All posts by j

Escaping from Oxford to Eat Out: Cafés

Sometimes I want to eat somewhere a little simpler, where prices are cheaper and the atmosphere more informal. Perhaps all I want is a drink, or a light snack, or maybe a teeny treat to brighten a rainy weekend.

Oxford is overflowing with cafés, many relying heavily upon paninis, baguettes and wraps to draw in the tourists. Outside the city they are scattered a little more thinly, often nestling within the embrace of another larger business in order to ensure enough customers. Continue reading Escaping from Oxford to Eat Out: Cafés

Escaping from Oxford to Eat Out: Internationally Delicious

The fact there are only two entries in this post is mainly because restaurants offering a more diverse cuisine don’t tend to spring up in small villages. My favourite local Indian, Thai and Chinese restaurants (4500 Miles from Delhi, Bangkok House and Paddyfields or Oriental Condor depending on dish) are all in Oxford, my preferred French restaurant closed down a few years ago in Abingdon, and I haven’t settled on a top Italian yet. Continue reading Escaping from Oxford to Eat Out: Internationally Delicious

Escaping from Oxford to Eat Out: Pub Restaurants

Oxfordshire is rife with charming pubs, tucked away in tiny villages or sitting squatly on the side of main thoroughfares. Some offer simple fare such as sandwiches or scampi and chips, others fall under the gastro-pub (I do NOT like that term) umbrella, making the most of local ingredients to produce sometimes delicious and sometimes over-ambitious food. Continue reading Escaping from Oxford to Eat Out: Pub Restaurants

Escaping from Oxford to Eat Out: Introduction

Being lucky enough to have a car, occasional spare cash and a like-minded boyfriend, I often get to explore the wilds of Oxfordshire for exciting places to eat. Each trip is begun with some ritual agonising over whether to risk a bad dinner in the name of exploration or to return to an old favourite where we know we’ll eat well. Continue reading Escaping from Oxford to Eat Out: Introduction

The “South-of-Oxford Locavore Stock-up” Loop

Having lived in a small village 10 miles south-west of Oxford, my food knowledge is heavily focused on the surrounding area. A weekly shop being more practical for us, sometimes we hit the supermarket, and other times we drive to one or more nearby local shops to stock up.

If you have a spare few hours, a car, and an inclination to support local businesses, I recommend the following. Continue reading The “South-of-Oxford Locavore Stock-up” Loop