Nut Tree Inn Murcott

Having finished a spontaneous shopping spree in Bicester Village I was feeling peckish and a radius check of the area alerted me to the Michelin starred Nut Tree Inn only being a 10 minute drive away! A lucky, spare table existed revealing three options: an a la carte averaging £50 for 3 courses, a tasting menu for £60 or classics such as battered fish and chips for approximately £12. As I had time on my hands and not sure how long it would be until my next visit, the tasting menu was a no brainer and this turned out to be simple and enjoyable. Definitely more than just a pub, this is a good spot and is to be done again when possible.

This proved to be a winning choice as the tasting menu proved to be magnificent value for money with 9 courses for approximately £10 more than how much the a la carte would have been. The stand out dishes of the menu for me were the turbot with superb garlic and cream sauce and the melt in the mouth pork belly with celeriac puree, apple sauce and pork reduction. These moments conformed being very happy to have gone for the tasting option.

This proved to be a winning choice as the tasting menu proved to be magnificent value for money with 9 courses for approximately £10 more than how much the a la carte would have been. The stand out dishes of the menu for me were the turbot with superb garlic and cream sauce and the melt in the mouth pork belly with celeriac puree, apple sauce and pork reduction. These moments conformed being very happy to have gone for the tasting option.

Another lovely moment was the wonderfully and subtly pickled shallots to go with the Pea Royale and goat’s curd, which formed a lovely combination altogether, and this was needed to cut through quite a dense, chilled pea blend. There were no real low moments of the meal save to say that the it was all at a consistently mid-pleasing note. I think I will always find however, passion fruit in sorbet or soufflé form an assault on the jaw bone and teeth.

The only other aspect I would have preferred is if the portion sizes were slightly smaller on the tasting menu – it was utterly fabulous value for money as a result but as most of the courses were sized as a mid-large starter, I was almost fearing the next course rather than bouncing with excitement. I would recommend making sure you go hungry.

This is a lovely pub no question and the owners and staff were genuinely enjoying looking after their guests which was easy to spot and made for a good atmosphere. The hospitality was very homely for all those present, who ranged from long standing locals to blazer wearing folk clearly wanting a more notable dinner. A very nice find and marker for the future as well.

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