Oxfordshire and its surrounds are famous for outstanding food and hospitality: from farms, growers and markets to cafes, pubs and restaurants. We are delighted to have the chance to feature some of the very best.
The Feathers Hotel in Woodstock was last year awarded a prestigious Michelin Key, and having visited recently to try out Head Chef Luke Rawicki’s new spring/summer menu, we agree the accolade is more than deserved. We ate at The Aviary, the hotel’s light-filled modern conservatory. On sunny days, the bifold doors open directly onto the adjacent terrace with plenty of outdoor seating plus a covered decked area where the outdoor pizza oven is housed. Here offers more of a lounge vibe: squishy sofas and thoughtfully placed cosy blankets.
Sadly, the day of our visit was one of those steely grey days back in June where at any moment a downpour threatened. Even without sunlight streaming in, though, the dining space is beautiful; elegant and expansive. Arguably, though, what is important than tasteful design (if your lunch is to be lingering) is comfort, and as soon as we were seated at our table, my guest and I relaxed into our seats as we chatted with the friendly head waiter.
We were both eager to try something from the cocktail menu, which is divided into Classic and Signature, so we tried one of each. I went for Smoke in the Aviary, served with theatrical flair as woodsmoke is infused into double oaked bourbon, amaretto, brown sugar syrup and the Aviary’s own bitters blend. It was absolutely delicious, the taste of late nights around a campfire. My friend is something of a Negroni aficionado: she took one sip of hers and declared it ‘really special’.
Similarly, the choices on the food menu range from familiar options to a few which have migrated over from the hotel’s more formal fine-dining restaurant, The Nest. We went Classic for our mains (chicken Caesar salad and market fish of the day) and Signature for the starters of Loch Duart salmon and crispy pork terrine, adding a side order of sourdough – mainly because the sound of the whipped salted butter was too irresistible.
The bread rolls arrived first, warm from the oven. It took all of our self-control to hold back and not polish them off before the starters arrived, a few minutes later. Apparently, chef adds a little stout to the dough, I guess to enhance the deliciously toasty malty flavour. This paired with the beautifully cured salmon, served with pearls of cucumber (very fancy), whipped buttermilk and dill oil. Wonderfully fresh, but still incredibly indulgent.
I would probably describe the pork terrine as a croquette as the meat was encased in a crisp breadcrumbed shell. There was some masterful spicing going on and the accompanying celeriac remoulade was just as successful, served with matchstick slices of sweet, sharp Granny Smith. The quality was noticeable in every dish, both in terms of the ingredients (seasonal, sourced locally where possible), and in the skill and talent of the kitchen team who clearly take pride in making every bite memorable.
I’m guessing the chicken in my Caesar salad had been brined as it was plump, juicy and full of flavour, and I was very pleased to discover whole anchovies nestling in the layers of crisp leaves. The fish of that particular day was skate wing (cooked perfectly so that it easily fell from the bone) served with al dente tender stem broccoli, pan-roasted new potatoes and a luxuriously silky beurre blanc.
Although we were both pretty full, the dessert menu looked too good to pass up. Although it is quite modest – just four options – they all sounded genuinely intriguing and by this point in the meal, we had total confidence in the kitchen’s capacity to deliver.
I know it’s a bit sacrilegious to admit this (particularly in our July issue), but I’m not a huge fan of ice cream. However… the popcorn ice cream made a convert of me. Strange as this may sound, it wasn’t overly sugary, but it was certainly indulgent. The tiny cubes of candied orange added that all important contrast to the rich cream and perfectly judged popcorn (sweet, but not tooth-grippingly so). We made an attempt at balancing the extravagance of our first choice by selecting the Pitchfork Cheddar for our second and this, too, was taken to an elevated level with its side of pickled walnut, fig jam, and a small but perfectly formed fig and walnut cake.
We finished off with a coffee and by making plans to return for one of The Aviary’s live music sessions which will be running on selected evenings over the next few months. Great food, live music, laid back atmosphere – and a chance to further explore that cocktail menu. Sounds like summer to me.
For bookings and further information visit feathers.co.uk.
The Feathers' Lemon Tart
Ingredients
Pastry
452g plain flour
228g unsalted butter
114g caster sugar
2 large eggs
Filling
4 Lemons
265g double cream
250g caster sugar
4 large eggs
1 egg yolk
Sprinkling of caster sugar
To serve
Vanilla yoghurt – make your own by mixing 10g icing sugar and a vanilla pod into a good Greek or hung yoghurt
Raspberry coulis – blend a little icing sugar with fresh raspberries and a dash of lemon juice)
Fresh mint leaves
Frozen raspberries, smashed
Method
Begin by making the pastry, ideally, in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment. Combine the flour, sugar and cold diced butter. Mix until butter has worked into the dry mix and has a sand like texture. Next add in the egg and mix – just enough to combine and no more. Remove the dough from the bowl, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for a minimum of one hour (overnight is best). Chef tip: When wrapping the pastry to rest, don’t leave in a ball, form it into a flat circle about 4-5cm thick, this will make it easier to roll later on.
Once your dough is ready, set the oven to 160oc and roll the pastry evenly to the thickness of pound coin. Line the tart case and trim the pastry to have about a 5cm overhang. Chef tip:tTo transfer the pastry into the case, roll the pastry onto the rolling pin and then unravel onto the case.
Cover with layers of cling film and fill with baking beans to blind bake for 20 minutes, then remove the baking beans and cling film and cook until the base is golden and firm to the touch. Once baked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 130oc. Allow the tart case to cool to room temperature. Then, trim away any excess pastry and return to the oven for a further five minutes.
Whilst the tart case has been baking and cooling make the filling. Put all the ingredients together in a bowl and hand blend or whisk to combine but try to avoid adding too much air to the mix. Pass this mix through a sieve and once the case has had its further five minutes in the oven, gently pour the lemon mix into your tart case until almost to the top.
Cook for 30-40 minutes until the filling has a gentle wobble in the middle. Remove from the oven and leave to cool at room temperature for at least three hours.
When ready to serve, sprinkle lightly with caster sugar and brulee the top using a blowtorch. Garnish the tart with the vanilla yoghurt, coulis, smashed raspberries, and a few leaves of mint and enjoy.
