Oxfordshire Archives - Blasdale Home

R’s Big Day at The Nut Tree Inn

Posted on March 21, 2025 by SteveApril 23, 2025

21st March 2025

To celebrate another milestone birthday, we headed out for lunch to The Nut Tree Inn in Murcott, a one star Michelin restaurant. For lunch they offer a tasting menu, R chose the vegetarian, while I went for the meat option. Most of the courses are the same in the two options, just changing three. There were six courses, plus an additional, optional cheese course. The waitress asked if we wanted a cheese course, and also suggested having one and sharing it. We further opted to have cheese before the desert.

Unfortunately, because I was driving, I could not have the wine pairings, so opted for a pint of beer. R had a glass of wine.

The meal was excellent, as was the waitress. She was helpful and explained the courses to us. The day was excellent, as was the sun.

Vegetarian Menu

Nut Tree breads
Grant Harrington butter, Ampersand dairy, Bicester

Mushroom veloute
white truffle oil

Ricotta agnolotti
preserved lemon, mint, pine nutsm asparagus, amaretto broth

Twice baked Old Winchester cheese soufle
grain mustard sauce

Roast celeriac barley “risotto”
violet artichoke, ceps, gran kinara, truffle oil

Shared Cheese course
selection of Artisan cheese – may be taken before or after desert

Chocolate egg
chocolate mousse, salted caramet, almond chantilly

Passionfruit souffle
passionfruit sorbet, coconut rum custard

Meat Menu

Nut Tree breads
Grant Harrington butter, Ampersand dairy, Bicester

Mushroom veloute
white truffle oil

Panfried pigs head and black pudding terrine
piccalili, crispy quail egg

Fillet of Cornish Turbot
herb puree, asparagus & caviar “blanquette”, poultry jus

Fillet of beef from Aubrey Allen (cooked Medium Rare)
seared foie gras, cep, roast celeriac puree, Madeira sauce

Shared Cheese course
selection of Artisan cheese – may be taken before or after desert

Chocolate egg
chocolate mousse, salted caramet, almond chantilly

Passionfruit souffle
passionfruit sorbet, coconut rum custard

Various Events and Days Out in 2024

Posted on December 31, 2024 by SteveFebruary 1, 2025

31st December 2024

Some images from 2024, which I have combined into one posting.

Gracie, a local Kingswood resident, demonstrating dressage on Jeb
Trip to Upton Park
Funeral of James Wilkinson
The Aurora Borealis at home
Bicester Village – meal at Ottolenghi
Snow at home

Visit to Oxford to Listen to Isabella Tree

Posted on July 11, 2024 by SteveOctober 3, 2024

11th July 2024

A trip into Oxford for the day. Silly Steve forgot his bus pass and had to pay £2.00 each way from the Bicester P&R to Oxford. It was a lovely hot sunny day, and we spent our time walking around Oxford. First it was the shops, and then down to the Botanic Garden where we had our first glimpse of the sculpture commemorating Philip Pullman’s daemons and Lyra’s and Will’s bench.

Next, we had an early supper at a Japanese restaurant called Edamamé. An exceedingly small restaurant. Today, Thursday was ‘Sushi day’, it was serving ony Sushi. Despite arriving early, the restaurant was almost full. It was efficient; orders taken, the food soon arrived and we were on our way.

We walked along the Cherwell and University parks, visiting ‘The J.R.R Tolkein’ memorial seat before heading to the Natural History Museum to hear Isabella Tree talk to a few select BBOWT members. We were initially entertained with canapes and drinks before the talk started. Isabella Tree had on display signed copies of her latest book, The Book of Wilding: A Practical Guide to Rewilding, Big and Small (Bloomsbury, 2023). The talk introduced the contents in the book, how she and her husband set about rewilding 3,500 acres of terrible farmland at Knepp in West Sussex.

An interesting talk which makes one think about the changes we can make to our gardens and lifestyles. Thankfully her techniques do not require us to become total vegetarians, animals are a prime driver in the rehabilitation of the land. It does though require us to be more selective in the meat we eat. The rewilding has been a success, with many different breeding raptors, and ‘turtle doves’, almost extinct in the UK. Cattle, beavers and pigs manage the land. The pigs and cattle adding some income through the butchery.

After the talk we headed on home.

Snowdrops at Swyncombe and Greys Court

Posted on February 5, 2024 by SteveMarch 10, 2024

5th February 2024

We decided on an earlier trip this week. Monday, weatherwise, seemed a better day than Tuesday. This trip was looking for Snowdrops, and I had been given a recommendation to visit St Botolph’s Church, Swyncombe. This came about during a chat with a fellow Kingswood gun club member on Sunday. She had visited St Botolph’s Church on Saturday, and mentioned the Snowdrops were gorgeous. On a Saturday and Sunday, the church volunteers were selling tea and cakes. We visited on Monday, so missed out on the victuals. Amazingly there were several people at the church viewing the Snowdrops. It is a lovely small, Norman church in a remote area of Oxfordshire on the Ridgeway and Chiltern Way footpaths. We looked around and photographed.

National Trust Greys Court

Next, we headed on to the National Trust house of Greys Court, renowned for its Wisteria and Bluebells. Here we had an early lunch, the seemingly standard winter menu of all National Trust house at this time of year. Both Rosemary and I ate the Vegan spiced bean pot, made not vegan by a slab of butter in my case.

We had a walk through the house, which had been in use up to a few years before. It is still maintained in a state such that you could think of living in the premises. You would need quite a lot of money to keep the place warm, lack of double glazing and large drafty rooms.

The gardens are not at their best at this time of year. There will be a visit for the Bluebells and Wisteria later in the year. There were though a couple of patches of Snowdrops, not as expansive as St Botolph’s Church, , Swyncombe. There is a maze, easy to navigate because you can plan your route, no tall hedges to restrict the view. Rosemary and I walked around it, unlike one chap who cheated!

Before we left, we paid another visit to the cafe for coffee and a cake, as well as the mandatory visit to the secondhand book shop.

Polestar at Bicester Heritage

Posted on December 16, 2023 by SteveJanuary 9, 2024

16th December 2023

After a delightful dose of classic cars at the British Car Museum, we car enthusiasts (well, maybe a little obsessed!) couldn’t resist a visit to Polestar’s offices in Bicester Heritage. It wasn’t just for holiday cheer though, we were treated to a sneak peek at their mind-blowing concept car. They took the best parts of the top three design submissions and magically merged them into one incredible machine. It was a real feast for the eyes, even if its super-low front spoiler wouldn’t exactly handle Buckinghamshire’s roads with grace.

Speaking of real-world options, they also had their sporty Polestar 2 BST on display, plus a left-hand drive version of the brand new Polestar 3 SUV. I took a peek inside the 3 and let me tell you, it’s a beast. Spacious, luxurious, and unfortunately, a bit beyond my budget for now.

But the best part wasn’t the cars (although they were amazing), it was connecting with fellow car lovers from the ‘Polestar Drivers Club UK‘ Facebook Group. I even spotted Rik, the group’s resident pun king, spreading festive cheer with his hilarious wordplay. All in all, it was a fun way to celebrate ta few spare hours with fellow petrolheads (or should that be “electroheads”?).

For those who don’t know Polestar, Polestar is a Swedish electric performance car brand, known for their sleek and sustainable vehicles. Their Bicester Heritage location is a multi-purpose hub, housing their UK commercial headquarters and a “Polestar Space” showroom. A Polestar Space is where customers can experience the brand and its products firsthand, including test drives. You then configure , and order, your car on their website and it is delivered to your home.

Wells Farm, BBOWT Reserve

Posted on July 12, 2023 by SteveAugust 9, 2023

12th July 2023

We visited Wells Farm in Little Milton. This was an organised trip by BBOWT. The reserve is a working farm, managed on a traditional rotation basis. The hedge margins are more than six meters wide, giving plenty of habitat for insects and birds. The fields have a mixture of soils. from chalk to sand and wet clay. Walking the fields, it became obvious as the soil types changed.

We were given tea and coffee in the Little Milton village hall. A wonderful village hall with an integral community run post office, shop and cafe.

The fields had many flowers and insects. The bird life was sparse, but then there was a group of 40 plus people walking around. It would be interesting to spend time there quietly.

BBOWT have the land on a 999-year lease, on the condition it is managed as an environmental farm. The lease was gifted to them by the previous owner. One does wonder how we could survive if all agriculture was performed in this same way…..

Wedding Anniversary

Posted on July 10, 2023 by SteveAugust 9, 2023

10th July 2023

We celebrated our 41 years of bliss with lunch at the Black Horse in Thame where we sat outside in the courtyard at the back of the restaurant in the sun. Lack of photos of all our courses shows how concentrated on their eating we were.

Mowgli Street Food

Posted on April 26, 2022 by SteveMay 22, 2022

R and I took a trip to Oxford to look at an exhibition at the Bodleian and for R to go to the Oxford Pen Company. She’d seen mention of the Mowgli Street Food restaurant in Westgate, so we thought we’d check it out. We had not seen it before, though I believe it has been there since the new Westgate centre had been completed. We used to eat at the Cinnamon Kitchen, but since lockdown that restaurant has closed for good.

Mowgli was a surprise, not expensive, and delicious food. Don’t think of an Indian restaurant with the standard range of curries, instead think of deliciously spiced food. We both went for the ‘Office Worker’ Tiffin box, which saved us having to decide on the individual dish. The waitress told us the chef would provide different dishes for us, except for the rice, so we could share the flavours between ourselves. While we waited for the food, we each had a yummy cocktail.

This was an excellent meal with fast service and little waiting after we had ordered. We will be back there the next time we are eating in Oxford.

Marlow

Posted on July 2, 2021 by SteveJanuary 29, 2022

Two Polestar 2s in the wild

A sunny bright July 2nd saw us take the Polestar 2 to Marlow to meet up with Richard and Andrea. Despite Covid, the high street was unbearably crowded, so we took a walk along the river bank. Thankfully the river walk was much quieter. Plenty of water activities taking place on the river, with multiple coaches yelling and shouting at their charges in the rowing boats. We had an enjoyable meal back at the Two Brewers pub.

On returning to the car park, my Polestar 2 had the company of another Polestar. This is the first time I have seen another Polestar in the wild.

National Trust, Greys Court and the Polestar

Posted on April 22, 2021 by SteveApril 22, 2021

R and I went for a trip to the National Trust house of Greys Court on a bright and sunny day. Today was a little warmer than we’ve been used to, so very pleasant. Yes more days without rain, but with a cool Northerly wind. The fields were very hard and dry. We visited to see the bluebells, unfortunately, they were not quite their best, but another week and they should be. The formal gardens were looking very pretty. We took a long slow walk across the fields to the bluebell woods, eating our Cornish Pasty lunch on some old decaying logs. Back at the house we managed our second cup of tea, served a great deal faster than our morning coffee.

This was also the longest trip in my new electric car. No need for range anxiety as the return trip was only 64 miles, giving an estimated range of 237 miles.

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