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
An On-Foot Food Tour of Oxford
I have lived around Oxford for about five years. I can’t say I’ve ever come to love the city like many do, but you can easily get a good meal here, and there are lots of interesting little places to pick up tasty tidbits. With that in mind, I decided to write up a suggested itinerary for a gastronomic walking tour, with stops at some of my favourite places.
Before continuing, I should clarify that my sphere of knowledge is limited to those parts near my office, the bus station and the houses of friends, so this isn’t a comprehensive assessment of all the delights to be found within the ring road. However I hope that there are enough ideas here to get you started. Continue reading An On-Foot Food Tour of Oxford
First things first…
Whenever I decide to visit a new town, city or country, the first thing I research is the food. Shallow and stomach-focused that may make me, but normally a place has only a limited number of attractions compared to an endless supply of eateries.
I devote hours to hunting out restaurants, cafes, stalls, delis, food halls and markets. Even if it isn’t practical to lug home bags of ingredients, I just love eying up the foodstuffs available, and where possible, cramming them into my mouth. Even the maligned supermarket provides a glimpse into a country’s staples, and it always fascinates me to compare these with the offerings back home.
This site, then, will hopefully become an abridged chronicle of some of the places I have found along the way. I know there are other people out there like me, and if a suggestion on here frees up a little more time for one of you to eat something great, then my work is done.