An Oxfordshire restaurant celebrates its entry into the Michelin Guide for Great Britain & Ireland
The Yurt at Nicholsons, situated in North Aston, Oxfordshire, has been selected for the Michelin Guide for Great Britain & Ireland.
A huge amount of effort goes into providing delicious food and innovative menus, whilst operating as sustainably as possible. To be featured in the Michelin Guide is a great reward for all the hard work that The Yurt team put into their unique offering.
In addition to being featured in the guide, The Yurt was identified as one of the inspectors’ six favourite new additions for June 2022, alongside the London-based 1890 by Gordon Ramsay. The feature described ‘Unfussy dishes that are big on flavour and come with some Mediterranean influences; brunch is served every morning; and a bright and breezy service comes from a capable young team.’ The Yurt is renowned for its unique dining experience, summed up by the Michelin inspectors as ‘cosy and characterful’.
With only 25 Oxfordshire-based restaurants being featured, The Yurt finds itself listed with the best in the county. Judging is undertaken over a series of visits by a group of Michelin inspectors who base their assessments on five objective criteria:
- quality of the ingredients used
- mastery of flavour and cooking techniques
- the personality of the chef in his cuisine
- value for money
- consistency between visits
The Yurt offers dishes from skilled food connoisseurs with imagination and ingenuity behind their craft. All menus offer a variety of dishes using seasonal ingredients and cater for all dietary requirements. In their drive for sustainability, they are focusing on locally-sourced produce and aim to offer fresh, simple food that is balanced in flavour and presented with flair. Their menus are curated by award-winning head chef, Andrew Carr, who takes pride in introducing new ideas to customers. Combining this with a beautiful setting provided by the yurt structure, visitors really are guaranteed a unique and special experience.
The evolution of The Yurt has seen them refine their offer to focus purely on responsibly-sourced ingredients which are executed with style. The chefs work in partnership with the seasons and are passionate about the food they produce, while the front of house team exhibits scrupulous attention to detail with a thoughtful and attentive approach.
At the heart of Nicholsons is integrity and passion for the planet. Behind the scenes, the team has embedded sustainable practices into their daily routines and are proud to say they produce zero food waste by utilising surplus ingredients in their specials or returning goodness to the soil through composting. If they cannot produce the ingredients for themselves, suppliers are selectively chosen to ensure that their values align with Nicholsons and their packaging is minimal or recyclable.
The Yurt strives to provide customers with the opportunity to reconnect with nature and enjoy distinctive, wholesome food. The canopy is made from sustainable materials and is lined with sheeps’ wool insulation. A sizeable log burner heats the structure during colder months with waste wood from local forestry projects, and is furnished with a fan to circulate heat efficiently.
Nicholsons managing director, Liz Nicholson says, ‘To be featured in the Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland is a fantastic achievement that all of the team are incredibly proud of especially me. We all look forward to continuing to provide our customers with unforgettable experiences, whilst also pushing ourselves more and more from a sustainability perspective. We hope to welcome you soon!’
