The Nut Tree Inn Michelin Pub Restaurant is located in Murcott, Oxfordshire and have retained a Michelin star every year since 2008 for their modern British cuisine. Mike, Imogen, and the team have also been awarded with a number of accolades including:
Could you tell us a little about yourselves and how you got into hospitality?
My names Mike North and I own and operate the Nut Tree Inn with my wife, and we live here with our two children. I got into catering and hospitality when I was sixteen working weekends and evenings in a hotel just outside of Oxford which is no longer there. It wasn’t particularly great food; however, I did enjoy the atmosphere in the kitchen. The speed, the heat, and the general joking around. From there, I went to work with pastries at a golf club and again, it wasn’t particularly great, but it did give me experience. After that, I worked at The Goose, which was located at Britwell Salome near Watlington. The Goose was opened by Chris Barber who was previously the chef to our now King Charles and Lady Diana and he worked for them for 11 years. What I got from working with Chris was an appreciation for quality ingredients and seasonality. Whilst being head chef at The Goose, I won a Michelin star when I was 25 years old, stayed there for 2 years then moved on to the Crazy Bear in Stadhampton. After working there, myself and my wife, Imogen, decided to buy the Nut Tree Inn and have been here for 17 years.
What inspired you to run your own pub?
I wanted to run my own pub and restaurant because I wanted to cook the way I like cooking and running my own business is something that I've always wanted to do...but it's very hard work!
Could you tell us about the inspiration behind your signature dishes?
With the way that we work, our menu changes on a regular basis, so to say that we have signature dishes as such, we don’t have one dish but there are a few things that we always have on the menu. We use loch Duart Salmon which is cured and smoked and it’s something we have done for a very long time. We also do a pre-dessert chocolate egg which is an eggshell filled with salted caramel in the bottom, a chocolate mousse and a praline Chantilly with sea salt flakes and popping candy. This dessert has always been a favourite of our customers. Another dessert we always have on is a souffle and it’s a fruit souffle based on what ingredients are in season at the time.
What themes influence your sample taster menu?
The menu is all based on what’s available to us in terms of its quality, seasonality, locality and as we get into the summer months, we use our vegetable garden. The way we cook is based off classical French techniques. We try to pick up and use products and techniques that we are known for.
Pictured above is home smoked Loch Duart Salmon, compressed cucumber, horseradish, Crème fraîche sorbet and caviar.
As shown by the introduction of the Green Michelin Star; sustainability is becoming increasingly more important in hospitality. What changes have you seen recently?
People are using their own gardens and having their own meat including pork and lamb on their site. They are also changing the way that energy is being used and what can be recycled from using as much product as possible.
Are there areas of sustainability that you are now focusing on more within your business?
We now use our Kitchen Garden that will make up some of our menu, we recycle all our glass bottles, and our cardboard packaging is composted. We have little food waste but the food waste we do have is raw vegetable trim and stale bread that is collected by a local farmer. We try to reduce our energy costs and order more sensibly with how much product we order. We are very conscious about how much energy we use, and we do care about the environment but as the owner of The Nut Tree Inn, it does not make sense not to work like this.
Pictured above is Fillet of Turbot, Spinach, Oscietra caviar, Nolly pratt velouté topped with edible flowers plated on Crème tableware.
What’s next for the Nut Tree Inn?
Me and Imogen always have ideas for what we like to do. In the 17 years that we have been here, we have put in central heating, we upgraded the kitchen with Rational Combi ovens, Winterhalter Refrigeration and Washers. Something that we would love to do next would-be accommodation with bed and breakfast by looking into luxury shepherd huts and things that are mobile, which will be supported by the local council and surrounding neighbours.
Lastly, do you have any advice for someone striving for their first Michelin star?
My advice for someone striving for their first Michelin star is to put your head down and work very hard and listen to the people that you are working with. Don’t be in a hurry to try and receive a Michelin star. Don’t think that when you leave college, you are going to work for 2-3 years in a high-end establishment that already has a Michelin star and then will already have the experience to get your own Michelin star. To run a kitchen, there are lots of things to take into consideration and I think there are three parts to running a kitchen: preparation, cleaning and service and the service should be the easiest part of the job. In terms of winning the star or any accolades like AA or the Good Food Guide, a star is a great achievement, it is fantastic! Cook for your customers, not for the guides because if your customers enjoy what you cook, they will come back, and it will attract the attention of inspectors and you will be awarded. Just do the best that you can!
The Nut Tree Inn Michelin Pub Restaurant is located in Murcott, Oxfordshire and have retained a Michelin star every year since 2008 for their modern British cuisine. Mike, Imogen, and the team have also been awarded with a number of accolades including:
Could you tell us a little about yourselves and how you got into hospitality?
My names Mike North and I own and operate the Nut Tree Inn with my wife, and we live here with our two children. I got into catering and hospitality when I was sixteen working weekends and evenings in a hotel just outside of Oxford which is no longer there. It wasn’t particularly great food; however, I did enjoy the atmosphere in the kitchen. The speed, the heat, and the general joking around. From there, I went to work with pastries at a golf club and again, it wasn’t particularly great, but it did give me experience. After that, I worked at The Goose, which was located at Britwell Salome near Watlington. The Goose was opened by Chris Barber who was previously the chef to our now King Charles and Lady Diana and he worked for them for 11 years. What I got from working with Chris was an appreciation for quality ingredients and seasonality. Whilst being head chef at The Goose, I won a Michelin star when I was 25 years old, stayed there for 2 years then moved on to the Crazy Bear in Stadhampton. After working there, myself and my wife, Imogen, decided to buy the Nut Tree Inn and have been here for 17 years.
What inspired you to run your own pub?
I wanted to run my own pub and restaurant because I wanted to cook the way I like cooking and running my own business is something that I've always wanted to do...but it's very hard work!
Could you tell us about the inspiration behind your signature dishes?
With the way that we work, our menu changes on a regular basis, so to say that we have signature dishes as such, we don’t have one dish but there are a few things that we always have on the menu. We use loch Duart Salmon which is cured and smoked and it’s something we have done for a very long time. We also do a pre-dessert chocolate egg which is an eggshell filled with salted caramel in the bottom, a chocolate mousse and a praline Chantilly with sea salt flakes and popping candy. This dessert has always been a favourite of our customers. Another dessert we always have on is a souffle and it’s a fruit souffle based on what ingredients are in season at the time.
What themes influence your sample taster menu?
The menu is all based on what’s available to us in terms of its quality, seasonality, locality and as we get into the summer months, we use our vegetable garden. The way we cook is based off classical French techniques. We try to pick up and use products and techniques that we are known for.
Pictured above is home smoked Loch Duart Salmon, compressed cucumber, horseradish, Crème fraîche sorbet and caviar.
As shown by the introduction of the Green Michelin Star; sustainability is becoming increasingly more important in hospitality. What changes have you seen recently?
People are using their own gardens and having their own meat including pork and lamb on their site. They are also changing the way that energy is being used and what can be recycled from using as much product as possible.
Are there areas of sustainability that you are now focusing on more within your business?
We now use our Kitchen Garden that will make up some of our menu, we recycle all our glass bottles, and our cardboard packaging is composted. We have little food waste but the food waste we do have is raw vegetable trim and stale bread that is collected by a local farmer. We try to reduce our energy costs and order more sensibly with how much product we order. We are very conscious about how much energy we use, and we do care about the environment but as the owner of The Nut Tree Inn, it does not make sense not to work like this.
Pictured above is Fillet of Turbot, Spinach, Oscietra caviar, Nolly pratt velouté topped with edible flowers plated on Crème tableware.
What’s next for the Nut Tree Inn?
Me and Imogen always have ideas for what we like to do. In the 17 years that we have been here, we have put in central heating, we upgraded the kitchen with Rational Combi ovens, Winterhalter Refrigeration and Washers. Something that we would love to do next would-be accommodation with bed and breakfast by looking into luxury shepherd huts and things that are mobile, which will be supported by the local council and surrounding neighbours.
Lastly, do you have any advice for someone striving for their first Michelin star?
My advice for someone striving for their first Michelin star is to put your head down and work very hard and listen to the people that you are working with. Don’t be in a hurry to try and receive a Michelin star. Don’t think that when you leave college, you are going to work for 2-3 years in a high-end establishment that already has a Michelin star and then will already have the experience to get your own Michelin star. To run a kitchen, there are lots of things to take into consideration and I think there are three parts to running a kitchen: preparation, cleaning and service and the service should be the easiest part of the job. In terms of winning the star or any accolades like AA or the Good Food Guide, a star is a great achievement, it is fantastic! Cook for your customers, not for the guides because if your customers enjoy what you cook, they will come back, and it will attract the attention of inspectors and you will be awarded. Just do the best that you can!
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