The Peacock Oxhill

South Warwickshire is pretty far to go for a midweek meal, but a few weeks ago The Chap and I ventured out to see what all the fuss was about.

It seems like every local blogger under the sun has visited The Peacock in Oxhill over the past 6 months, but now it was our turn... Truth be told, I'd had one of those nightmare days; I woke up late, traffic was awful on my commute, I had a rubbish day at work where everything I touched seemed to go wrong, ending with my car failing its MOT having to stay in the garage overnight. Ugh. The last thing I wanted was a 50 minute drive for dinner, but seeing as we'd had it booked in for quite some time, off we went (in The Chap's white van no less).

With our phones as satnavs, teetering on the 10% low battery mode, we hastily arrived having not taken in any of our surroundings. Get there quick or risk getting lost. Though in typical Cotswold village fashion, street lights were few and far between, so we'd have been lucky to see much further than our headlights anyway. C'est la vie. What I do know is that The Peacock is a 15th century pub located somewhere between Banbury and Stratford, serving cask marque beers and local home-cooked food. A proper pub then - that's what we like.

Through the doors you'll find lots of stone, a fireplace, wooden beams, seating at the bar, and a resident dog called Henry, though he'll ignore all your efforts to get him over to you as he's rather deaf - poor thing. There's a separate 'restaurant' to the side of the bar, with a peacock feather feature wall (quite late 90's Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen Changing Rooms). I'm not entirely sure what the difference is between the two areas, other than one might be quieter during prime boozing hours, but from our experience you're more likely to get better service in the bar down to the fact that the staff can see when you've finished your food and drinks.

Drinks are cheap - £3.50 a pint and just over a fiver for a large glass of wine, nothing fancy - and there's lots of choice on the menu for eats. Want steak and chips? You've got two cuts to choose from. A beefy burger? It's topped with cheese, bacon and onion rings. Something saintly? There's a superfood quinoa salad. Something fancy? How about homemade crab ravioli with langoustine bisque?  It's all good value too; most mains are £13/14 with the most expensive being £23 for the rib eye, and starters/desserts are around the £7 mark.

After thrusting some pictures of the quail scotch egg with piccalilli, aioli, pork scratching and granny smith apple (£7.50) at The Chap the night before, he wanted nothing else. He's a die-hard pork product fan, and no one should get in the way of him and his piggy treats… I know my place. The diddy yolk was still runny - hurrah - and the meat seasoned and herbed. It looked good, tasted good, and had lots of little accompaniments to keep it from just being a scotch egg on a plate.

I was chuffed with my choice; homemade fishcake with wilted spinach, poached egg and hollandaise (£7). Made with salmon, smoked haddock and crab, it was more-fish-less-potato and much appreciated for that fact. There was another tick on the runny yolk front - phew - and whilst the hollandaise was beautifully buttery, it had enough acidity to stop the dish from being overly rich.

I bagsied the chargrilled 10oz pork chop for main course, served with melt in the mouth boulangère potatoes, confit red cabbage, pork bon bons and a thyme jus (£13). What a looker. The meat was tender, juicy, and not cooked within an inch of it's life as too many pubs do with chops, though as a result, some of the fat hadn't rendered down quite enough. No sweat, the salty pulled pork bon bons were a bonus and I loved the sweet-sour shift with the red cabbage - a little nod to Christmas. Oh, and I'm happy to report that there was enough jus to see me through (sorry not sorry).

The Chap was stuck for choice... Did he go for steak and chips (his beloved chippys!)? Or The Peacock's signature pie and mash? A little guidance from our waiter and he went hybrid; steak and red wine pie with hand cut chips (£13). There were some greens on the side too, but didn't get much of a look in. With the red wine jus on the side, the idea is to make a hole in the top of the pie and pour it in. The pot was only small so the worry was that the inside would be dry, but that wasn't the case. Jam packed with succulent beef, and that pastry...

Stuffed to the gills we probably should've skipped dessert, but thought we'd at least attempt one between us. The black forest mess was the lightest option, and in hindsight the one that they must make the most money on. £6 for some berries mixed through sweetened cream and crushed meringues. It was tasty - sure - but nothing I couldn't whip up in less than 5 minutes at home. Consider that a lesson learnt; I should've gone for the chocolate fondant like Sarah (Lewis Loves) recommended, though I'm not sure I'd have made it home.

Whilst I doubt I'd make the long drive to Oxhill again on whim, if I were in the area I'd certainly go back. The food coming from the kitchen is undeniably delicious and really good for the money - £65 for two courses each, two drinks each and a shared dessert. Never underestimate a village pub, especially one that stands proud like The Peacock.

Feast with a Chef: Orwells Restaurant

I've clearly had my blinkers on; for some reason Clare Hargreaves' Feast with a Chef events have completely passed me by. On Saturday 1st October I found myself at my first one, despite it actually being the 16th *bangs head on the table*.

Feast with a Chef brings great food, cooked by some of the country's top chefs, to the simple, informal setting of a village hall. There's quite the lineup when you look at the list of previous chefs; Ottolenghi's head chef Ramael Scully, The Kingham Plough's Emily Watkins, the king of fish Nathan Outlaw and Le Champignon Sauvage's David Everitt-Matthias, among many more. Mostly held in Bristol, though a few dotted around elsewhere, 100 guests sit supper club-style at long tables, making it a true community event. "Fine dining without the starch."

Leaving Gloucestershire behind, The Chap and I made our way to the pretty little village of Kirtlington, just outside Oxford. Chef-owners of Orwells Restaurant - situated in Henley-on-Thames - Ryan Simpson and Liam Trotman were in charge of cooking a four-course Harvest Feast. Not only very timely as we celebrated Autumn's arrival, but Orwells had just been named The Good Food Guide's Restaurant of the Year, and Ryan had made an appearance on BBC One's Yes Chef in that week leading up to the event.

Partners both in and out of the kitchen, Ryan and Liam have quite an interesting background; they famously walked out of their previous job at the Goose at Salome (along with other members of staff) over a dispute with the then owner Paul Castle. This was just weeks after earning themselves a Michelin Star. but prompted them to pursue their own venture - hurrah! 

Six years after opening, they've not only got Restaurant of the Year under their belt, but a GFG Cooking Score of 7/10, a place in the Top 50 list, 4 AA Rosettes and a 3 Gold Star rating for sustainability, possibly their proudest achievement. Ryan and Liam have become known for their planet-friendly approach to cooking, and try to utilise all aspects of their produce in order to offer more reasonably priced menus. They follow the nose to tail philosophy, grow 75% of the restaurant's fruit and veg from their own garden and, having beehives themselves, are particularly passionate about saving our bees.

Kirtlington Village Hall was full of chatter from locals, Clare's usual pop-up fans, a few new faces (like The Chap and I), and a bunch of Orwells regular customers. Little did we know that Ryan and Liam had actually closed the restaurant to be here... On a Saturday night! Lucky us. So with a brief introduction, the chefs squeezed themselves back into the sparse kitchen they had to contend with and the Harvest Feast began.

On the table we had semi-sourdough bread, still with the gaping holes you'd expect from a sourdough - perfect crevasses for the Rodda's Cornish farmhouse butter - just without the intense tang. From nearby Bibury, we had smoked Oxfordshire trout '99'; the mini ice cream cones never fail to make me smile with their childish charm, and the salty pop of the caviar ensured our taste buds were ready for the first course.

Sleightlett cannelloni with Riverford Farm organic beetroot, fermented garlic and watercress was handsomely dressed. The creamy goats cheese, delicately flavoured with lemony nutty notes, was a fine match to the sweet earthy beetroot and was wolfed down in minutes.

Next up, crayfish and pork, with sweetcorn, apple and celeriac. An interesting combo where land meets sea; the apple complimenting the crayfish whilst at the same time cutting through the richness of the pigs cheek. I felt the crayfish was getting a bit lost at times, so perhaps a smaller piggy piece would have created more balance in the dish. But who asks for a smaller portion of pork? No one. Ever.

The main event was Wiltshire lamb (from Walter Rose & Son Butchers) with Riverford Farm brassica, squash, pearl barley and salsify. Probably one of the finest lamb dishes I've had in quite some time, it epitomised the nose to tail ethos through using the rump, breast, sweetbreads and tongue (though you wouldn't have been able to pick out the latter as it was hidden in the barley). A tasting plate of lamb, and an example of expert cooking. Every mouthful was a dream, though I definitely felt myself craving a few more greens.

Dessert saw the appearance of honey on the menu, and cued Liam to explain his love of bees and why we should be doing more to save them. To cut the story short, bees are essential in pollinating the crops that form our food, and also the wild plants that grow across the country and provide food for much of our wildlife. If our native bees die out, the very fabric of our lives will change considerably and we're likely lose a whopping third of our diet. It's for this reason Orwells have their own beehives producing their own honey, and the Mill Lane honey sponge with salted caramel ice cream and honeycomb made sure we took note. It was the lightest sponge, heaving under the weight of the ice cream, with the fragrant sweetness being met with bursts of pomegranate sourness. Beautiful.

As the kitchen cleaned down and the last few glasses of wine were drank (there was a well priced 'by the bottle' list c/o Enotria & Coe), cafetieres of Origin Coffee and pots of Tregothnan Tea made the rounds. With this, we received our final little taste of Orwells Restaurant; homemade petit fours. Zippy passion fruit jellies tried their best to impress, but the raven blackberry and custard macarons were a clear winner amongst ourselves and our fellow diners. 

Clare's got a fabulous thing going on here; I'm still kicking myself for not having come across Feast with a Chef sooner. This Harvest Feast truly felt like a celebration of wonderful produce, and if that was what chefs Ryan Simpson and Liam Trotman could do in such a tiny village hall kitchen, then I'd love to see what comes from the pass at their restaurant... So let's all go to Orwells, yeah?

The next Feast with a Chef with Michelin Starred Chris Harrod from The Whitebrook is sold out, but keep an eye out for Clare's events next year. Visit her website or follow her on Instagram @larderloutuk to stay in the loop.