Whilst sat outside the new wine shop in Moreton-in-Marsh, we got chatting with another couple at the next table who told us about this fantastic restaurant in Long Compton, called Oxheart, which serves an incredible tasting menu that we should definitely try – we’d not heard of it, but definitely sounded right up our street.
Then out of the blue a couple of weeks ago, the handsome one informed me that he’d booked for us to go and I was so excited!
Oxheart is a micro-restaurant only serves a tasting menu that changes with the seasons, with a passion for using quality ingredients both locally and around the UK, to create an outside-the-box dining experience, breaking down barriers of the conventional experience of fine dining with fantastic results.
As soon as we stepped through the door, we felt incredibly relaxed and right at home. There is only one serving per night (only around 10 people), so there is no rush and wonderfully, there was no dress code, but I was excited to get a bit dressed up and have a night out with my fiancé!
There is an example menu available on the website, but as the menu changes due to it being seasonal, we had no idea what to expect! I was too excited not to look as soon as we sat down, but Dave wanted it to be a surprise.
As soon as I saw what was on offer at Oxheart, my excitement went through the roof and I have to say I was not disappointed. Every single course was incredible and although we didn’t have the wine pairing (we couldn’t get a taxi so Dave drove), we’ve already booked to go back and will be having this next time. However, the selection of wines on the list were incredible – French and only producers were picked because of their organic and biodiverse practises – I tried a couple of different types, you know just to make sure 🙂
And before you know it, they were bringing out the food – we started with pease pudding (which I’ve never heard of before) and rarebit like you’ve never tried, but will want to have over and over again.
Followed by carrot ‘n’ soil which I loved! Fermented and a carrot puree, served with a ‘soil’ of mushrooms and like an oat granola – absolutely spectacular. And also, how awesome is the cutlery!
Next up was exmoor caviar, Cotswold gold parmetier, crème fraiche, birch and hazelnut – beautiful. The caviar is less salty than traditional caviar, but still deliciously extravagant and whilst I couldn’t taste the hazelnut, the handsome one could so I’m putting that down to my hayfever (which has been mental this year).
Then followed the most incredible oyster I’ve ever eaten, which was slowly cooked at 62 degrees (hence the name) with a tomato water granita. Dave exclaimed that it was better than the oysters that we had in Paris, and we tried a lot of different types. I would happily have a dozen of these and a bottle of cremant any day of the week.
Next up was the ‘bread’ course – of course, elevated to a different level and served with butter and a smoked lard, which I was almost slightly hesitant to eat, but then once I’d tried it, it stayed my side of the table! The sourdough was just perfect and I could eat a bucket of these cured cucumbers – slightly softened but retained the most brilliant crunch.
Shortly followed was beautiful asparagus served in two different ways – fermented and steamed (I think) – the fermented was definitely my favourite as it gave it a new taste I’d never experienced with asparagus. This was served with a slow cooked egg yolk, which was rich and decadent served with summer truffle. Another stunning dish and the truffle wasn’t overpowering at all, as it wasn’t anywhere near as strong as black truffle. I mean, you can see from my face that I’m excited!
I loved the sound of this next course, ex-dairy sirloin served with hash brown, sweetheart cabbage and a herb sauce – let’s just say I was right to be looking forward to it because it was beautiful. Mark (the chef) brings each of the courses to you and explains everything that is presented to you and you won’t be surprised that I had lots of questions for him! Firstly, I asked about where the meat comes from, as I really thought it was great that they were using ex-dairy cows for the meat and it comes from just across the border in Wales, from a company called Meat Matters. I also asked about the herb sauce, as I knew I was going to love it, even though I hadn’t tried it, because I could smell it coming off the plate and Andy very generously shared an overview of the recipe that I can’t wait to try! However, I’m bracing myself as I know it probably won’t be as good.
After all that incredible savoury food, I was very much looking forward to strawberries & cream, and feeling very thankful that I had a roomy dress on! Let me tell you, this was strawberries & cream like you’ve never had it. A beautiful strawberry sorbet that was perfectly balanced, a perfectly ripe strawberry encased in a delicate white chocolate, meringue, a lemon cheesecake and koji, which is similar to a type of miso, so slightly salty and whilst I was a bit apprehensive about that with the strawberry it worked absolutely perfectly to the point, I wanted to lick the plate!
We ended this incredible experience with brown cheese and chocolate lavender (lavender was sourced locally from Snowshill). The chocolate was incredibly rich and the ‘brown cheese’ was actually a shortbread with a fudgy, gooey centre – it was that good, I had to shield my from Dave because I could see him eyeing it up!
A big thanks to Mark and Sally who hosted us on the evening for an incredible evening, serving fantastic food and making us feel very relaxed.
If you’re around the area, I cannot recommend Oxheart enough and I suggest booking right away as it’s already booked up well into July.
A x
Abi in the Garden 