A family member of mine, who recently found themselves with a spare afternoon in the market town of Thame, complained that she couldn’t find a decent place to sit and have a coffee. ‘Thame is nothing but tea and coffee shops!’ my mother and I scoffed, as we sat sipping ours last Saturday morning in the light-filled conservatory of The Black Horse, Thame. An exaggeration … [Read more...]
Restaurant Review: The Oxford Kitchen
Roughly this time five years ago, I wrote a review of The Oxford Kitchen. Last week I returned for the first time since then, it's taken that long and a newly awarded Michelin star to tempt me back. It wasn't because the restaurant was bad - I actually had some good food there - It was because it was confused. While one person at the table might be eating a plate of fine … [Read more...]
Hotel & Restaurant Review: Mollie’s Motel & Diner
Mollie's Motel & Diner opened a few weeks ago to a fanfare of national press and with a scattering of celebrities. It's not often the launch of a new Oxfordshire eaterie attracts Jeremy Clarkson, Paloma Faith, Declan Donnelly, GC, The Guardian and the Telegraph. But, now Mollie's has been open a few weeks, how's it settling in - and does it live up to the huge hype? Sat … [Read more...]
Review: The Jolly Postboys Beer Festival
My first beer festival of the year kicked off at The Jolly Postboys, a great pub located just outside the Florence Park main gates on Florence Park Road. They have 6 keg taps and 4 cask pumps with a rotating collection throughout the seasons. Some of the regular beers come from Cotswold Brewing and Loose Cannon, which means you can always get something local. I've been on … [Read more...]
Introducing: L’altre Vi – Organic and Natural Wines from Catalonia
My son Rubén and I have been specialist importers since 2016, when we set up L’altre Vi, or “the other wine”. We have roots in the Penedès region and wanted to share the beautiful wines we knew so well, and pass on our enthusiasm for a little corner of the world which isn’t so well known in the UK. There’s nothing stuffy about wine in Catalonia and we don’t think it matters … [Read more...]
