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Clereuhugh adores Oxfordshire
In Britain or abroad, wherever I’ve been, that oh-so reassuring welcome-home feeling when I’m driving back into Oxfordshire is the best; crossing the Thames over the bridge and into Henley, through the Cotswolds and into Woodstock, or down the A40 and through Witney. Home sweet home.
Following the M40 towards the spires of Oxford, detour at Murcott for a pint and ploughman’s at The Nut Tree – a Michelin-starred pint and ploughman’s, no less. The stunning scenery is a patchwork of fields – rapeseed, poppy, corn and barley – and busy farms. Oxfordshire is South East England’s most rural county, with 75 per cent of the land dedicated to agriculture, and there has been an exciting growth in farm shops, field-to-fork projects and food-from-the-farm-gate schemes.
Mind you, I’m an honorary Oxonian, having spent the first half of my years in Northumberland. However, my heart, soul, family and cooking are firmly rooted in Oxfordshire. I’m the luckiest chef in the land, to own The Crooked Billet at Stoke Row. Because we are surrounded by beautiful countryside and beautiful suppliers, farmers and producers, my menu is almost entirely local. The soil and seasons spoil me, and I follow Mother Nature’s monthly changing specials: wild garlic, young carrots, asparagus, honey, roe deer, cherries, lamb (at its best in late summer), runner beans, game birds, quince and a pint of Brakspear.
We offer a ‘swap for lunch’ scheme at The Crooked Billet, where you can bring your home-grown goodies and I’ll give you a credit note for lunch. I provide school meals from my Reading restaurant, London Street Brasserie, with vegetables supplied exclusively from local allotment holders, so the children experience just-picked fruit and vegetables in their true peak of ripeness and flavour.
I adore Oxfordshire’s eclectic mix of eateries: the sublime, gorgeous Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons; the cool, bohemian and quirky cafés of Oxford; the county’s quintessential tea rooms; not forgetting the region’s incredible offering of foodie pubs. We boast the best in Britain.
Restaurants wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the loyalty and appetite of their guests. Oxfordshire is blessed with a discerning public, enthusiastic and passionate about food. Enjoy this Food & Drink Guide, discover the pubs and restaurants within, and support the region’s farmers, food producers, independent retailers and towns. Enjoy what the county has to offer.
Cheers,
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