Saturday 4th April 2026
Blog Page 481

Opinion: Boris cannot ‘take back control’ when there is none left

Julia Brechtelsbauer
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Opinion: Boris cannot ‘take back control’ when there is none left

We all have to follow the law. Right? A basic statement often parroted to us as children but one which has begun to appear not so simple. This year, the British public has been hit with varied and repeated instances of the Government producing confused and vague policy, as well as blasé rule-breaking from those in authority. Whilst these may seem necessary to those who currently occupy Westminster, it’s beginning to become obvious just how dangerous this attitude can be, potentially rocking the democratic core of the UK, the principles which Boris’ Brexiteer campaign was founded upon.

During the peak of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK, Dominic Cummings made the infamous trip up-north, seemingly breaking the very advice the Government advisor himself was producing. Not only that, but he was indeed praised by the Prime Minister himself for acting as ‘any good father would’. Of course, this ignores the fact that he was breaking the rules. The outrage that this evoked in myself was undoubtedly mirrored across the country (blatantly, in the media). But outrage left apathy in its place. As Love Islander Amber Rose Gill tweeted ‘After I saw that man drive all the way up the country to check his eyesight with a hot box of corona & the gov defended him I knew I wasn’t listening to a damn thing after that’. Plain and simply put, if Dominic can break the rules, why can’t I?

This bud of sentiment goes to show the true importance of the idea that no-one is above the law. Whilst it’s easy to appeal to ideas of fairness in this respect, the real importance of such a rule is its implications. If Cummings is above the rules, then there mustn’t be rules worth following. The government’s insistence on individual responsibility and discretion in the midst of the pandemic hasn’t aided in squashing that bud. Press conferences by various ministers were dominated by conditional caveats; ‘Go to work, if you can’, ‘travel abroad at your own risk’, ‘stay at a 2m distance when possible’. The instructions given by the Government were undeniably vague, which of course, led the public to fill in the blanks. Even if, unlike Amber Gill, you wished to follow the rules, how would you even ascertain exactly what to do? The government pushed the public into their own judgment, on not only whether to follow the rules, but to decide what exactly the rules were.

The government’s inability to facilitate abiding by the law did not end there. Sky in late August noted 11 times where Boris changed his mind on a policy already released to the public. Now to that list, including the infamous A-level and school meals scandal, we can add the Parliament bar being exempt from the 10pm closure rule. The message is clear to the public; don’t take us too seriously, because we might change our mind.

If that shameless breaking of the rule of law wasn’t enough, the ‘rule of six’ legislation was published only minutes before coming into force. In theoretical terms, every person obliged to follow the law in the UK, should have been able to read all 10 pages of the dense statutory instrument in 30 minutes. Of course, neither you nor I spend our spare time reading every law which may come our way, but the bare principle of only publishing a law half an hour before its effect further perpetuates the government’s inability to allow us to follow their own rules.

The summer months following lock-down were dominated by scrambling for people to blame. We were told to Eat out to Help Out in August, to be told to limit interaction in September. The people trying to follow the instructions of the Government, and assist the economy, have been blamed. So to add to Dominic’s rule-breaking, and lacklustre government advice, the public was also effectively told by the government that following their advice was wrong, and consequently caused the rise in cases. It would seem that the government’s complete disregard for their own responsibility and the law couldn’t get worse.

In September, the Prime Minister introduced a Bill which had the public wondering whether the government was going to legislate breaking international law. I predict this to be the straw that breaks the back of the British democracy. Never in history has a Prime Minister acted so flagrantly in regards to his international legal obligations. Whilst this may seem like the price to pay to ‘get Brexit done’, the government must realise that they are also playing with our democracy. Johnson is sending the message that the law is not to be taken seriously. And if that is the case, why follow it? Or indeed, why waste time voting people in to create it? The Tories have had a few rounds of gambling on the constitution, but this time they are risking the very foundation of democracy; the rule of law.

Now the government is clutching at the straws of their own authority; shutting the pubs at 10pm, allowing us only to meet in groups of six, and limiting weddings to 15, when simply, they may have already lost us. When pandemics are dependent on mutual and collective action, the law being the most useful apparatus in orchestrating such, it is dangerous beyond usual implications that we don’t feel obliged to follow the law. Beyond this, pandemics demand international cooperation, and the very thing the Conservative government appears to not take seriously. Through the government breaking their own rules, vagueness and flip-flopping, the Johnson government has dug the grave for their own authority, just when they need it most. Johnson, having bounded around the slogan ‘take back control’, is losing control himself.

Whilst we are promised that Boris Johnson, coronavirus and Dominic Cummings are not forever, their impact upon the British conscience may be much deeper and long-lasting than the 30 minute-trip to Barnard Castle, or the rule-of-three slogans tirelessly churned out by the Government. The dangerous perception that we aren’t obligated to follow the law, of course, does not bode well for the UK’s response to the ‘second wave’, but even beyond that, gives a bleak impression for the future of Britain as the oldest democracy in the World. But since the Tory leadership campaign was dominated by admissions of recreational drug use, perhaps an attitude of disregard for the law is a fitting legacy for this government.

Keble students boycott hall food over rise in prices

Amelia Wood
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Keble students boycott hall food over rise in prices

Undergraduate students at Keble College have launched a campaign to lower the cost of hall meals. They claim that the price of a standard dinner meal has almost doubled since last year, rising from £3.80 to £6.75 and that two course dinners have been made mandatory. 

Some of those affected by the rises have written an open letter of their concerns, as well as asking fellow students to boycott hall food until college administration agrees to reduce food prices to what they had been previously, as well as giving students the option to opt out of extras such as desserts.

The open letter has so far been signed by over 100 students. It says that meal prices were advertised at a lower rate than reality, which “put many students at a disadvantage and has put a burden on those students who have budgeted in accordance with the cheaper food prices advertised.”

After pressure from students, Keble has since decided to remove dessert from the compulsory meal, reducing the price to £4.75. The college has also agreed to discuss further with the JCR about prices. 

Individual student rooms at Keble do not have cooking facilities, which makes hall a primary food option.

Keble College told Cherwell that “the suggestion that we have materially increased food prices is simply wrong”. They stated that the average cost of a lunch in 2019/2020 was £4.00, and the average cost of a three-course dinner was £7.80.

They continued: “Students also have access to our café in the H B Allen Centre where freshly made Paninis are £2.40, Baguettes £2.50  and Pizza Margherita, 12“ is £5.00, with extra toppings at £0.40.”

Theo Sergiou, a second year PPE student at Keble, told Cherwell that the boycott is a “financial necessity” and says that Oxford alumni have gotten in touch with their support. The boycott is planned to continue until Monday.

Sergiou said: “If the local independent kebab house can survive COVID without burdening students, college should have no reason to rely on their students to relieve them of their difficulties…We do not think college is doing this on purpose, nor do I believe they are conscious of their exclusion, however, this doesn’t change the effect it is having.”

He said the college explained the price increase with the JCR’s request last year to source food more sustainably.

Keble College told Cherwell: “The Covid crisis has meant we’ve had to change radically the way we prepare and deliver meals in order to protect staff and students. This has involved significant additional costs which are not reflected in meal charges.  On top of this, food costs are continuing to rise.  The global pandemic has impacted demand, supply and pricing across many commodities.

“Costs have been affected by, among other factors: Turbulent currencies, Product shortages, High price increases, Labour shortages, Weather conditions (a very hot and dry summer globally, impacting on harvests), Avian flu (pushing prices on poultry and egg, when flocks have to be culled), Salmon anaemia, and African Swine Fever in pigs from Germany (Europe’s largest pork producer).”

Keble also directed Cherwell to an article by The Tab which praises Keble’s food provisions to quarantining students, based on a student’s TikToks of her meal deliveries, in which the student compliments her roast chicken and cheesecake. 

Image credit: David Iliff/ Wikimedia Commons

Coalition of societies to work for racial equality in Oxford

Mark Robins
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Coalition of societies to work for racial equality in Oxford

Student societies have joined a city-wide Coalition to support the rights of marginalised people in Oxford.

The Oxford Coalition of Black Communities and Communities of Colour has been founded this Black History Month to support ethnic minority and working-class groups in Oxford. Backed by NGOs and trade unionists, the Coalition will begin with a community-led “Manifesto for the City” to drive policy change in Oxford. 

A statement from the Coalition said it is “committed to the self-determination of Black and minority ethnic communities, as well as securing the rights of all marginalised people in our city”.

It added: “Our Coalition will use its collective energy and resources to drive practical and policy measures towards a city that works to empower every single one of its workers and residents.” The Oxford University Labour Club, Africa Society, and Feminist Society have backed the Coalition, joining local groups such as Black Lives Matter Oxford. 

Campaigners founded the initiative after recognising the need to sustain anti-racist collective organisations which arose after the death of George Floyd. They were also spurred by the coronavirus pandemic, which, the Coalition says, revealed “stark racial inequalities… globally and within UK society”.

The Coalition advocates “bottom-up” action to pursue its aims, citing reform after the death of Stephen Lawrence as a successful example of “pressure from below”.

A spokesperson told Cherwell: “The Coalition aims to practically foster greater solidarity, unity of purpose and action amongst different grass-roots organisations and community groups who have a shared goal around achieving race equality and promoting social justice in Oxford.

“To this end the Coalition aims to function as a grass-roots activist information bureau and network sharing ideas, and facilitating solidarity building amongst a range of community groups and local campaigns which can thereby help coordinate joint action around shared goals, aims, and objectives.” 

The Coalition claims that decision making bodies such as the Oxford City Council have not done enough to support Black and minority ethnic communities. “Actions speak louder than words,” said the Coalition.

“Take the issue of racism in the workplace – report after report – not least the government’s own Race Disparity Audit highlights how Black and minority ethnic workers are subject to disproportionate rates of disciplinaries, are over-represented in lower grade positions and under-represented in the top/senior posts within the occupational hierarchy. There is next to no Black and minority ethnic representation within the executive boards of most of Oxford’s key public institutions.”

“Currently as a result of pressure from below all our major institutions are announcing anti-racist charters and race equality action plans. The obvious danger here is that without sustained pressure from the grass-roots demanding greater accountability to local communities what we get left with is rhetorical ethics, tokenism and symbolic representation.”

Oxford City Council denies the claim. A spokesperson told Cherwell: “Oxford City Council plays a leading role in the city to promote and secure the rights of the city’s minority communities.

“We manage 19 community centres, including the Asian Cultural Centre; we provide millions of pounds of grants to community groups, including to organise events such as the Cowley Road Carnival and Oxford Mela;  right now we are also celebrating Black History Month, decolonising the Museum of Oxford, and one of our councillors is taking part in the Rhodes Commission.

“Through this pandemic we have extended our work with minority communities, who have been particularly affected. This includes stronger relationships with Oxford’s religious leaders of all faiths and working with charity partners like Oxford Community Action, who support minority communities in hardship. We are always keen to work with residents of Oxford to make the city a better place to live, work and visit.” 

“We welcome the launch of Oxford Coalition of Black Communities and Communities of Colour, and look forward to their contribution to supporting Oxford’s communities.” 

The 2011 Census found that 22% of Oxford residents were from a Black of minority ethnic group, higher than the UK average of 13%. 

Image credit: Pixabay

Oxford vaccine trials paused in the US

Charlie Hancock
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Oxford vaccine trials paused in the US

Combined phase II/III trials for a potential vaccine being developed at the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute to protect against COVID-19 may be continuing in the UK, but they remain paused in the United States.

Global trials of the vaccine were halted after a British participant developed symptoms of transverse myelitis, a neurological disorder which causes the spinal cord to become inflamed and damages the myelin layer which protects nerve cell fibres. Although trials in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil were resumed throughout September, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory body has halted trials in the United States until they are satisfied the participant’s adverse reaction was not caused by the vaccine.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the prominent immunologist advising the White House Coronavirus Taskforce, described the interruption as “unfortunate” but emphasised that it is not unusual for vaccine trials to be halted. “It’s really one of the safety valves that you have on clinical trials such as this”, he told CBS on 9 September.

Although investigating potential side-effects is an established part of the vaccine development process, there are concerns that if the FDA does not allow the trial to continue, it could reduce the data available to scientists to judge the efficacy and safety of the vaccine. Most new drugs and vaccines go through three phases of testing before they are made available to patients. Some national regulatory bodies, including the FDA, may demand additional rounds of testing. Phase III trials involve thousands of patients to provide a large sample size for scientists to determine how effective the vaccine is, but also if there are any side effects or groups of people who cannot receive the vaccine safely.

The Oxford vaccine requires two injections to be given at 28 day intervals. While 18,000 participants across the UK, Brazil and South Africa are on track to receive their second dose, 30,000 American participants may miss theirs or at least have it delayed unless the FDA allows the trial to continue soon. It is not clear what the implications of this delay would be. Eleanor Riley, Professor of Immunology at the University of Edinburgh told The Times that delivering the second dose a longer interval after the first than 28 days may leader to better outcomes. “However, changing the interval halfway through a trial can be problematic”, she added. If the American cohort of participants are not vaccinated according to the determined schedule, they may have to be excluded from the overall analysis of data.

The SARS-Cov-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, is covered with club-shaped spike proteins which it uses to infect human cells and hijack them to produce more viruses. Spike proteins are also recognised by the body’s immune system, causing it to produce antibodies to combat the infection.

The Oxford vaccine uses a harmless adenovirus to introduce a sequence of DNA into a human cell, causing it to make the spike proteins which cause an immune reaction. It is hoped that this method will allow the body to develop immunity to SARS-Cov-2, without causing a vaccinated individual to become unwell or contagious. Ideally that this will allow people with pre-existing conditions to receive the vaccine and reduce the risk of patients developing side-effects.

If the vaccine passes its phase III trials and is found to be both safe and effective, it could allow countries around the world to lift restrictions put in place to limit the spread of Covid-19.

Image credit: Bermix Studio/ Unsplash

Local stationery shop launches men’s mental health initiative

Matthew Schaffel
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Local stationery shop launches men’s mental health initiative

Scriptum writing shop in Oxford has announced a new mental health initiative. Founder of the store, Azeem Zakria, started the scheme following his own battle with depression and is now working with the local church St Michael at the North Gate to set up a weekly mental health support group for men in Oxford. 

He told Cherwell that he was looking to help those “less fortunate than himself” and hoped that the scheme will allow him to achieve “a balance between the store having a certain ambience and a safe space during the Coronavirus pandemic”. 

A spokesperson for Scriptum said: “We have been fundraising with our Good Place Notebook for a while now, and have just made a donation of £1,200 to Oxfordshire Mind. 

“Azeem will be running a men’s letter-writing group, providing tea, coffee, stationery, stamps, and a friendly place to talk in a safe and socially distanced setting. The idea is to allow people to keep in touch with their wider support networks in a low-stress way. It is specifically aimed at men as studies indicate that men are less likely both to talk about their mental health and to seek help, and at the moment the numbers we can have in each group are limited because of Covid restrictions.

“The venues we will be using may vary, but the first meeting will be on Tuesday 19th October in St Michael at the North Gate Church, and we encourage anyone who is interested to email.”

Christ Church named one of world’s top 500 destinations

Grace Bartlett
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Christ Church named one of world’s top 500 destinations

Article originally part of Cherwell News in the print edition.

Christ Church is now 314th among the world’s top 500 global destinations, as ranked by the Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List 2. This decision can’t be too surprising to anyone familiar with its magnificent architecture, outstanding alumni, and perpetual association with both Alice in Wonderland and the Harry Potter series.

Whether it’s the splendid cathedral or Wren’s Tom Tower, Christ Church just keeps drawing in visitors (although not right now, obviously).

While this update to the original 2015 list comes at a slightly odd time given the continued restrictions on travel imposed by Covid-19, it provides plenty of fuel for the imagination; readers can plan their visits to such destinations as Petra in Jordan, or Cambodia’s Temples of Angkor.

For anyone in need of holiday a bit closer to home, Christ Church features among 33 other UK destinations, an increase from the original 2015 list’s 24 with locations like the Lake District, Wales Coast Path and Giant’s Causeway securing top spots.

While Covid-19 means many of these destinations are unlikely to see an increase in visitors for some time, it’s clear that Christ Church students will continue dodging tourists on their way to tutorials for a long time to come.

Image Credit: Toby Ord, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.5.

A centenary of full University membership for women at Oxford

Ellen Hendry and Jade Calder
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A centenary of full University membership for women at Oxford

Oxford has launched a campaign to recognise the centenary anniversary of women at the University.

On the 7th of October 1920, Oxford began giving full membership to the University to women. While women had studied at the University before, they had been denied degrees. To mark this, the University is running the Women Making History Centenary campaign. It will aim to mark some of the movements and achievements of women that have helped Oxford become a university with more degrees awarded to women than men.

Amongst other events, the University has announced an app providing a walking tour of Oxford with points of interest from the past century’s changes, an online collection of documents illuminating campaigns for female admissions, and an online event to uncover the contribution of women to Geography at Oxford.

Many colleges are also holding celebrations. Mansfield is marking the 40th anniversary of female admittance to the college with a museum-quality exhibition, along with an oral history project to record the experiences of their first female cohort. The first female justice and President of the Supreme Court, Baroness Brenda Hale, will give a public talk on 20th November.

The Hilary Rodham Clinton Chair of Women’s History has also been created to mark the centenary. It is to be given to Professor Brenda E. Stevenson, whose research focuses on race and gender. This position will enable “outstanding, pioneering research, and [will transform] how the subject is taught and studied at Oxford.”

Professor Stevenson told Cherwell: “I hope to provide diversity to the curriculum as well as support programs and projects that will embrace, expand and inspire meaningful research on women in the past and in contemporary societies.”

The Vice-Chancellor said the appointment “will lead to the education of generations of historians who will ensure that women are never again written out of history”.

Regarding this appointment and the wider University campaign, the SU VP Women, Alex Foley, said: “The Covid-19 crisis has thrown the existing disparities in our society into stark relief. The asymmetries in the amount of unpaid labour women are expected to perform has become increasingly apparent, particularly mature students with caring responsibility or student parents. The global events of the past few months have also demonstrated the long road we have to how to achieve racial justice.

“I’ve been extremely pleased to witness the way the Women’s Centenary Group has maintained an intersectional perspective and tried to highlight the persisting barriers to full gender equality in high education for trans women and women of colour.”

In 2019, women comprised half of all undergraduate students, and the number of incoming female undergraduates (53%) exceeded the male intake for the first time.

Image credit: Brighton Museums / commons

Students frustrated by Bodleian Libraries system

Joe Hyland Deeson and Abigail Howe
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Students frustrated by Bodleian Libraries system

Students returning to Oxford for Michaelmas have found the system put in place over the summer by the Bodleian Libraries increasingly impractical. With library slots often not available for three days or more in advance, issues were exacerbated on Friday of 0th Week when the History Faculty Library at the Radcliffe Camera cancelled its Click and Collect service due to an inability to “cope with term-time demand”. Any slots already booked were also cancelled at short notice.

Although the Radcliffe Camera is the site of the History Faculty Library, students of all disciplines have been allowed to book slots. The Bodleian Libraries have advised students not to book multiple slots in a week, but there is no restriction on doing this and an information sheet at desks in the Bodleian Libraries references students booking “back-to-back” slots. Many of the Bodleian Libraries are also still open to those who are not residents of the University, including the Radcliffe Camera and the Bodleian Old Library. 

History students have been frustrated by the lack of priority given to them by their subject library. Grace Beckwith, a third year who, like many historians, would generally use the Faculty Library several times a week, told Cherwell: “So far the current booking system is making my life quite a bit harder. I’m doing my Special Subject this term, and although a lot of my set texts are digitized, I still need to access a lot of texts that are only available in the Rad Cam. I tried to order some books via the Click and Collect service, but the History Faculty have cancelled the service. To get books, I now have to book Browse and Borrow slots which are a bit difficult to find. It just seems chaotic. It would be useful to have some sort of priority system.”

Furthermore, the potential lack of provision of central university libraries presents a wide range of accessibility problems. Speaking to Cherwell, Leo Gillard, Secretary of DisCam, said: “The limits to more flexible library use will undeniably have an adverse impact on disabled students. The highly restricted number of spaces available for studying and browsing libraries is a particular difficulty, as well as allowing non-disabled students to use disability-related equipment such as riser desks. Additionally, for students with variable conditions booking library slots in advance is much more difficult, as they more not know if they will be well enough to work in a library weeks in advance.”

Other issues are presented for students from a working class background. Sofia Henderson, Co-Chair of the SU Class Act campaign, told Cherwell: “Access to adequate workspaces is a class issue that has only intensified during the pandemic. When faced with a full Oxford term from home, working class and low income students found it difficult to work alongside their parents, siblings, or housemates, and were forced to only use texts which were accessible online. Now that most students are back in Oxford, the University and Oxford colleges must make sure that all students have access to a comfortable working environment and have access to the texts that they need. In many cases, students have been forced to order books themselves, because of the difficulties of being able to get to a library, with some college libraries being closed and faculty libraries having limited copies of texts. While some may be lucky to go to colleges which provide academic or book grants, many students will be left behind and find it difficult to access the same resources as their more privileged peers.”

While college libraries can, in some cases, fulfil the gap left by a lack of access to central facilities, this varies. Even where there is a good provision of books, many college libraries also require booking an advance while some, such as Merton’s, have not reopened at all.

Speaking to Cherwell, a Bodleian Libraries spokesperson said: “The Bodleian Libraries aim to offer as many physical reader spaces as is possible in Michaelmas Term, given the constraints of physical distancing as dictated by Public Health England and University guidance, especially the requirement to maintain 2m physical distancing. This means that we will be able to accommodate 80% of our usual capacity during Michaelmas Term.”

The spokesperson explained that the 80% figure was reached through patterns of usage from previous years rather than assuming maximum capacity. In the Upper Bodleian, just one in four desks are available for use. They continued: “Our Space Finding app is just getting ready to launch and this will enable readers to book slots across the library in a much easier way, including slots to just browse and borrow as well as booking study space.”

On the various accessibility issues surrounding the current system, the spokesperson clarified: “During the booking process, Readers can request any extra provision including a standing desk through the ‘Other Information’ text box on the booking page, these are allocated to registered Readers with access needs on a first-come, first-serve basis. We have responded to feedback and made this easier to book spaces such as these over the summer. Each library has a disability contact who can help facilitate and provide more information about a specific library site. Their contact details can be found on each library page on the university Access Guide.”

Image credit: David Iliff/ Wikimedia Commons

College marquees to be set up for dining and more

Roheena Buckland
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College marquees to be set up for dining and more

Oxford University colleges have been setting up marquees to create extra space to support socially distanced meals and activities in preparation for the start of term.

The marquees make up part of the University’s plans to create a pandemic-robust environment, alongside one-way systems and online teaching. However, the exact usage of the marquees will vary from college to college depending on the specific needs of each.

Magdalen’s marquee in the Deer Park.
Credit: Sophie Littlewood

At Merton College, the marquee is to be used as an extra dining room for meals, alongside an alternative use as an area for socialising. In a letter requesting planning permission from the Oxford City Council, Professor Irene Tracy, Warden of the College, wrote that the marquee was “necessary” in order to “provide adequate food provision at a safe social distance as well as provide some social space.”

While the marquees will certainly create more space, the University guidance specifies that “dining halls will generally be open with a reduced capacity to allow appropriate social distancing”. Other measures may include a longer service time, the need to book for meals, and a takeaway option to enable students to eat in their rooms. 

Outside Merton’s marquee.
Credit: Katarina Javorcekova

In this way, meal arrangements will vary from college to college, especially given the varied capacity. In Merton College, where the arrival of around 600 students is anticipated, the current dining hall, when socially distanced, has been said to only hold up to 50.

However, not all colleges intend to use the marquee for dining. St Edmund Hall has instead opted to use staggered times for dinners. The marquee itself will hold more of a social function, with students not required to wear a mask when “having a drink in the pop-up bar in the Marquee”.

In terms of social functionality, there is still a lot of scope for variation, although some individual colleges have outlined their plans. Trinity College published on their website that Trinity students can “arrange to meet … friends in the gardens, college bar and a newly erected marquee”. This is in addition to meeting with their non-socially distanced household.

Students who have been able to watch the construction of the marquees have broadly reacted positively. One student told Cherwell: “The (very spacious!) marquee will be the perfect place for making dining safe and enjoyable during the pandemic.”

Meanwhile, the Instagram account @stjohnsoxjcr has featured photos of the partially built marquee at night, captioning the post, “honestly night walks in Covid college are a whole vibe.”

Cover image credit: Sophie Littlewood

Eating in Oxford : a freshers’ guide

Mia Sorenti and Elinor Davies
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Eating in Oxford : a freshers’ guide

Moving to a new city can be disorienting and it might be tempting to skulk away to the chains we all know and love. Although the new Pret coffee subscription is pretty unreal, it’s great to discover unique places to eat that only Oxford has to offer!

Here is a selection of some of the most prized eats in Oxford; these independent gems are all affordable, tasty and veggie-friendly.

Central

Gloucester Green Market

Open Weds-Sat – Just off George Street

A cosy collection of stalls serving street food from around the world, this open-air market will have something for everyone. Prices can get a little steep, but hunt down the giant bao buns and you can bag yourself lunch for £2. With a few picnic benches dotted around, this place is great for a more corona-safe lunch with a few friends; munch on something colourful and browse racks of vintage clothes and antique treasures while you’re at it.

Covered Market

Open everyday till 5pm – Market Street

Similar to Gloucester Green (though less exposed to the elements), this is a great place to find a wide variety of tasty lunch options. Nestled amongst gift shops and florists are some of the best places for affordable food in Ox. Alpha Bar serves up hefty takeaway salads for a fiver, or grab some pad thai for the same price at Sasi’s Thai. 

Najar’s Place

Open everyday – St Giles

Perched outside St John’s College, this tiny blue hut is the stuff of dreams. Generally around £3.50, these wraps will put your soggy Tesco meal deal to shame. A hefty, fluffy wrap stuffed with mezze fillings of your choice: falafel, halloumi, roasted cauliflower, packed with salad and drizzled with sauce before being toasted to a golden crisp. Easily a full meal and great value for money, these are guaranteed to keep you coming back.

Alternative Tuck Shop (ATS)

Open weekdays – Holywell Street

At lunchtimes the queue is often down the street for ATS, and there’s good reason why. The range of fillings at this little deli is out of this world, whether you’re vegan, veggie or otherwise.  You’ll also be spoilt for choice for bread; bagels, olive ciabatta, baguettes and more. The guys working here are friendly and crazy efficient, so in no time you’ll be at the front of the queue and out the door with the best sandwich in Oxford for under a fiver.

G&D’s

Open everyday – Little Clarendon Street (+2 others in Cowley and St Aldate’s)

G&D’s was originally set up by an Oxford student in 1992, and still serves lush ice cream to this day. Open morning till late, this place is great for studying or swinging by en route back from the pub.

The Nosebag

Open everyday – St Micheal’s street 

This little restaurant is tucked away upstairs and so very easily missed while walking down the street, but that is no reason not to seek it out. The portions are very generous for the price and there is a diverse variety of food that guarantees getting something you fancy. The decor and service style (grab a tray and pay at the counter) is unassuming but it is a great place for a relaxed meal. 

Swoon

Open till late – High street 

This is easily the best ice cream in Oxford with an ever-changing array of flavours that features guest flavours that change on a weekly basis. Go during the winter and the italian hot chocolate is thick, rich, and to die for. 

The Handlebar 

Open everyday – St Micheal’s street 

From the outside, it appears to be a bike shop, but upstairs is a stylishly decorated all-day brunch venue that will guarantee you coming back for more – I unashamedly went three times in one week. Everything on their menu is very easily eaten but the coconut pancake stack with bacon comes particularly highly-recommended.  

A little further out (but worth the trip)

Kazbar

Open afternoons everyday – Cowley Road

Whether you’re in it for the tapas or the cocktails, the interior of this place is incredible; mustard walls and comfy sofas surrounded by giant plants, this is not one to miss. A fab place to share a few plates and/or drinks with friends if you’re looking for a nice evening out.

Za-atar bake

Open Tues-Sun – Cowley Road

This Arabic Bakery & cafe has a great range of freshly prepared food and handmade sweets on offer. The shakshuka here is unparalleled and you can grab a freshly baked flatbread for around a fiver. This place additionally offers free food to the homeless, so by eating here you’d be contributing to the community in more ways than one.

Image credit – Flickr / Sarah Stierch

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