THE CHEFS/RESTAURATEURS
Paul Welburn: chef-patron at Cygnet restaurant at The Swan Inn, Islip.
Mike North: chef-patron at The Nut Tree Inn, Murcott, which he has run with his wife Imogen and team since 2006.
Laura and Pascal Wiedemann: the couple run the French-inspired bistro, Pompette, in Summertown, north Oxford.
THE RECOMMENDATIONS
Breakfast and brunch
Hamblin Bread
The sign outside Kate and Hugo Hamblin’s neighbourhood-focused bakery is simple: Bread Baked Here Daily. And it is, along with cakes, biscuits, buns and cookies, with an array of delicious deli items on sale too. Look out also for the Hamblin kiosk and snack bar in Oxford’s Covered Market, a city-centre outpost for the east-Oxford bakery. It’s a favourite with Laura Wiedemann at Pompette: 'We don’t tend to go out for breakfast, but the pastries and sourdough at Hamblin are amazing, all freshly baked on site. Their cinnamon and cardamon buns are to die for.' www.hamblinbread.co.uk
The Milk Shed
There’s a lot of brunchy-lunchy love for this informal spot at Weston-on-the-Green near Bicester, where a blackboard menu offers the likes of brioche French toast with poached pears and Turkish eggs with garlic yogurt and roasted crown prince squash. 'It’s really good, a fun place to know,' says Mike North at The Nut Tree. 'There’s an integrity to what they’re doing. Going for waffles or pancakes with crispy bacon is something our children always enjoy, and the coffee’s good.' You might find Paul Welburn from Cygnet at The Swan Inn there too. 'It’s a cool spot, a must for breakfast-brunch for sure. My go-to is their toasted Milwaukee rye bread, avo mash, halloumi, roasted tomatoes, basil mayo, herb salad, nuts and seeds. I add bacon as I’m a Yorkshire lad!' www.themilkshedstore.uk
For a coffee
Woodstock Coffee Shop
If Paul isn’t Sunday-brunching at The Milk Shed, he might stay closer to home in Woodstock. 'I’ve been going to Woodstock Coffee Shop for years – it’s consistently good.' On offer? Go for a morning caffeine fix, but also pumpkin spiced lattes, rocky roads, sausage rolls, and Greek feta-filled hand pies, tiropitakia. @woodstockcoffeeshop 
Missing Bean
'It’s my morning pre-gym routine!' says Laura of the Missing Bean roastery and café on Magdalen Road, east Oxford. 'Delicious coffee roasted on site – Brazil’s our favourite – wonderful customer service, and Thursday is donut day.' There are Missing Bean cafés in Banbury, Abingdon and Botley, and plans to open in Maidenhead next year. www.themissingbean.co.uk 
Green Routes Café
… and if Laura’s not at Missing Bean, you could find her at award-winning Green Routes Café, also on Magdalen Road. 'It’s an amazing vegetarian café with fantastic food and vibes.' British Vogue recently said it offered ‘Oxford’s most exciting vegan brunch’ with special note for the banoffee pancakes. www.routescoffee.co.uk 
A casual bite
Three Thousand Restaurant
Not surprisingly, chefs gravitate to food that’s different from their own when they’re out for something quick and easy to eat. Pascal Wiedemann is a fan of Three Thousand noodle bar which opened on St Michael’s Street in Oxford city centre in July: 'The bowls of Lanzhou hand-stretched noodles with varying cuts of meat are wonderfully spiced and it’s all very reasonably priced.' There are no socials or website, so just head to 6-8 St Michael’s Street when you’re hungry. It’s open seven days a week till 9pm.
Toho35
'We sometimes go here on a Sunday evening,' says Mike of this Chinese restaurant in Bicester. 'I’ll usually have the beef fillet in Malaysian satay sauce, something completely different from what I cook at The Nut Tree.' www.toho35.co.uk 
Quince and Clover At Great Tew
Another recommendation from Mike – but a 40-minute drive into the Cotswolds from central Oxford – is Quince & Clover in the pretty village of Great Tew. 'It’s a lovely café, the salads are great, things like asparagus with quinoa and a soft egg depending on the season, and they make really good ice cream. It’s not pretentious, and it’s thriving. A wonderful place.' For colder days, check out the homely soups such as roast parsnip and cauliflower with coconut yogurt, and hearty beef shin stews. www.quinceandclover.co.uk 
Back Lane Tavern
This informal pub-bar-restaurant in the market town of Woodstock just north of Oxford, is a popular local spot, not least with local resident Paul. 'They have a great small plates menu, things like tasty Vietnamese rolls with miso-yuzu aioli and peanuts, and Tamworth pork belly with truffled celeriac purée and salsa verde, and Korean chicken wings with ranch dip. The menu changes regularly so it’s great for frequent visits. The staff are lovely, and the food is much more interesting and creative than many other places.' www.backlanetavern.co.uk 
Sunday lunch
The White Hart
'An excellent Sunday lunch,' says Paul of the characterful 15th century White Hart pub in Fyfield, where the ever-changing menu might include chicken with pork-sage stuffing, cauliflower cheese and kitchen garden vegetables, or 12-hour belly of Kelmscott pork with celeriac and a cider jus, followed by egg custard tart or spiced apple crumble. 'There’s a great outdoor space for when the warmer months return too.'
The Killingworth Castle
A handsome Cotswold-stone pub with stylish rooms and cosy open fires, The Killingworth Castle – ‘the Killy’ to its (many) friends – has been sensitively renovated by owners Jim and Claire Alexander. And the food keeps pace, not least on Sundays when you could be sharing a Hereford chateaubriand and all the trimmings, or parsnip, leek and nut wellington, followed by cherry bakewell or chocolate delice. 'There are always nice extra touches [from head chef Adam Brown],' says Mike, 'like the shredded oxtail or beef shin in the Yorkshire puddings – absolutely delicious. It isn’t the cheapest, but neither are we, and you have to pay for quality. I’d rather go out once a month and eat very well, than once a week and it’s mediocre.' The pub is in Wootton, not far from Blenheim Palace which is perfect for that post-lunch walk. 
The Double Red Duke
It’s a 45-minute drive out of Oxford to The Double Red Duke, Clanfield, but totally worth it, according to Pascal and Laura. 'They serve incredible food throughout the week, most cooked over fire, and they use the very best ingredients. The roasts on a Sunday are particularly good, and their Bloody Mary completely hits the spot.' Pull up a seat and scoop sourdough bread through smoked whipped lardo before tucking into rotisserie pork shoulder and apple sauce, then crème brulée or sticky toffee pudding. For Paul, it’s also worthy of ‘special occasion’ status. 
A drink
The Chester Arms
Pascal is a fan of The Chester Arms, a community-focused pub just off the Iffley Road, east Oxford. 'It’s a small, independent, family-run pub. They serve an excellent range of drinks, but I go for the cask and keg beers. They’re also well-known for their ‘steak platter’, a huge sharing portion onglet steak, homemade chips, cabbage & bacon, salad, and béarnaise sauce.' www.chesterarmsoxford.co.uk 
Tap Social
Occasionally, Pascal may be found sipping a beer from Tap Social, the social enterprise brewery just south of Oxford city centre. 'When I’m in town I can’t resist going to their Market Tap, in the Covered Market. My go-to is their Time Better Spent IPA. We’ve had Tap Social IPA on the menu at Pompette since day one because as well as making amazing beer they support and train people coming out of prison. Look them up. An amazing business.' The Market Tap is a bar, bottle shop and café that sells baked goods from Proof Social Bakehouse, a bakery that provides paid training and jobs for people leaving prison as part of the overarching Tap Social Movement. Paul’s a fan too, though most often will head to the brewery’s taproom in Botley. 'It’s a great micro-brewery venue, a brilliant place to try beers of varying styles.' www.tapsocialmovement.com 
Summertown Wine Bar
This wine bar opened in Summertown, north Oxford, in spring 2023, a parallel venture for the founders of Summertown’s independent bottle shop, Grape Minds. 'It’s a great location, and there’s a huge list of wines to try – as you’d expect from a place run by a wine shop!' says Paul. Look out for wine tastings and live music events through the year. www.summertownwinebar.co.uk 
The Duke of Cambridge
The cocktail go-to for Paul is this independent bar on Little Clarendon Street in Jericho. It’s an Oxford institution that has shaken, stirred and mixed cocktails since 1981, and can get busy 'but that just shows its popularity' he says. That, and possibly the fact that ‘happy hour’ is actually ‘happy four hours’ midweek and lasts from 4-7.30pm Friday and Saturday. www.dukebar.com 
Special occasion
Arbequina
'Our go-to for an occasion is Arbequina on the Cowley Road,' says Laura. 'Consistently delicious Spanish tapas, the service is excellent, and the cocktails are the best in Oxford. The onion tortilla is an absolute benchmark, worth a trip alone. We had Pascal’s 40th birthday there and the catering was incredible.' arbequina.co.uk
Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons
Raymond Blanc’s restaurant in a stunning 15th century manor house just a few miles from Oxford is world-famous, its exceptional food matched by glorious gardens, luxurious bedrooms and pitch-perfect service. 'It’s hard not to recommend Le Manoir for a very special occasion,' says Paul. 'The location and luxury just add to the exceptional experience.' Mike and is wife Imogen celebrated Imogen’s birthday there recently. 'It was magical,' says Mike. 'Yes, it costs a fortune, but it really is the whole package, you’re made to feel so special. With the greatest respect to Gary [Jones, previous executive chef] I think Luke [Selby, executive head chef since January 2023] has pushed things on. I can’t think of anywhere better locally or in London or anywhere in-between.'
