The Nut Tree, Murcott, Oxfordshire

Winning your first Michelin star at a gastropub is one thing; doing it at the age of 25 is quite another. Mike North's no-nonsense menu at the Goose, in Britwell, Oxfordshire impressed locals and Michelin inspectors alike, making it only the eighth pub in the country to receive the accolade. Now North is in search of star number two, putting his own money into the Nut Tree, in nearby Murcott—a Cotswold-style inn dating back to the 14th century. The menu leans heavily on the steady supply of local game—his plan to rear pigs on a nearby farm highlights his ambition. It's a free house, so the night will fly by in a haze of those earthy, Oxfordshire ales.