Reaching Oxmoor Farm in Great Missenden is an exercise in heading off the beaten track.
Through winding country roads and mid-June sunshine, the timber buildings of the secluded farm sit amid ancient Chilterns woodland and, with warm-toned fairy lights and a distant hum of music and chatter, the cosy rurality of new restaurant The Barn is evident almost immediately.
Its owners have made full use of the farm’s escape-to-the-country appeal, with the restaurant, which opened on June 1, set up in a repurposed metal shed sparsely decorated with tables and chairs, blanket-laden haybales, minimalistic furniture and great bushels of elderflower arranged in large metal jugs.
The new venue, which specialises in Neapolitan-style pizzas and small plates, follows the success of Oxmoor’s ‘Wild Feast’ dinner series, which invites local chefs to curate multi-course menus on dates throughout the year.
We began our meal with two of the farm’s signature drinks, the Oxmoor Negroni (£11) and Oxmoor Elderflower (£11), the former of which was tart, lightly alcoholic and a great appetite-whetter, while the latter was sweet and unexpectedly delicate in flavour.
Our mains, which we chose after some deliberation from a blackboard mounted on one of the shed’s walls, were the asparagus and goat cheese pizza (£12) and the salami, capers and fennel fronts pizza (£13).
We also ordered a sobrassada and parmesan flatbread (£6) and carrots, beets and whipped ricotta (£8) as side plates.
Our appreciation of each dish was enhanced by a list of the restaurant’s local suppliers, with the tangy goat’s cheese on my pizza sourced from the Nettlebed Creamery in Henley and the soft pork sausage in our flatbread side produced by Brighton-based charcuterie Curing Rebels.
The whipped ricotta side also proved to be the perfect companion to a rich and filling main, with the charred vegetables and walnuts combining with the light, honey-sweetened cheese to hit exactly the right spot.
The sobrassada – spreadable salami in the Spanish tradition – trod the delicate line between spiciness and saltiness, offsetting a slight kick with sweet homemade tomato sauce, and the salami pizza, served on a metal plate that added to The Barn’s outdoorsy feel, made for a well-rounded and multi-textured mouthful thanks to its mix of meat, capers and fennel.
The asparagus and goat’s cheese pizza, meanwhile, could easily have been drowned out by the magnitude of its dairy-rich ingredients but retained a distinct nuttiness from its token vegetable and never strayed into the territory of blandness or stodginess.
We decided to bring the evening to a close with the menu’s last-remaining dessert, an elderflower and honey panna cotta (£6) to share.
Like everything else at Oxmoor Farm, it was very visually endearing, served in a small glass dish with a honeyed fruit compote and a sprig of elderflower perched on top, and felt – even between us – like a generous portion.
The firm and creamy panna cotta was not overly sweet, but, swirled with the jammy compote, made for a cherry-on-top ending flourish to the meal.
The Barn is open every weekend when Oxmoor’s Wild Feasts aren't underway, serving morning coffee all the way through to evening meals. Find out more by visiting https://oxmoorfarm.co.uk.
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