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Rusty Bicycle - Magdalen Road, Oxford

With its rusting bicycle hanging on the front, The Rusty Bicycle is really rather hard to miss. And what a relief that is as, once you step inside and see the old fashioned wooden tables and fire place, you immediately realise that you have entered a rather special place. 

The food is just, well, scrumptious.  They serve mouthwateringly good pizzas -  the sourdough base is unlike most as the ingredients are sourced from the Naples and then, once made, the dough is left to rise for a minimum of 24 hours. Their quirky names - Mr Potato Head and Salami Get This Straight to name but a few - catch your eye before you even read what the toppings are. With their other speciality of burgers, The Rusty Bicycle really does have it covered, especially as you can get Mushroom Man, a vegetarian burger, or Naked, a bunless burger. To get a few quid off your meal then order burgers at Monday lunchtimes and pizzas at Tuesday to Friday lunchtimes as they serve up some good discounts. 

This little pub should be on everyone’s to do list, or even to bucket list. With its vibrant atmosphere, both inside the pub and in the courtyard, and good food and drink, it is guaranteed that you will leave extremely content with life.

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Banana ice cream

4 bananas, peeled

Roasted nuts, chopped (optional)

Berries (optional)

Chop the bananas into bite sized pieces, and put into the freezer until frozen (minimum of 2 hours). Blitz in the food processor until creamy.

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Veal

Veal is extremely sensitive topic. It is hard to even mention the ‘v word’ without people’s eyes brimming with tears. It is, after all, a rather uncomfortable thought that we would even consider eating little baby cows – how inhumane can we be? Strange then that we Brits are more than willing to eat innocent baby sheep; so much in fact that roast lamb has become a quintessentially British dish. Furthermore, we are reluctant to give up milk, cream and cheese, which is at the heart of the veal problem.

Maybe we’re just trying to make ourselves feel better by resisting veal or maybe, and possibly the more likely scenario, is that we are unaware of the consequences of our moral stance.

It will come as no surprise that dairy farmers need heifers (girls) and only heifers for their milk production; therefore any stirks - bull calves - that are born during calving season are redundant. They are what would become veal, if there was sufficient demand in the UK. However, since demand is lacking, these calves are either shot within a few days of their birth, sold to be turned into dog food or sold to other European countries to be reared for veal. None of these are a happy ending for the calves, particularly as rearing standards in mainland Europe is much lower than they are here. If they were reared in the UK they would have a much happier time because the welfare standards are significantly better than elsewhere in Europe, as stuffing veal into tiny crates was outlawed in the UK 1990. Even though it has subsequently been outlawed in the Continent as well, their standards still do not compare with the quality here. So instead of doing the stirks a favour we are fact doing them a disservice.

Heifers need to calve every 12 to 14month in order to maintain their milk production so over their life time odds are that they are likely to calve quite a few stirks. Therefore it is imperative that we Brits amend the errors of our eating habits and start to eat veal. British veal that is.

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Quickes Traditional - Devon

Cheese is hard to beat, it’s just a wonderful slice of heaven. Unfortunately, the supermarket version just does not do it justice so, alas, the true joys of cheese are rarely experienced. Thankfully, Quickes Traditional is a beacon of hope on this depressing situation as they make ‘real’ cheese from their own dairy herds’ milk.

The Quickes family has been farming on the same stretch of land for 450 years. Currently it is run by Mary Quickes, whose parents started dairy farming 25 years ago. Every truckle of the cheese is made by their cheesemakers, then covered in muslin and left to mature for up to 24 months – the more mature the better in our book! Their main focus in on cheddar cheese but their goats and ewes milk cheese are just as delectable. Unsurprisingly Quickes Traditional has multiple awards to their name, with a number of their cheeses.

The dedication at Quickes Traditional to their cheeses is extremely evident in the multi-layered taste of all of their products, something which simply can not be achieved with the short cuts used by supermarkets. All in all, it is most definitely worth your time to hunt down a piece of Quickes cheese. It will be time well spent. 

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Berry Smoothie

1 banana

½ cup frozen mixed berries

½ cup spinach

1 tsp cinnamon

1tbsp chia seeds (optional)

1tbsp flax seeds (optional)

¼ -½ cup cold water

Whizz all the ingredients up in a food processor, adding as much water as you want depending on how thick you want the smoothie to be. Enjoy straight away. 

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Saturday Solutions

Champagne 

Unwind cage but then leave cage on in order to maintain more grip.

Put dominant hand over the cage, and other hand underneath - therefore, right handed people should put their hand on top.

Turn the bottle, rather than the top, until the cork begins to release, then turn the top as well. 

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Slow Food Movement

Months after the renowned Oxford Literary Festival, the food and drink talks still remain prominent in one’s mind. As contributions were made from the likes of Madhur Jaffrey, Sophie Grigson and Stanley Tucci, it is unsurprising that this is the case.

Carlo Petrini’s talk on the Slow Food Movement, which he founded in the 1980s, is one which resonated the most. His passionate speech about the importance of eating local, seasonal, organic produce was infectious, rather surprisingly given that he was speaking in his native language of Italian. The presence of the translator did not even slightly hinder Petrini’s words as she, somewhat remarkably, managed to keep up with his incredibly fast pace, and delivered matched his words with the same enthusiasm.

Nowadays, there is a continual hype about the magic 3 – seasonal, local, organic – that it’s easy just to turn a blind eye and ignore them altogether. After all, why should we care so about these issues?  The answer, which was delivered so well by Petrini, is because not only does it save on environmental factors, due to the fewer air miles and fewer polytunnels, but it also ensures that the produce has more nutrients, and more excitingly tastes better. From any perspective, it makes no sense for local produce to be shipped off to another country at the expense of not being sold in the local region, something which is distressingly the case in so many countries. 

Some people may be confused as to which of the three are the most important - it is not always possible, after all, to get produce which meet all of the requirements. Petrini carefully explained that using seasonal produce is crucial. Maybe surprisingly, but polytunnels result in greater environmental problems than food imported from abroad. Therefore, seasonal produce is paramount. Secondly, produce should be local. Not only as the produce is fresher but it also decreases air miles, and consequent negative outcomes. Although the lowest in the hierarchy, organic produce should definitely not be forgotten. Nowadays, a phenomenal amount of pesticides and herbicides are used to ensure the mass production of fruit and vegetables. Although it may take years for it to become a noticeable problem, these chemicals are damaging to our health. Even though there is a hierarchy to the three it is worth considering all of them. 

The Slow Food Movement is steadily gaining momentum year upon year, which is why the icon for the movement is a snail – after all, slow and steady wins the race. Hopefully, with time, the Movement will do just that, and will be recognised as a norm by everyone. After all, we are without a doubt what we eat so it is our responsibility to ensure that we consume the best quality produce. 

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Pipers Farm

Image: http://www.pipersfarm.com/about-us/the-farm

In the rolling Devonshire countryside, there is a small, family run farm. At Pipers Farm, the farm under question, the animals are reared in the most natural way possible – by letting them grow slowly, and feeding them a natural diet of grass. A method which is, unfortunately, rarely seen these days.

Pipers Farm was established by Peter and Henri Grieg, with an aim to rear contented animals in a natural way, in order to produce sublime meat. They have certainly achieved, and even exceeded, this aim, with numerous awards to their name. By raising their animals in small groups and in an unforced manner, they are able to produce deliciously flavoursome meat as well as produce meat which is exceptionally nutritious. 

A strong emphasis at Pipers Farm is placed upon a somewhat surprising thing – hedgerows. When explained it makes perfect sense as, within the hedges, is a vast collection of species.  This biodiversity is crucial to the workings of any farm – at least any farm, which does not rely upon chemicals and intensive rearing.

We are always told that we are what we eat so consideration should be made as to what the animals, that we later consume, eat. Pipers Farm is a particularly exciting find as so few farms treat their animals with such respect. Thus, it is a place which should be visited by everyone. Although if you can’t visit in person they do home deliveries, so you don’t have to miss out on their products.

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Hot Chocolate

                                                                                                          serves 1

1 cup soy milk (or any alternative)

2 tsp raw cacao

½-1tbsp date syrup

Heat the milk in a pan, then add the cacao. Whisk gentlyuntil all the cacao lumps have been removed and add the date syrup, as much or as little as you want. Serve when the hot chocolate is steaming hot.  Enjoy!

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Breakfast in Bed

Image: Breakfast in Bed

Every weekend there is the same old dilemma of being overcome with a sense of ‘slowness’. It is necessary, after all, to recoup after the activities of the week. Breakfast has an annoying habit ofinterfering with sleep as it’s a difficult choice to determine which one you should sacrifice. Now, neither has to be overlooked as Breakfast in Bed provides the solution – delivering a delicious breakfast (and even newspapers!) straight to your door.

Breakfast in Bed offers all you could possibly want for your Saturday or Sunday morning, from freshly made juices to pancakes and home made granolas. Everything is made in their kitchen, so it’s all utterly scrumptious and additive free. An added bonus is that you don’t need to wait long for your delivery to arrive as they arrive at your door within 25 minutes of making the order, or you can allocate a time that you wish your breakfast to arrive.

Unfortunately it is too good to be true as there is a slight catch - they only deliver to a limited part of London so be sure to check if you are in the right place. Hopefully, they will conquer all of London soon so that we can all enjoy their food, and indulge in a relaxed weekend. In the meantime, you can always bunk with a friend who lives in the necessary location. It will most definitely be worth it.

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Pesto

                                                                                                    Makes a jar

2 packets of pine nuts

2 packets of basil

1 lemon

1 garlic clove, crushed

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

Simply blitz all of the ingredients in a food processor until it becomes a smooth paste. Keep in the fridge.

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Oxfork - Magdalen Road, Oxford

Image: Oxfork

Hidden on the Magdalen Road is Oxfork, a quintessentially British café. It serves utterly delicious brunches and sweet treats throughout the week, and is now open Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings when it serves a variety of British tapas style dishes alongside mouthwatering drinks.

 Everything on offer is cooked up from locally sourced ingredients, which are of extremely high quality. Weekend brunches are particularly bustling at Oxfork, so be sure to get there early so you can enjoy the delights of ‘The All American’ pancakes as well as all the eggs you could possibly hope for.

Oxfork is particularly nice to go when it’s sunny, so you can sit outside. However, even during these winter months it proves to be the perfect stop off from the cold – the gluten free brownies will most definitely cure the Winter Blues!

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Cooking

More often than not, people brand cooking as an activity which is impossibly difficult to achieve. Everyone wants to be able to remain cool and sophisticated whilst whipping up a feast after a hard day’s work. However, they too frequently find that the opposite is true. Instead of being a model of sophistication, they turn into a quivering wreck as they watch pans boil over and smoke overwhelm the kitchen.

 This doesn’t need to be the case though as, believe it or not, cooking is easy. Much easier than the majority of the British public dare to dream. After all, not all cooking involves ‘chiffonading’ or ‘creaming’. If you are not confident in the kitchen, then don’t pretend you are. Cook something that is easy to achieve. The joy of the oven is that it does most of the work for you so learn to use it to your advantage. Making a delicious roast chicken, say, just takes a couple of hours in the oven and then resting for it to be mouth-watering.

 It is no surprise that people are scared of cooking when they set out to achieve create dishes which make chef’s anxious. The basics should not be frowned upon but should be celebrated. If you have had a bad experience in the kitchen then don’t give up just yet, next time just try something easier.

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Nomad Books - Fulham Road, London

  Image: Nomad Books

Hidden within the bustle of the Fulham road is a little bookshop, which readers and foodies alike will enjoy as tucked inside is a delightful café. Nomad Books is a joyous place filled to the brim of books, coffees, and cakes.

Naturally, books a plenty can be found stacked away at Nomad Books. More surprisingly are the sumptuous coffees and naughty but oh-so-nice cakes that are on offer in the café. There is a wonderfully wide range of drinks that there will undoubtedly be something for everyone’s whim. Servers are extremely friendly, and very gifted at whipping up specialised drinks to meet the customers’ demands. This attribute allows for a calm atmosphere, making it a lovely hideaway for anyone wanting to escape the stresses of life for a moment.

It may be an unassuming place from the outside, but it’s the perfect place for a coffee and a moment’s peace. Coffee and books is a match made in heaven. Nomad Books, therefore, has a truly wonderful combination of things to enjoy. 

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Sushi and Beyond - Michael Booth

Image: Sushi and Beyond

Michael Booth starts this book, about Japanese food and culture, in a rather surprising manner – by wholeheartedly criticising Japanese food. Subsequently, the reader becomes inclined to discover why, if this is the case, Booth continues to write a whole book on it, and so from that page onwards he has our attention.

Booth and his family went on a three month escapade covering every corner of Japan in search of a greater understanding of Japanese cuisine. It is a captivating read, full of kind hearted people, a clarification of facts, and, of course, a feast of food. From seaweed to sake, this book has it all. Booth’s honesty and enthusiasm are what makes it such a charismatic read though – after all, who actually does like natto?

One has to admire Booth’s sense of adventure (and appetite!) for it led to a wonderful account of Japanese culture, in its truest form. For those who haven’t already read this treasure be sure to do so soon as you might just learn something new. 

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Intolerances

There is always a certain amount of scoffing when people announce that they are intolerant to a particular food. Allergies, somehow, just seem more legitimate. Maybe it’s that they are more life and death, or perhaps it’s because these days the whole world and its son seems to have some sort of niggle with food. All in all, only whimps have intolerances.

Intolerances are generally seen to be an excuse to avoid eating a food which individuals just haven’t taken a liking to. It seems that nowadays everyone seems to be intolerant to something or another. Ultimately, and rather unfortunately for those who actually suffer, the word is no longer taken seriously.

It is time to resolve this issue. First and foremost, people need to stop misusing the word. People then need to realise produce can cause more than a little discomfort if an individual is intolerant to it. If everyone can change their attitudes then hopefully there will be less scoffing in the future.

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Paul Ainsworth at No.6 - Padstow

In the heart of Padstow, No.6 is tucked away in a rather insignificant street. The homely feel, which you encounter upon entering, makes one quickly realise that this is no ordinary restaurant.

The understated menu leaves the guests unsure of what they are about to be faced with – the very intention of Ainsworth, for this unknowing stimulates questions and creates a sense of excitement as to what the dishes are going to be like. Subsequently, when the dishes arrive there is inevitably a large amount of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’  which echo around the table as everyone will, undoubtedly, be awed by the sheer beauty of the food. 

The plates and glasses used add to the experience tenfold as they all bring such character to the meal; white plates just don’t have as much charm as wooden boards and speckled bowls. 

The service is personal and friendly – something which, unfortunately, is lacking in so many places today. Everyone is able to relax and enjoy themselves thanks to the charming smiles and general kindness which is shown. 

What is abundantly clear is that every ingredient is respected, thus making the experience truly exceptional. The heavenly food and delightful service are something which everyone should seek out to try, as it is hard to find a place like it.