbed cookery books adorning the window sills.

Our starters came nice and quickly. I had raw a large slab of Scottish smoked salmon with a horseradish cream and caviare. It was delicious. The salmon had a wonderful flavour and an amazing texture, the horseradish was lovely and creamy with just the right of heat and acidity and it all went beautifully well together in the mouth. If I'm being brutal, I can't really see the point in the caviare; it didn't add much to the dish beyond a layer of decadence (and for that it can be commended; well it was my birthday). 

My main course was pigeon with foie gras, curly kale and mashed potatoes. The pigeon was beautifully cooked with a fabulous flavour and an even better texture complimented by the meltingly-soft foie gras which added a further layer of richness and intensity of flavour. The sauce which accompanied it was more than delicious too and the mashed potatoes were light, fluffy and tasty. Overall the dish was fantastic but it was let down a bit by the curly Kale which created an unappetising green sludge on the plate. It didn't ruin the dish but it was a pointless addition in my opinion.

Predictably, I opted for the cheese board which had an impressive array of cheeses from around the country. I liked the way they were arranged from lowest to highest strength and included goat's cheeses as well as cow's cheese. There were also plenty of biscuits to go with it so I wasn't left feeling short-changed with a pile of cheese on my plate. As always there was a lump of quince jelly on the plate along with lumps of random fruit. I really don't see the point in this; it distracts from the flavour of cheese but it's usually separate from the cheese so can be left separate easily enough.

Despite my minor moans in the previous paragraph, I would say the whole experience was wonderful. I have already commented on the atmosphere. This was aided by the staff who were professional and efficient. As I have already said, the female half of the management was charming and outgoing making us feel totally welcome. The food too was magnificent; tasty and beautifully cooked. Presentation-wise it looked elegant on the plate without being fussy. There were also decent portion sizes which is a must in my case.

Over all it was a lovely evening. The only thing needed to make it unquestionably perfect was a big soppy labrador meandering around and making friends with people. It was just that sort of pub.

JR

A Dream Not Quite Come True

It had to happen but I must admit, when it did, it came as a bit of a bump. Since moving to Oxford, I've been on a mission to find Inspector Morse esque pubs. You know the type; "quaint" for want of a better term. Not to mention good real ale. Ideally a garden with stunning views too.

So far I've had a reasonable track record of discovery through nothing other than dropping into pubs that look good. You might not be able to judge a book by it's cover but you can certainly judge a pub by it's exterior. However this run of luck had to end. The disappointing bit is that the pub in question actually featured in an episode of Inspector Morse. When I saw the episode I fully expected the pub to be somewhere else entirely, picked for the purposes of looking good rather than it's location, however some boredom and a bit of time on google earth revealed that it was where the episode said it was.

So far so good. Before I go further, let me clarify that I fully appreciate that the episode was filmed more than thirty years ago so expecting the place to be identical is more than a little unreasonable. However it was still more than a little disappointing.

Initially things looked good. The setting was truly picturesque; the Thames was flowing over a waterfall, the surrounding buildings were old and thatched and the whole area had the feeling of a remote country village. Better still, the building was beautiful. There was more than a little bit of old-world charm out of it.

Unfortunately when we got inside things went down hill. It was most certainly a gastropub (admittedly more pub than gastro) with an extensive wine list, cocktail menu, cool music and bar staff that were just a little too trendy. In the end, the beer wasn't bad and the prices weren't dreadful but the atmosphere wasn't exactly convivial for those wanting a quiet drink. There was always a constant, gentle pressure to order food (lunchtime menus not bad, main courses a bit on the hefty side) and the background noise was just a bit too high for easy conversation. What really sealed it was the unofficial dress code of slacks, cashmere jumper, open-necked shirt and expensive watch - we rolled out of the house in scruffy post dog-walking kit so felt distinctly under-dressed. Oh and it was very kid friendly and dog unfriendly. Poor form!

Overall then, it was a bit of a disappointment. I had been looking forward to visiting this place for a while and was hoping for a quiet pub and a good pint. In the end I got a noisy pub and a good pint. I suppose it serves me right for building things up in my mind and going from thirty year old sources. Ah well, we live we learn. It was still a nice drive and we saw a couple of other potentials on the route.

JR