The Nut Tree, Murcott

Mike North is not so much sitting on a golden egg as a chocolate one. Not just because he’s managed to hold on to his Michelin star at Nut Tree Inn for the past three years but also literally, because his signature dish’s fame has spread far and wide.

It was the main reason we were there on a Wednesday night because, having been regaled so many times with the magical properties of said chocolate egg I had to try it just to shut them all up.

From the moment I picked up my spoon and dipped it into the actual eggshell, through the sea salt, into the praline cream and the caramel base, finishing with the bursting candy popping in my mouth, I knew it was a dish I would never forget, and had me scraping it clean with the desperation of Djokovic at Wimbledon on Sunday.

Like an exhilarating rollercoaster ride, as soon as I got off I wanted to get right back on and do it all again. But as said egg was dish number six of the incredible taster menu and I still had the orange soufflé and the cheese course to come, I had to keep on my merry way.

The rest of the meal was as impressive, Mr Greedy looking particularly pleased with himself as we surveyed the extensive menus.

I hadn’t been to the Nut Tree since the old conservatory was demolished, paving the way for a new, modern, airy dining room, in stark contrast to the ‘olde worlde’ interior of the inn. Mike didn’t have his star then either, although it was patently on the cards, and I still remember his Guinness ice cream to this day.

So it was a treat to wind down the country roads to Murcott, leaving our daily lives behind for the evening, settling outdoors with the menus and a cool drink to watch the Aunt Sally team playing at home, only to clock that they were competing against our own local pub, meaning most of our village were actually at the Nut Tree with us. You can take the pub out of the village but you can’t take the village out of the pub...

We left them to it as we took our seats indoors for what was to become a memorable meal. The à la carte menu looked appetising, but as the chocolate egg was on the £55 taster menu it was a no-brainer. There were two taster menus, carniverous and veggie, so we decided to try both, me being on a bit of a health kick — although eight courses is hardly abstemious.

And from the first spoonful of my first course, an Asian coconut broth, which was so perfectly balanced and delicious I wanted to squeal in delight, we knew we were in for a special evening. Mr Greedy dived into a tiny teacup of shellfish bisque with summer truffle that he enjoyed equally. Nut Tree-smoked Loch Duart salmon with whipped horseradish cream and Avruga caviar followed, then a parfait of chicken livers with fig and orange chutney, a beautiful piece of baked megrim (on the bone) with Jersey Royals, English asparagus and white wine sauce and then a superb hunk of chateaubriand of aged Charolais beef with potato purée and sautéed wild mushrooms served by the wonderful Chloe who made our meal even more appealing.

For me a heart-warming summer vegetable salad with pea purée, lemon vinaigrette and aged parmesan, then a tiny bowl of wild mushroom risotto, a hearty ‘cassoulet’ of white beans and ratatouille, and the cannelloni. Portion sizes were perfect, leaving you with enough room to relish the desserts; the egg and then a truly glorious sugar-dusted hot orange soufflé which left a permanent imprint on my brain, although the bitter chocolate sorbet was less special. We managed a plate of artisan cheeses, a gooey orange-rinded French offering ending the meal perfectly.

I sat back trying to take in the wonderful food we’d just eaten on this majestically balmy summer evening in the middle of the Oxfordshire countryside and felt utterly spoilt. And while the Aunt Sally teams retired to the bar to discuss their match with baskets of Mike’s home-fried chicken and a pint, I realised that he has managed the impossible by opening a Michelin-starred pub that still attracts and caters for the locals.

Need I say more? I’ll leave it at this then: I defy you to find a better way to spend £55.

 Opening times: The pub is open Tuesday to Sunday from  noon for drinks and closed on Sunday evenings and all day Monday. Food is available Tuesday–Saturday; lunch noon–2.30pm, dinner 7–9pm; Sunday lunch 12–3pm. Bank Holiday Mondays: lunch noon–2.30pm.
Parking: Lots.
Key personnel: Mike and Imogen North, owners and chef/front of house respectively.
Make sure you try the... £55 taster menu. But for those on a budget there’s a two- course £18 set menu, available Tuesday–Friday lunch and Tuesday –Thursday evenings, or the bar menu available served at the bar and in the garden.
In ten words:
The Nut Tree has it all; food, location and atmosphere.