Friday 1 November 2013

BIRTHDAY: Oxford and Cheltenham Adventures

 
I made a Coffee cake for Tom, just a small one because we always end up wasting it! The best part of this cake was the eggs, they were from the chickens at work and they had laid them that day! Talk about fresh eggs.
 
It was Tom's birthday last weekend, as part of his present I had booked to go away to Cheltenham with the idea we'd head further south and visit Cheddar Gorge. Tom used to always go on about how amazing it was there but as someone who isn't a fan of small spaces I never shared that enthusiasm. As it was his birthday I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to embrace his love for Cheddar Gorge, however with this terrible rainy weather and a couple of negative reviews of the place I wasn't as set on the idea. You can get your Tesco Clubcard points changed into tickets for Cheddar Gorge, which I so nearly did. I'm glad I didn't because we didn't end up going down there, it was just to wet and miserable!
 
 
Instead we spent one day looking around Cheltenham, a lovely regency place with gorgeous shops and places to eat.
 
A seriously tasty Halloumi and Spinach Club sandwich at The Copa of Cheltenham, a reasonably priced pub in the middle of Cheltenham.
 
We went to TGI Friday's for dinner and I insisted that Tom had the fish bowl cocktails, it was his birthday after all!
 
The next day we went to Oxford, one of my favourite places to visit. My Grandparents used to live in Oxford and my auntie still lives nearby, so I have pretty much grown up visiting Oxford. It's such a pretty place, with loads of old university buildings and great shopping! It's home to the nicest Primark I've ever been too!
 
Oxford through my lens... 
 
 
Pieminister restaurant in the covered market in Oxford. Their pies are honestly the best! Heidi pie is my favourite but the names for their pies are brilliant (see if you can work out what flavour these pies are): Kate and Sidney Pie, Chicken of Aragon, Wild Shroom, Matador, Moo, Pietanic, Big Cheese, Free Ranger, Deerstalker and Fungi Chicken. Go to their website to see if you were right :)
 
 
 
 
If you haven't visited a Ben's Cookies then you are seriously missing out. Their cookies and so thick, freshly cooked, often still warm with melted chocolate oozing out of them. Simply divine. There used to be one in Leamington Spa, the nearest big town to where I grew up, but recently it's been replaced. So now Oxford covered market is my nearest one, there aren't that many to be honest. Some in London, one in Bath, Bristol, Brighton and Oxford. That's it. Well in the UK, they have stores in South Korea, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait as well.   
 
 
The covered market is also one of my favourite place to visit in Oxford, it's not really a market, more a collection of small shops and businesses. Infact my cousin got her wedding cake from a shop in the covered market! Tom had never visited Oxford before, so I was excited to show him the places I love.
 
 
 

On the way home we stopped off at Bicester Village, an amazing discount designer shopping village if you've never been before. I didn't get anything for myself but I did get two Christmas presents for those hard to buy for men in my life!



Have you ever visited Oxford?
 
Feel free to leave me a comment :)
 
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3 comments

  1. I have never visited oxford but the food in this post had my mouth watering! (:

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  2. Wow, looks like a great few days! I've only been to Oxford once, a few years ago when I interviewed for a couple of the university colleges (but sadly didn't get in), but this post has reminded me how much I'd like to go back there for a weekend or even just a day trip :)

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  3. i drive past all the time, but never been, looks like a really fun trip x

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