Students and shoppers
in Oxford’s city centre
Local lambs
The Perch’s sea bream
See it
with CAA
Over a pint of Binsey Hoplar, an
amber ale made with hops grown
on the grounds, I chat with chef
Craig Thomson about rediscovering
traditional English cooking. “As these
kinds of places change ownership,
strange things can sometimes happen,”
he says. “It’s funny—people can see
this beautiful building in this area
and decide to do high-end French or
Asian fusion. That didn’t make sense
to us. So when we took over, we took it
back to traditional farmhouse cooking
according to the seasons.”
That means things like cider and
white onion soup with tarragon sour
cream, buttermilk and chive scones,
and whole Cotswold partridge with
pickled walnuts, smoked bacon and
bread sauce. My dessert, Yorkshire
rhubarb and custard fool with
rhubarb sorbet, is ludicrously good.
The Kingham Plough, just outside
the posh and exquisitely named
market town of Chipping Norton,
is the kind of pub/restaurant other
pub/restaurants try to emulate. Sure,
it claimed the title of 2019 British
Dining Pub of the Year, but it’s more
than accolades that set it apart.
At a candlelit harvest table, beside
fox- and hen-emblazoned wallpaper,
I’m presented with a small, individual
loaf of sourdough beside the yellowest
butter I’ve ever seen. I slather it
on so thick that my bread is nearly
half butter—and both are gone by
the time the lamb scrumpets arrive.
The dish is an old-fashioned recipe
for breaded, shredded lamb, served
here with anchovy and parsley mayo.
Fresh Cornbury Park venison is
accompanied by pumpkin, sprouts
and cranberry. This is simple, regional
cooking executed at the highest level.
“Generally speaking, we’re just
trying to trace our roots,” explains
chef Iain Dixon. “That’s what guests
and diners want. They don’t want
their food to travel. There are going
to be spices and things that you can’t
produce in the country, but people
want a good story. They want to hear
that the venison was shot last week
five miles up the road. And you know
what? The food is better for it.”
Britain and ireland
discovery
insight Vacations
A 24-day journey
through england, ireland,
scotland and Wales.
see the very best
of the United kingdom,
from bustling london
and quaint oxfordshire
to the historic scottish
highlands and Welsh
castles.
insight Vacations
also offers more great
British tours, including
the Best of Britain
(london, cornwall,
Wales, glasgow,
edinburgh) and the
elegance of Britain
(castles, estates
and gardens).
contact a caa
traVel consultant
1-800-564-6222
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