Oxfordshire’s Michelin-Starred Pubs
It’s not too long since that the pub was somewhere you might venture into before or after your Michelin-starred meal. But now there are 17 pubs around the country with Michelin stars to their name and Oxfordshire is home to three of them:
The Wild Rabbit, Kingham
It was the Daily Mail (who else) that tagged the Wild Rabbit as the ‘poshest pub in Britain’ back in 2013. A bit of an easy target really as it’s owned by very wealthy Carole Bamford (of Daylesford Organics fame) who is married to uber-wealthy Anthony Bamford (the JCB kingpin). Still, there’s no such thing as bad publicity and this beautifully appointed pub is obviously doing something right as chef Tim Allen picked up their Michelin star just last year. Fifteen (reasonably priced) guest bedrooms too.
Nut Tree Inn, Murcott
At 25, Mike North was one of the youngest-ever chefs in the UK to be awarded a Michelin star. But he always had designs on doing his own thing and he’s been doing just that for more than a decade now at the 15th century Nut Tree Inn, near Bicester. Wife Imogen runs front-of-house and they have had a star since 2009. With its whitewashed walls and thatched roof, it’s the quintessential English country pub.
Sir Charles Napier, Chinnor
Tucked away on a remote hill amongst beechwoods in the Chilterns, the Sir Charles Napier has been a labour of love for proprietor Julie Griffiths for half a century. In fact this may well be THE original gastropub and over the years the great and the good of food writing have all beat a path to its door. The striking red brick and flint building sits in beautiful grounds peppered with sculptures and the best way to arrive is by the two-mile hike up from Chinnor.