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Thread: Oxfordshire

  1. #1

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    Default Oxfordshire

    Hi there,

    Just wondering if there are any vegans here who live in Oxfordshire?
    I recently became vegan after being vegetarian for 19 years, so I am looking for any tips for places to eat/buy supplies in the area!

    I went to the Magic Cafe in Oxford a couple of weeks ago which was great, it's vegetarian with some vegan options and great value for money.

    Look forward to hearing from people!!

    Jen

  2. #2
    Full of beans beanstew's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    Hey Jen. Didcot resident here.

    The Royal Blenheim in Oxford which is near the Westgate Centre is a nice pub with a decent vegetarian/vegan menu. I don't know of any other places of to recommend as I normally go out in London.
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  3. #3

    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    Well, I grew up in Thame and now live just over the border in Aylesbury.

    If you are looking for good vegan food in Oxford, The Gardeners Arms in Jericho is good, and you can get them to make you a burreito in The Mission that's vegan.
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  4. #4

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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    Thanks for the replies!

    Beanstew - we're pretty close - I live in wantage! But i work in Oxford and will definitely check out the Blenheim.

    Ms Derious - I just looked up the gardeners arms and it looks awesome, I will put it on my "to go to" list!

  5. #5
    Holly78's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    Hi there and welcome to the forum! I have friends in Oxford so do visit quite regularly. I haven't been to the Magic Cafe (but definitely want to!) but I do like the Garden at the Gardeners Arms. That vegan double burger is really tasty
    "Only after the last tree has been cut down,the last fish caught [and] the last river poisoned;only then will you realise that money cannot be eaten"

  6. #6
    neil's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    I have friends in Oxford and visit several times a year. I like The Gardeners and prefer it to The Magic Cafe. The Magic has recently changed hands but I could not tell any difference when I visited last month.

    Not a veggie place but very good food is Everest Nepalese Restaurant in Howard street East Oxford. I will look out for the Blenheim next time, what part of Oxford is it ?

  7. #7
    Full of beans beanstew's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    Quote neil View Post
    Not a veggie place but very good food is Everest Nepalese Restaurant in Howard street East Oxford. I will look out for the Blenheim next time, what part of Oxford is it ?
    It's just by the Westgate Shopping Centre which is in the city centre.

    Address and reviews here.
    Last edited by beanstew; Mar 31st, 2010 at 05:48 PM. Reason: added link
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  8. #8

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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    Hey I just saw this now. How cool to find some more vegheads in Oxfordshire(ish).

    I'd definitely recommend the Royal Blenheim. We've been there just twice now, but the food was great both times, and the managers are fab! The cook has just turned vegan too!

    The Mission (on St. Michael's or St. Edwards street, off High Street) is great for a quick bite. They occasionally (a few times a year) have veg specials, but their regular "vegetarian" burrito is vegan as long as you don't add cheese or sour cream. The keep a "special diets" list too, so you can always check when they add new salsas, etc.

    My other half and I haven't been to the Magic Cafe in ages, but we've been disappointed when we've been there, particularly with the lack of vegan options. I heard that they got new owners/managers about a year ago maybe, but we've not been brave enough to try it since it's a bit out of the way for us, and our previous experiences were *really* bad.

    There are a lot of vegan-friendly places in Oxford though. Some that have served me well:

    Greens Cafe (across from the Westgate Centre or on St. Giles)...they have sandwiches, wraps, soups...typical deli fare. Vegan items are clearly labeled and staff is well aware of what "vegan" means. Free wi-fi too!

    The Nosebag, on St. Michael's street, literally two doors down from The Mission. They have a vegan special every day at lunch and a different one at dinner. There are usually 3 vegetarian meals so sometimes one of them is accidentally vegan as well (or can be modified). Very nice staff. A bit overpriced maybe, but not too bad. It's pretty popular, so gets *very* crowded at peak times.

    Alpha Bar and Woodstock Deli (Alpha Bar is in the Covered Market, WD is on Woodstock Road, right across from St. Giles church; they're owned by the same people)....not all veg, despite the sign on the window at WD that says "The Vegetarian Deli", but loads of options..salads, beans, tofu, bread, falafel. The WD has a small amount of shop items as well. Alpha Bar is yummy, but definitely want to eat outside, because it's kitty corner to one of the butchers in the market and it smells god awful.

    Vaults and Garden...nice cafe serving about 50% veg food, with lots of vegan options. Underneath St. Mary the Virgin church, on High Street.

    I'm sure there are others, but those come quickly to mind. Ooh...and at the farmer's market (which is tomorrow), there is a guy that sells nearly all vegan food make from scratch...very yum!

    I'm afraid I don't know any super spots for vegan treats in Oxford. Uhuru, down Cowley Road is pretty good, though a bit inconsistent. Waitrose usually has the best selection of "vegan" items. If you live near one of the giant planet-sized Sainsburys (there's one in Didcot, for instance), they have great selections as well.

    Okay.....I can't believe I posted this much about food!

  9. #9
    twinkle toes's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    the pink giraffe have vegan friendly food on their menu, although i haven't actually been there yet so i couldn't tell you much about the place.

    greens is a good place to stop for lunch if yr in town as well, i only discovered the place about a month ago which was a nice suprise

  10. #10

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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    Tried out the Gardeners Arms (on the recommendations from this thread) on Thursday. They were super nice to us, even though we arrived at 2.20 and they stop serving food at 2.30 - and they had a lovely dog in there who sat on the sofa looking wistfully at the chips every time we picked one up. It was so nice to have a good selection of vegan options on a pub menu. We had burgers and chips which were - well, so-so - but the friendliness, music and location were spot on.

  11. #11
    Keane
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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    The one time I went into the Magic Cafe and asked if they had anything vegan the reply was that like, yeah, er, the soup might be, yeah. How can you refuse an offer like that? But I did. Oxford, having lived there I can say, has always been pretty crap for vegans / vegetarians. It belies the myth that a large student population makes it any better.

  12. #12
    mutuality's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    Re: Oxford

    We are visiting Oxford next weekend - 'our roadshow' as promised!

    We have booked a table for The Nosebag next Friday at 7.30 and are planning on visiting The Gardeners Arms in Jericho on Saturday evening, sandwiched between The Winter Fair at Oxford Town Hall during the day, so will feedback our experiences in due course. I take it we are alighting at the recommended venues...discuss?

  13. #13
    mutuality's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    Well, sadly, Oxford appears to have very little for vegans and despite attending The Green Winter Fair at Oxford Town Hall there was only a couple of places worth visiting.

    The Nosebag - We ordered Aubergine and Tofu Curry with rice and salad which was tasty and Lentil, veg and ginger (like a soup) and 3 salad choices which was ok. On the Sunday . . . carrot and ginger soup (tasty!) with loads of bread. Huge pot of tea with soya milk.

    Gardener's Arms:-
    Double vegan burger with fries - Delicious, but would be better if proper chips like chunky ones and on a plate. Felt a bit like being at a fast-food place.

  14. #14
    Indian Summer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    I second the recommendation for The Nosebag. The location and atmosphere are very nice esp. outside of "rush hour". The food is usually decent, occasionally excellent.

    The Magic Cafe has not been very vegan-friendly the few times I've been there, but they did have soya milk, banana and I think oatmeal one time I was in desperate need of a decent breakfast. It was also a very baby-friendly place. But this was ages ago now and may have changed.

  15. #15
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    I got told off in the Nosebag for being vegan once - mind you it was probably about 15 years ago so they have had time to turn over a new leaf since then!

  16. #16
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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    Quote harpy View Post
    I got told off in the Nosebag for being vegan once - mind you it was probably about 15 years ago so they have had time to turn over a new leaf since then!
    That is disgraceful! I feel pretty confident they have a different attitude now though, as we almost always ask whether such and such items are vegan and they've always been helpful when answering.

  17. #17
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    Yes, I have been back fairly recently and it was fine AFAICR but it did put me off for a few years...It was probably just the individual assistant having got out of bed on the wrong side but I wrote to complain afterwards and never got a reply which annoyed me further (maybe the same individual opened the letter though )

    ETA at one point there was a vegetarian/wholefood place in the covered market (just a counter, near the top end I think) but I don't think that's there any more is it? EagainTA having looked back through the thread I think I'm thinking of the Alpha bar, so I may just have looked in the wrong place last time.

  18. #18

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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    Yeah, Alpha Bar is still there. It's fairly small though, and next to that nasty butcher

    Are you from Oxford harpy? We're in Abingdon, but I work in the city each day.

  19. #19
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    No but was at college there, back in the neolithic period, used to have rellies there, and still have a couple of friends there, so have spent a bit of time there one way or the other. Abingdon seems a nice place to live, is it?

  20. #20

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    Default Re: Oxfordshire

    Heh. They have some nice bits, but it's becoming more and more of a bedroom community. (can't remember the British phrase..people only sleep here and go to Oxford for everything else). It's the best place for us right now, with man having to commute to Harwell and me to Oxford, both of us by bus.

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