“Can you believe how talented Tom is?” the new owner of The Duke of Cumberland’s Head, Max Barkes, asked us as we finished our meal. Only able to nod mutely in response, still awestruck by the lunch we’d just enjoyed, the answer was a definitive no.
And no we still can’t get our heads around how a 20-something chef produced such an accomplished, adept, dexterous, imaginative and delicious meal in this Oxfordshire village pub in the middle of nowhere.
‘I want to get my name out there and get a Michelin star’
Because it was simply stunning, and we’re sure the Michelin inspectors will be sniffing around soon because it really is that good. It’s rare in this job to be taken by surprise, but the young team there left us speechless.
It helped of course that it was a gloriously sunny day, the Gods smiling at us as we pootled off to Clifton near Deddington to try out this new pub we’d been hearing so much about.
‘we have an incredible gastropub scene but The Duke of Cumberland’s Head is next level good’
And yes, we have an incredible gastropub scene in this county with some absolute titans in the industry keeping us enormously well fed, but The Duke of Cumberland’s Head is next level good.
First impressions? Sweet little historic, country pub, a well-heeled crowd enjoying the long-awaited summer, glasses clinking in the sunshine, a gorgeous dog Gavroche keeping us all company. Inside it’s all wood-panelled, the gleaming polished bar greeting you, the history seeping out of the walls, drinkers enjoying the tables in the garden, but so far nothing particularly out of the ordinary.
‘the menu is both pert and pertinent’
Seated in the courtyard garden at the front by the hugely affable new owner Max Barkes, the menu is both pert and pertinent, four rostis, starters, mains, sides and puds described with three ingredients. And yet there was a decided whiff in the air that something special was in store.
We went with Max’s recommendations – the potato with mushroom and sherry (£10), and the trout with cucumber and buttermilk (£13), then the cod with brown shrimp and squid (£32)and the courgette with ricotta and peas (£26).
‘Then an unexpected amuse bouche – the bread course – brioche encasing a rich truffle custard mornay’
But first the rostis – the pig cheek (£8) and the red onion (£7), the latter a crispy, cubed hash brown covered in caramelised onion, the former lathered in a lurid, tarragon emulsion, packed with slow-cooked pork which flaked on the fork. Heaven.
Then an unexpected amuse bouche – the bread course – brioche encasing a rich truffle custard mornay, just the right quantity, the buns light and sweet with that buttery glaze, shaped like large, smooth madeleines, the delivery another masterpiece on the plate.
The trout was too pretty to eat, topped with trout roe (a novelty) which popped in the mouth framed by herb oil, samphire and sea herbs, the saltiness of the sea offset by the mild buttermilk and the sweetness of the fish, perfectly cooked.
‘The mushroom duxelles topped with a pomme ana and a potato skin veloute, demonstrates Tom’s ability to ensure none of the produce goes to waste’
The mushroom duxelles (finely chopped with herbs and shallots), was topped with a pomme ana (like a whirl of crispy, sliced potato) and enriched with a smooth, potato skin veloute, which actually tasted of potato skins, and cut though the rich fungi, demonstrating Tom’s ability to ensure none of the produce go to waste.
And then another unexpected course – quail breasts – just off pink, on a turnip and black garlic puree offset by a date and black garlic coulis, and a chicory jam jus. I mean come on! Such ability, such novelty, all coming together in every mouthful.
‘We had to close our eyes just to savour the moment, the ingredients allowed to speak for themselves’
The courgette was more rustic, the vegetable halved and topped with a gorgeous Welsh rarebit, a first, and one we are keen to repeat, the flower stuffed with ricotta, the pea puree and whole fresh peas which literally shouted summer. We had to close our eyes to savour the moment, the ingredients allowed to speak for themselves.
But the brown shrimp and squid farse (like a stuffing) topped with the cod, taramasalata and sea herbs, with a fish sauce, reduced us to convulsive giggles it was so good. Where did they find him? This was ridiculous, it was like being transported in a Tardis to gastropub heaven.
‘the brown shrimp and squid farse topped with cod, taramasalata and sea herbs, with a fish sauce, reduced us to convulsive giggles it was so good’
Puds were therefore a must – what could Tom pull out of the bag this time? The strawberry, vanilla and pistachio sounded fairly self-explanatory, but oh no, not here, because what arrived resembled something you’d find in a top Parisian patisserie, cylindrical layers of nut crumb, vanilla pannacotta and strawberry jelly – sophisticated, wobbly, summery and fun.
The Forge honey sponge topped with a toffee tasting caramelised cream with lemon verbena was more trad, the sponge light as the willow fluff floating past the table ion the hazy afternoon, the last scrape on the spoon bringing us firmly back to reality. Exemplary.
Max has been biding his time to branch out on his own and prove his worth
Questioning Max afterwards, brimming with questions, he explained that he’s been looking to buy a pub for the last 4-5 years, and hailing from Shipston-on-Stour has been biding his time to branch out on his own and prove his worth.
Having worked in hospitality for the past 15 years at the likes of Le Manoir, Cliveden House and Virgin Limited Edition in Verbier, opening the likes of Kensington Roof Gardens and Maroto, he knows his way around a restaurant, and knew as soon as he ventured into The Duke of Cumberland that he’d found his place. It needed a new thatch, kitchen and a good scrub, but nothing Max couldn’t fix.
‘”Tom said no to start with,” Max recounts, “but I knew we’d have to be a destination restaurant to get people here’
Finding the right chef to bring on board was the 37-year-old’s next challenge, no mean feat in the current climate, but with the bit between his teeth he recalled a young lad Tom Fararr, that he’d met working at a private event, who really knew his stuff, and began pestering him.
“Tom said no to start with,” Max recounts gleefully, “but I knew we’d have to be a destination restaurant to get people here? If I just served fish and chips like everywhere else no one would come, but luckily the feedback so far has been really encouraging,” he said modestly.
So how does Tom feel about it all? The 22 year-old shifts in his seat. Having worked in Five Fields in Chelsea which had a Michelin star and more recently Clare Smyth’s three star Core, it’s almost an insulting question. “I want to get my name out there and get a Michelin star,” he says. “So for me its about consistently, delivery, produce and a better work/life balance.”
‘They say that a chefs CV is his menu and this is mine, so I see The Duke of Cumberland’s Head as a great opportunity’
“It won’t happen overnight, but we are using the best quality ingredients we can buy and have to be very creative with them so the work that goes into each component to make the produce as efficient as possible is the m most enjoyable challenge to me.
“It’s the attention to detail that counts, to use of all of my experience and expertise that I’ve been taught and putting my own spin on it. They say that a chefs CV is his menu and this is mine, so I see The Duke of Cumberland’s Head as a great opportunity.”
You heard it here first!
The Duke of Cumberland’s Head, Clifton, OX150PE. https://www.dukeofcumberlandshead.co.uk
