Restaurant Spy
On the door of the Crooked Billet is a sign which I have never seen before and hope very much that I will see again elsewhere - 'local produce swap for lunch'. So they really do serve local produce on their menu. The local producers would get a good deal, too, because the food here is, not surprisingly, excellent. The Crooked Billet can't do much passing trade because it is buried deep in the Oxfordshire countryside and is the sort of place you need to know about to go to. You also need to book.
The restaurant is set in several rooms of a traditional convoluted country pub. This was the first ever gastropub (pre-dating the London ones by a couple of years) and is run by a man called Paul who used to be a rock musician and is now a self taught chef. He runs a farm on the side to provide some of the produce. The restuarant has won numerous awards and was catapulted into fame by hosting Kate Winslet's wedding reception. The building is early 16th century and Dick Turpin's girlfriend lived there. I think. It has lots of real wood fires (not those fake gas things) racks and racks of bottles, some barrels, shelves of books and interesting old art on the walls. There is no bar. Pubs originally did not have bars and the drinks were served straight from the barrel or bottle. The bar thing never caught on here.
Tables are wooden, some with cloths, some not. There were two menus when we went, the big posh one and the set lunch - three courses for £22 - which we decided to go for. Starters included lentil soup, saute squid, fried herring roes, cheese souffle and onion tartlet. I had souffle, she had squid and they were both excellent. We then both went for the roast beef (sirloin of local beef. I wonder how many lunches that bought?) which was the best I have had for as long as I can remember. They got the Yorkshire pudding right, too, which is probably harder. There was also grilled salmon, fish pie, lemon chicken, polenta cake and Irish stew, using Paul's farm's mutton. Portions were generous. Desserts looked excellent too (clotted cream lemon mousse being particularly interesting) but we didn't have room and had coffee instead.
If you want to go for the regular menu starters average at about £7, highlights being Arbroath smokie pot, lambs' kidneys and black pudding, partridge with mustard sauce and ham hock terrine. Mains come in at around £17 - seabass, Old Spot pork, Barbary duck and shoulder of local mutton among them, with pink carved venison fillet and McSweens haggis beckoning us back. To drink we had the house red and it was excellent too. They have a large eclectic wine list, which also runs to some local stuff, including the wonderful sounding Bozedown Millenium Path Hill red. Service is first rate.
Bring anyone you want here - it'll do for romantic trysts, family celebrations and Sunday-lunches-in-the-country, you'll get Brownie points for knowing about it and you can go for a tramp in the woods before you leave.
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