Some dining experiences deserve a little more attention than others, and our evening at Four Hands at The Feathers was definitely one of them. This was our third visit to The Feathers, and after two faultless previous experiences, expectations were already pretty high.
The concept behind Four Hands is simple: two chefs, one collaborative six-course menu. On this occasion, Luke Rawicki, resident Head Chef at The Nest, The Feathers’ main restaurant, joined forces with Marc Petit, Head Chef at Oxford’s No.1 Ship Street. The Feathers also has The Aviary, a more casual dining space in the conservatory at the back of the hotel.
I’ll admit, I had to Google No.1 Ship Street. It wasn’t somewhere that had previously been on my radar, and I was initially a little surprised by the pairing. By the end of the evening, however, it had firmly earned itself a place on our list, for all the right reasons.
The evening started with a glass of delicious Hundred Hills Oxford England Blanc de Blancs No. 2, crisp and very drinkable. It was a full house, and despite having the intimacy of our own table, there was a real sense of occasion in the room.
Peter, the new hotel manager, who has joined from Le Manoir no less, introduced himself, the chefs and the sommelier at the start of the evening. Both Luke and Marc talked us through their menus and the inspiration behind their dishes, with Luke sharing some of the Welsh influences in his cooking. It was a lovely touch and made the evening feel even more special.
The curated six-course menu started with Oyster & Olive by Marc. Two beautifully fresh oysters arrived on a gorgeous plate of ice, dressed with just a little lemon juice. They were wonderfully fresh, almost like tasting the sea itself.
The olive element, however, was something else entirely. Encased in white chocolate, yes, you heard that right! You bite through the cold shell and are met with an intensely olive-flavoured mousse. It was certainly an interesting and bold start to the menu.
We overheard someone describe it as “cheesy, chocolatey, olive”, and we’d be inclined to agree with those strange but surprisingly accurate tasting notes.
Next up was The Duck Trilogy, also by Marc, featuring comb honey duck breast, 15-day cured duck ham, chocolate liver truffle, gingerbread crostini and poached blackberries.
I mean, this dish has you at hello. Beautiful to look at and even more enjoyable to eat, it was a masterclass in balancing flavours. The duck breast was perfectly rendered, with salty fat that melted in the mouth, while the cured duck ham was beautifully rich.
We’re not quite sure what Marc’s fascination is with white chocolate, but it made another appearance in this dish, this time encasing a liver truffle. Amazingly, it worked. The earthiness of the beetroot, sweetness of the blackberries and little pieces of honeycomb brought everything together beautifully.
The gingerbread crostini was probably the only element that didn’t add much for us. I couldn’t really taste the ginger, but it certainly didn’t take anything away from what was a very memorable dish.
We joked that if this was MasterChef, Marc would “definitely be going through to the next round” as far as we were concerned!
It was paired with a lovely, refreshing 2024 Fleurie Vieilles Vignes, Réserve de Colonat, which complemented the richness of the duck beautifully.
Next came Luke’s Lobster Raviolo, served with shellfish bisque, fennel and grapefruit, alongside a glass of 2025 Grüner Veltliner, Löss, Weingut Rabl.
The pasta was beautifully thin but generously packed with filling. The celery and fennel gave the dish a punch, while the citrus from the grapefruit cut through the richness of the absolutely delicious bisque, it really made the dish! The lobster served alongside the raviolo was sensational.
The wine was a little too sweet for our tastes, with some quite prominent honey notes, but that’s part of the fun of a wine pairing, trying things you wouldn’t necessarily choose yourself.
Another fantastic dish, but by this point, we were starting to wonder how we were going to manage another three courses. This wasn’t one of those tasting menus where you’re served a few delicate mouthfuls on each plate. Each of these dishes could easily have passed for a main course on an à la carte menu, and we were only halfway through!
The final savoury main course was Marc’s Kurobuta Pork Tenderloin Wellington, served with braised heritage baby carrots and cultured Marmite butter.
By this point, we were seriously questioning our ability to finish another generously sized plate, but naturally, we powered on. What a hard life, eh?!
The pastry was textbook perfect, golden, buttery and beautifully crisp, with just the right amount of flakiness.
The mash super smooth and buttery, and the pork lovely and tender. I particularly enjoyed the umami flavours from the Marmite butter, which brought a lovely savoury richness to the dish.
We weren’t quite as convinced by the carrots. There was a flavour we couldn’t quite put our finger on, possibly aniseed, which wasn’t entirely to our taste. But everything else was excellent and, despite being rather full, our plates were left empty.
We also loved the wine pairing with this course, a 2022 Rioja Crianza, Finca San Martín, Torre de Oña, which was one of our favourites of the evening.
Next came Black Bomber cheese from Snowdonia, served with bara brith and spiced pear, another nod to Luke’s Welsh influences.
If you’re unfamiliar with bara brith, think of something somewhere between a fruit loaf and fruit cake. This one was divine. The spiced pear chutney worked beautifully with the rich fruit loaf, and the incredibly thin slices of pear on top added another lovely layer of flavour.
I personally wasn’t completely wowed by the cheese, although Rachel loved it. For me, it was the bara brith and spiced pear that stole the show.
Finally, we arrived at Luke’s Meadowsweet Custard Tart.
If, like us, you’re wondering what meadowsweet is, it’s a wild plant with delicate almond and honey-like flavours.
On first bite, neither of us was entirely sure what to make of it. The texture and colouring reminded us a little of pumpkin pie, and while it definitely grew on us, it wasn’t our favourite dessert of the evening. It was served with a very sweet dessert wine, which wasn’t particularly to our taste either, but it was good to try something new.
We really enjoyed the wine pairings throughout the evening. It’s such a fun way to discover wines you wouldn’t normally order, and lovely to see a female sommelier leading the experience too.
When you get to the end of an evening like this, you feel grateful to have experienced it.
I don’t think you can ever really hold it against somewhere for feeding you too much, right?! But in all seriousness, slightly smaller portions would be our only constructive feedback of the evening. In fact, we were so full that we left before the final petits fours, yuzu and sake pâte de fruit by Marc, and pink peppercorn and white chocolate fudge by Luke. Both sounded intriguing, but we genuinely couldn’t manage another bite!
Despite that, we had an amazing evening.
The food was ambitious, creative and beautifully executed, the hospitality was warm and personal, and the whole experience felt thoughtfully considered from start to finish.
At £125 per person for the six-course menu, with four wine pairing, it’s certainly a treat for a Wednesday night, but we both agreed we’d happily do it again. It makes a really special date night, and there’s something lovely about having an evening that’s as much about the experience as it is about the food.
It’s no surprise that The Feathers has earned its place among Small Luxury Hotels of the World and been awarded a Michelin Key. With the ambition and talent coming out of the kitchen at The Nest, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them chasing their first Michelin star.
Keep an eye out for more curated events like this at The Feathers, and book quickly. Judging by the full house on a Wednesday evening, they’re clearly popular, and having experienced one ourselves, I can see exactly why!
Bitten were invited as guests, all views are our own
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