I have recently moved out of the city into rural Oxfordshire. Being a regular frequenter of Oxford's (currently excellent) mix of coffee shops, it begged the question of where I take my crew for our Saturday morning caffeination. I thought I’d make a feature of my search, we’ve really enjoyed the variety and challenge of finding these different places. This list is … [Read more...]
Mother’s Day in Oxford, 2019
Hopefully, this isn't too much of a surprise, but it's Mother's Day next Sunday (31st March, get it in the diary!). For those of you with nothing planned, here are our top tips to a successful Mother's Day in Oxford. Lunch & Dinner Winners OK, so here's a classic for you - treat Mum to a good old Sunday lunch or dinner at one of our favourites, then relax over a decent … [Read more...]
Oxford’s Best Sunday Roasts
Ahh, the good old Sunday lunch. Whatever your choice of meat or alternative, nothing beats that combination of crispy roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, plus loads of veg and lashings of proper gravy. Just like with our roundup of Oxford's Best Takeout Curry, we threw this one out to all our social media followers, to bring you our, and your, favourite spots for a Sunday … [Read more...]
Oxford’s Best Takeout Curry
A couple of weeks ago, I threw a few questions out to our followers on social media - 'where is Oxford's best takeout curry from' was one of them. Unsurprisingly, we got a mixture of great suggestions. So, as promised, here is a roundup of all your suggestions, and a few from the Bitten team too! I personally rate Kadai & Naan on Cowley Road, we've ordered from them … [Read more...]
Oxford Restaurants: Valentine’s Day 2019
Ahhhhh, it's that time of year again. Whether you're all 'heart eyes' swooning all over each other, or twenty years married and rolling your eyes over it all, there's a venue for you. Bitten have rounded up our favourite romantic venues, plus some great recommendations from our readers. Read on to the end for your chance to win free food at Bill's Oxford. Pre Dinner … [Read more...]
Burns Night: Pro Whisky Tips & Picks from Grape Minds
“While through your pores the dews distil / Like amber bead” Address to a Haggis With Burns Night coming up this Friday, we sought the advice of Michael from newly opened Grape Minds in Summertown, an independent wine, beer and spirits shop, for their top whisky tips and recommendations. Whisky is the subject of great adoration and complete bafflement, a delightful drop … [Read more...]
#CheeseLoversDay Cheese & Wine Pairings from Vine
So apparently it's #CheeseLoversDay this Sunday. Mostly an American holiday but, what the hell, we love cheese and wine and have to wait till October for Great British Cheese Day, so let's celebrate anyway! Leigh Gooding from Vine, an independent wine shop, cafe and bar on Cowley Road, has put together a list of his top cheese and wine pairings so you can make the most of … [Read more...]
The 10 best sweary mugs on Etsy
I love a good brew and am equally fond of some well-placed swearing. So, what makes me really happy, is the growing selection of sweary mugs on Etsy. A perfect Christmas gift for that spiky person in your life, or for yourself to hide behind until the first caffeine hit of the day makes you human again. Here's my roundup of the 10 best sweary mugs on Etsy right now. 1. … [Read more...]
Oxford Restaurants: Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2017
Sponsored post Let's face it, Christmas is busy. Gift shopping, card writing, decoration hanging, pine needle sweeping! And if you're anything like us, you're not entirely prepared. Maybe you still have that Christmas party venue to book, and really want to impress your colleagues. Maybe you're sick to the back teeth of spending New Year's Eve at home watching X-Factor … [Read more...]
Top Picks: Summer Dining and Tableware
With the recent launch of Independent Oxford, a guide to the best independent businesses in Oxford, we invited founders Anna Munday and Rosie Jacobs to recommend their top picks for summer dining and tableware, all sourced from local independent businesses. I'd hate to jinx it but it appears that our Summer is finally here (after disappearing for a short while) and what … [Read more...]
The 10 Best Oxford Restaurants
LATEST UPDATE: 8th December 2017 Our regularly updated top ten best Oxford restaurants. There are some obvious choices here and some less obvious but we hope you'll enjoy them as much as we do. They're in no particular order, just places where we know you can get consistently good food and they will change as we discover new places or rediscover old. There's food for when … [Read more...]
Bitten’s Letter to Santa
Around this time of year, you can't avoid seeing Christmas wish lists everywhere. I'm not sure who writes these lists and exactly who they're aimed at, but they never seem to include anything I'd wish for! Which makes this a perfectly good time for Jacqui and myself to do our own foodie based Letter to Santa... Becca - I've been pretty good this year, I think. It's been … [Read more...]
Top Picks: Wines for BBQs
Guest post by Andrew Chapman When Becca asked me to write a wine-themed article for Bitten on wines for BBQs I was immediately thrilled… I love wine! It’s a passion - and it’s how I've earned my living for most of my adult life. I've been involved in the wine trade most of my career. First in the hospitality industry as a Sommelier and then one of Trustehouse Forte’s … [Read more...]
Best Easter Eggs in Oxford
CHOCOLATE!!! If like me, Easter has crept up on you and you haven’t been organised enough to buy your chocolate supplies, where should you be going that is Best For Easter Eggs? Obviously, the usual Cadburys supplies are everywhere with all the major Malteser, Mini Eggs, Caramel etc all available with differing offers depending on your supermarket of choice. Perfectly good … [Read more...]
Best Afternoon Tea in Oxford
With Mother’s Day approaching, sons and daughters across the land (no, not the ones from the 80’s Australian TV series) will be wondering how to show their Mum’s just how much they care. Well, as ever, we’re here to help… what you need is CAKE! Not just any cake though, a pretty selection of lovely little cakes, alongside scones, dainty little finger sandwiches and an endless … [Read more...]