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.
Whilst not the oldest surviving pub in Oxford (that honour goes to The Bear), The Port Mahon’s entry in the Kidlington and District Historical Society informs us it was built on the site of an orchard in 1710 and later named after the Battle of Port Mahon in Majorca. Although Napoleon’s troupes won the war, it was customary for British officers to be gifted pubs as a kind of pension after leaving service, and so The Port Mahon was established at this busy route on St Clements.
Interesting fact: the French were so delighted at winning the battle that a celebratory banquet took place for which the chefs devised a special sauce, now popularly known as…can you guess? Mayonnaise. A heritage which the pub’s new owner, Jonathan Perritt, is proud to honour by featuring an incomparable mayo on the menu, served up with triple-cooked chips and piquant with the paprika which featured in the original.
If that’s got your mouth watering, make haste to The Port Mahon to sample this along with other of Head Chef Paolo’s delectable eats, along with a pint or two from the well-stocked bar with its ten beer taps and independent wine list. Despite its makeover (dark moody interiors, preserved wooden beams, plump leather banquettes and outside a beautifully decked, well covered and thoughtfully planted large seating area), the pub has remained an unabashed local boozer, albeit one with which is serving up – according to my guest when we went to review – ‘the best roast dinner he’s ever had’. I was equally taken with my choice of crispy yet super-moist flat iron chicken in a deep flavoursome confit garlic sauce. Our prequel to both was a shared starter of taramasalata which was nothing sort of revelatory. None of that garish pink slurry but instead a smoky fishy treat which benefited hugely from expert seasoning, a generous squeeze of lemon, and gentle heat from cayenne pepper.
We finished off our feast by sampling two of the hero items from the dessert menu; cinnamon-dusted churros (yum yum) and that comfort-food classic, apple and sultana crumble. When we found out that it was vegan-friendly, we begged the team to share their recipe with our readers.
Owner Jonathan comments: “We always make sure we have a pudding on the menu that vegans can enjoy. We wanted to do a crumble and tested crème anglaise a few times with different soya and tofu creams – we’re really happy with the taste. It’s a really gooey, satisfying crumble. Our Churros and Chocolate is the most popular dessert – but this crumble is catching up fast.”
The Port Mahon is looking poised to take a prime spot in the list of Oxford’s great foodie destinations, with a menu to tempt all palettes and preferences. Happily they’ve shared a second dish with us, proving that they really do have something for everyone.
“When we started to create our menu for The Port Mahon we had to have some autumnal favourites – it’s a great time of year for pub food. We love bone marrow and use it when we make our gravy for roast beef on Sundays. We wanted to add it to our Beef Pie, too. It adds a real depth of flavour and looks great on the plate.”
Beef and Bone Marrow Pie
Serves 4
- 700g of top side or chuck steak
- 200g white onions
- 300g button mushrooms
- 1 litre of your favourite cask ale.
- 400g beef fat or lard, plus more for frying
- 600g of plain flour
- 500g of beef jus (gravy)
- 1 bone marrow 7 cm long
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- Thyme, rosemary
- Black pepper
- 1 egg yolk for brushing
- 1 cup boiling water
Method
Start by cutting the onions length wise. Add to a casserole pot with one kitchen spoon of lard or beef fat. Cook until golden brown and soft.
In another pan, melt another tablespoon of lard. Cut the mushrooms into quarters, add them and fry until golden brown. Once both onions and mushrooms are cooked, put them aside and use the casserole to start to caramelise the meat using the lard to fry it. Add salt and pepper and then add the beer to deglaze the casserole. Add all the ingredients to the pot except the flour, 250g of remaining lard and the cup of water (with that we are going to make the pastry to cover the pie).
Cook everything in the oven or the stove for about three hours or until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick enough. If it is too thin, take a bit of sauce and add a bit of flour; mix it and add it back to the casserole.
For the pastry, add the 400g lard, 600g plain flour, a cup of hot water and a pinch of salt to a bowl. Mix together to form a dough and then let it rest for half an hour. Use a rolling pin to flatten it out and cut into a circle slightly bigger than your pie dish.
To build the pie, add the meat mixture to your dish and cover with the pastry disc. Make a little hole in the middle and insert your bone marrow bone. Brush the pastry with egg yolk and bake at 180o for 20 minutes until it is hot, and the pastry is golden brown.
Vegan Apple and Sultana Crumble with Creme Anglaise
Serves 4
- 500g bramley apples
- 150g demerara sugar
- 150g sultana
- 200g Biscoff biscuits
- 150g granola
- 0.5 litre vegan cream
- 150g maple syrup or molasses
- 1/2 vanilla pod
- 1/2 teaspoon of cornflour
Method
Preheat the oven to 160o. Peel and cut the apples into chunks then add the sultanas and 300g of sugar (you may need to add more sugar depending on the acidity of your apples and personal taste – we like them a little acidic to cut through the sweetness of the crumble and the crème anglaise). Bake for about 25 minutes or until the fruit is soft.
For the crème anglaise, cut the vanilla pod in half lengthways to extract the seeds and add to the cream in a saucepan. (You can put the stem in as well, for it to infuse.) Add the maple syrup or molasses. We use this instead of the sugar as it will give the dish a similar colour to if it had been made with eggs. We also prefer this to using refined sugar. Bring to the boil.
For the crumble topping, crush the biscuits – not too fine – and mix with the granola. We make our from scratch – but you can use your favourite shop-bought variety.
Spoon the apple mixture into serving dishes and cover with a layer of the crumble mixture; serve warm with crème anglaise on the side.
