While I was back in Oxford last weekend, I finally made a long-awaited visit to Green Routes, the flagship cafe of local roaster Routes Coffee. Located on Magdalen Road, Green Routes serves top-notch specialty coffee and brunch in a cosy, multi-level space. It's well worth the stroll (or short bus ride) from Oxford city centre to East Oxford.

It's always great when a favourite coffee shop breaks new ground...especially when that coffee shop is Oxford's NewGround, where social responsibility meets superb coffee. I visit their Headington roastery most times I'm back in Oxford and now they have a shiny new café and wine bar in the city centre.

I've been visiting The Missing Bean in Oxford's Turl Street for over a decade and was delighted when they opened their own roastery in East Oxford a few years later. And now Missing Bean is expanding further, with two new cafés in Abingdon and Banbury, and another to come later in the summer at the West Way Square development in Botley. While I was visiting my parents at the weekend, I took the opportunity to visit the Abingdon coffee shop, which opened in late May.

Despite it being a leap year, 2020 hasn't been a year where I've felt like leaping much, what with one thing and another. As such, my annual travel round-up post, where I highlight some of my favourite places for leaping that I've visited that year, has had a bit of a revamp. 

We're now inching closer to the end of an exceptionally challenging year. Despite everything, I know I'm very lucky to have remained healthy and in work (busier than ever, in fact, as I work for a science journal) throughout, but it's been such a difficult year for the hospitality industry, as coffee shops and eateries have had to adapt and then adapt some more in the face of constant change. 

While back in my Oxford bubble for my birthday and my mum's earlier this month, I was able to experience the take-out offerings from three different restaurants. And although it wasn't quite the same as dining in, we were very impressed with all three, which serve different cuisines at different price points. And although Oxford will be out of lockdown and in tier 2 restrictions from next Wednesday, takeout for formerly dine-in-only restaurants seems likely to remain on the agenda for some time, but do always refer to the restaurants' websites or social media accounts for their most up-to-date information.

While I was back in Oxford for the weekend, I got to check out NewGround Coffee, a new-to-me coffee shop and roastery based two miles east of the city centre in Headington, not too far from the shark. This roastery opened about a year ago, although founders Joel and Dickon have been roasting for longer, but having missed their Selfridges pop-up shop, I found out about NewGround via Tom.

I grew up in a small, quiet village east of Oxford, where my parents still live. Up over the aptly named Ladder Hill is Wheatley, a larger village that has a few more shops, pubs and cafes. Among these is a specialty coffee shop with the excellent name of Bruin Café, which my parents told me about some months ago. And I finally managed to visit while I was with my parents at the weekend.

During lockdown, I've mostly been satisfying my specialty coffee habit by brewing at home, enjoying beans from many of my favourite UK roasters, and then, as coffee shops within walking or cycling distance of my Bermondsey flat started to reopen, I was able to pop by for a flat white or espresso and a sweet treat of some form. For the most part, these are coffee shops I have already blogged about, so I've primarily been posting about these visits on my Instagram.

Like many people, my prime time for reading was on my commute, which gave me a total of 90 minutes to two hours per day with a book or my Kindle. I read 135 books in 2019, most of them on the bus, but when lockdown was introduced, I found it hard to motivate myself to read. I had so much more time to myself but I couldn't tear myself away from the Sisyphean search for scintillating shows on streaming services, or random rabbit holes on the internet.

A few months ago, my parents invited me to attend a 'come-and-sing Fauré's Requiem' they had organised as a special celebration in the church of Great Milton, a village just down the road from the Oxfordshire village I grew up in. I accepted with pleasure — on the condition that I didn't have to sing myself — and I then found out that we would be going to 'the local' for a celebratory supper afterwards. And yes, the local in Great Milton happens to be a certain establishment called Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons.


After a successful concert, we walk five minutes down the road to Raymond Blanc's two-Michelin-star hotel-restaurant. It is dark by then but I managed to catch the honeyed-stoned buildings — resplendent in the golden hour sunshine of an unseasonably warm February day — during a break. Just inside the door are assorted pairs of wellies — guests of the hotel are encouraged to explore the gardens and grounds. We hand over our coats and then take a seat in one of the lounges.



The first challenge is to decide whether to order the seven-course tasting menu (£190) or a three-course à la carte (specialités du moment; £175). It's already 8 pm on a Sunday and so we decide to opt for the latter. I order a lemon, raspberry nectar and gin cocktail, which I enjoy with a beautifully presented amuse-bouche selection. The textures and flavours are tantalising, the tuna tartare being my favourite. Needless to say, my bouche is very satisfied.



After we have ordered, we are led through into the dining room. It may go without saying that the service at Le Manoir is good, but it really is exceptional throughout the evening: warm and unobtrusive; nothing is too much trouble for the wait staff. The place settings at our table are lovely too, with a centrepiece of early spring flowers.


Before the starters arrive, we have another 'snack': a small glass with pumpkin soup, served with blue cheese and a biscotti; this, I remember, also appeared on the tasting menu so I'm glad I get to try it. I'm also trying hard not to eat too much of the delicious fresh bread (I go for the one with bacon, of course). My starter — langoustine with truffle and Jerusalem artichoke — materialises soon afterwards. I am not usually fond of truffles or other fungi, but the delicate slices here are beautifully prepared and make the perfect foil for the langoustine.



Torn between Dover sole and beef for my main course, I end up ordering the latter, a medium fillet of Angus beef, with braised Jacob's ladder (short rib), pomme purée and a red wine jus. This was one of the nicest beef dishes I've had for a long time — juicy and perfectly tender — and my plate was soon clean.


For pudding, I choose the pistachio and cocoa soufflé, which is rather larger than I expect. It's sinfully rich too, although the pistachio adds a lighter contrast, and I finally regret eating so much bread (although only a little bit). Although I don't usually go for chocolate and coffee combinations, on seeing my dad's pudding (a chocolate cup containing the layers of a cappuccino), I think I could have made an exception.


We retire to the sitting room for coffee and petits fours. Well, I choose a manuka infusion rather than a coffee, which is a nice complement to our final sweet treats. The raspberry 'jelly' is my favourite, although the chocolate and caramel concoction is lovely too. After polling our group as to whether the chocolate mushroom tastes of mushroom or just resembles a mushroom, I decide to give that one a miss; it has been a fun-filled night, but I have had my fill of fungi.


Overall, it has been a wonderful evening. Every meal — and snack — is delicious and beautifully presented, the setting relaxed, and the service impeccable. I am lucky enough to have eaten at Le Manoir before, although traffic problems on my way out of London meant my meal was rather more rushed than planned. And I'd certainly be more than happy to return for another special meal some day.

Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons. Church Road, Great Milton, Oxford, OX44 7PD. Website. Twitter. Instagram.

In the heart of Oxford's hip Jericho neighbourhood, Little Clarendon Street certainly earns our family's nickname for it: Little Trendy Street. A short walk north of the historic city centre, the street — along with Walton Street, which joins it at its western end — has long since been home to a collection of independent shops and eateries, from the first branch of beloved ice cream bar G and Ds, to funky homewares store Central Living.


And now Little Trendy Street has a specialty coffee spot too. But Common Ground Workspace is more than just a coffee shop: it's also a co-working space and community hub. The large blackboard near the entrance detailed activities as varied as a barista skills class, a bike maintenance class, a crafting workshop and a ping pong tournament. They opened in the spring as a pop-up, but more than three months later, they are still going strong.



Inside, it's a spacious affair, with plenty of mismatched furniture, from well-loved, if comfortable, sofas to large communal tables and even an old saddle atop a tall wooden desk. Sitting on the counter, the Victoria Arduino Athena Leva espresso machine, with its vintage appearance and historical credentials, is perfectly in keeping with the rest of the décor.




The coffee itself is from the Bristol-based Clifton Coffee Roasters. As they (technically, at least) a pop-up, they only have disposable cups so do try to bring your own — or you can buy one of the rCUPs available for sale. Luckily, the barista was able to rustle up a small glass for my piccolo. There were some Brazilian single-origin beans in the hopper and, as always, it was a pleasure to watch the lever espresso machine in action. The menu features mainly espresso-based coffee drinks (there aren't, at the time of writing, any filter coffee options available); they also serve iced coffee and espresso tonic.


I took my piccolo and its impressive latte art to one of the low coffee tables in front of the counter. An old draughts board was set up with milk bottle lids as the counters, but I didn't have time for a game. The coffee was very well brewed and I enjoyed a few moments of peace and quiet before heading back out into bustling Jericho.


Common Ground Workspace. 37–38 Little Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX1 2HF. Website. Facebook.

For more Oxford coffee suggestions, please check out my Oxford specialty coffee guide and Oxford coffee map.

Update: Ratio Café has now sadly closed.

When I was back in Oxford over the Easter weekend, as usual, I tried to visit a couple of my favourite coffee shops — on that occasion, Colombia Coffee Roasters and Jericho Coffee Traders. But then when my parents and I went for a pre-cinema pizza at Franco Manca, I realised that a new speciality coffee shop had opened recently on George Street. I spent a regrettably large amount of time in the rowdy bars and chain restaurants of George Street as a teenager and although the street's character has changed a little since then, it was still a pleasant surprise to find a new coffee possibility. Unfortunately, as it was the evening, Ratio Cafe was closed and wouldn't be open again until after the Easter bank holiday.



But I found myself visiting my parents in Oxford again at the end of April and this time, I headed straight from the X90 bus stop on the High Street to Ratio Café, down the unlovely — but more pleasant than it once was — Cornmarket Street. On my first failed visit, I had been particularly excited by the single-origin V60 pourover options (lovers of speciality tea also seemed to be particularly well-catered-for). I found out later, however, that the 'senior coffee room (SCR)' — an acronym that plays nicely on Oxford's 'gown' side — is located in the basement and at the moment, has shorter opening hours while the staff get fully trained up. Although I was disappointed not to try a pourover coffee, it's definitely a good sign that Ratio are waiting until more staff are trained up rather than serving potentially underwhelming hand-brewed filter coffee. (NB: I photographed the SCR menu below on my first visit and opening hours may no longer apply.)



After chatting to the friendly, knowledgeable barista, I ordered a piccolo. The coffee is from Round Hill Roastery, a favourite of mine, and Ratio serve an exclusive El Salvador variety from Finca El Aguila. All of the usual espresso-based drinks are on the menu — I didn't notice at the time that both cortados and piccolos are listed, the former 10p cheaper than the latter. There is also a batch-brew filter coffee and various teas.



Mid-afternoon on an unseasonably cold Saturday in term time and there wasn't much seating available but I found a small table at the long that runs the length of the wall. I also ordered a chocolate and hazelnut cookie to keep me going, and it was very tasty. My piccolo arrived, but I had hardly even taken a sip before the barista whisked it away and made me another one with less foam. The second coffee was very good indeed and I appreciated the attention and the service — especially in such a new establishment.



With elegant, minimalist interiors and was a lively ambiance — the customers a mix of laptop-bearing students, tourists and locals — Ratio was a lovely place to spend time. I look forward to returning again to visit the 'SCR' once it's fully up and running. In the meantime, if you have time to kill while waiting for a bus at Oxford's Gloucester Green bus station, you'd be much better off walking five minutes along George Street and seeking refreshments at Ratio Café.



Ratio Café. 4 George Street, Oxford, OX1 2AF. Facebook. Twitter. Instagram.

For more Oxford speciality coffee suggestions, please check out my Oxford coffee guide and Oxford coffee map.

Although one day isn't enough time to spend in many of the cities I visit, it's definitely a good start. And if you choose a day-trip destination that has a good or growing specialty coffee scene, you can combine sight-seeing with coffee-shop hopping.

Jericho Coffee Traders is a relative old guard of the Oxford speciality coffee scene. Owners James and Lizzie Armitage have a roastery off Walton Street in the titular Jericho neighbourhood just north of the city centre, and a distinctive turquoise Vespa Piaggio Ape, which serves coffee on the go. Their coffee also features at various Oxford cafes, including The Bear and the Bean, which I visited last year.


As regular readers know, I grew up in Oxford and return to visit my family there a few times a year, but don't always have much coffee-shop-hopping time when I'm in town. I've tried and enjoyed JCT coffee quite a few times but I've never made it to their coffee cart or any of their more permanent homes. I didn't quite make it to their King Edward Street cafe before it closed down and then when I was home at Christmas, I spotted that there was a new JCT cafe on the High Street but it was closed for the holidays.

During my brief return to The Shire last weekend, however, visiting the new High Street Jericho Coffee Roasters cafe was top of my list. I wasn't alone, and it was standing room only when I arrived on Saturday afternoon. There are a few spots for perching in the front window, a handful of stools opposite the coffee bar and then a small room at the back with a few more comfortable seats. The décor is cosy and rustic with Cambridge-blue (sorry!) walls, a colourful coffee bar and plenty of dark wood accents. Outside, you can spot JCT from its lilac walls — this stretch of the High Street, just opposite Radcliffe Square, is famed for its pastel-hued buildings.




There are filter coffees brewed through the Aeropress and V60 on the menu (£3), but I'd already worked my way through five coffees during the course of the day and so decided to stick to a piccolo (£2.20). It was also super-busy and I figured that a piccolo might be a less annoying order. The coffee was a blend called The Adventurer Blend, which combines coffees from Brazil, Colombia and Ethiopia. I really enjoyed this blend as a piccolo and the fruitier notes came through very nicely. I wish I'd also tried the V60 but I will have to save that experience for another trip.


If you're in the mood for something sweet to accompany your coffee, you are in luck because there are delicious cakes from Barefoot Oxford on offer; the salted caramel brownies looked particularly epic. There are a few breakfast options too — pastries, porridge and crumpets. There's no Oxford Blue Cheese, though; that's the sugar pot in disguise!



You can buy retail bags of JCT coffee in store and online (this Kenyan Kahawa sounds really nice), and they also have various weekly, fortnightly and monthly coffee subscriptions.


For more Oxford speciality coffee spots, check out my guide and map — since then, Quarter Horse Coffee has been replaced by Peloton Espresso, a cycling cafe serving Quarter Horse Coffee, which I visited briefly at the weekend. And in other Oxford coffee news, Joe Perks is closing its doors for the last time this weekend, sadly.

Jericho Coffee Traders. 105 High Street, Oxford, OX1 4BW. Website. Twitter. Instagram.

Update (14/1/17): When I visited Colombia Coffee Roasters in December 2016, it was still known as Exotic Coffee Roasters but has since relaunched as Colombia Coffee Roasters. I have updated this post accordingly.

Not even half a year has passed since my last update on Oxford's burgeoning speciality coffee scene, but there have already been a few changes. Sadly, Quarter Horse's Cowley Road café has now closed, but in its place stands bike café Peloton Espresso, which hadn't quite opened in time for my Christmas stay in the city. I'd also hoped to visit Jericho Coffee Traders' new café on the High Street (no 105) but they were closed for the holidays so I'll have to save them for my next trip to my hometown.


However, I did get the chance to visit the new Colombia Coffee Roasters café inside Oxford's historic Covered Market. Owned by the lovely Milly Bar, Colombia Coffee Roasters has been roasting for a while under the name Exotic Coffee Roasters (coincidentally, in a location just one village over from my parents) and run a stall at the Summertown Farmers' Market on Sundays. When I was back in Oxford in November, though, I noticed the not-yet-open café in the Covered Market and made a mental note to return at Christmas.



The café itself is fairly small and rustic. It's just opposite the perennially popular Ben's Cookies but but if you're in the market for something sweet, I'd recommend coming into Colombia Coffee Roasters instead for a salted caramel brownie (from Fair & Square) or, better, one of their special Colombian hot chocolates. I was in need of some coffee, though, and, following the recommendation of the cheerful barista, I ordered an El Salvador coffee brewed through the V60 (£4). I took a seat on one of the low wooden benches by the window and enjoyed a bit of people-watching.



The coffee itself was very good — well brewed and lovely and fruity. My non-coffee-drinking mum had also picked up a bag of the Red Honey beans for our festive-period brewing needs. Brewed mainly through a Kalita Wave dripper, the chocolatey notes came through very nicely and I thought it was a really great coffee, particularly for the cooler months when I tend to gravitate towards more chocolatey and nutty flavours.




It was also nice to see the café so busy — some people were picking up bags of beans, others stopped by for a quick cappuccino or flat white. The staff were all incredibly friendly and there was a bustling but relaxed ambiance. Overall, Colombia Coffee Roasters' café is a great addition to the Oxford coffee scene and I look forward to trying some of their other coffees — and the espresso — on future visits.


Colombia Coffee Roasters. Oxford Covered Market, Market Street, Oxford, OX1 3DZ. Website. Twitter. Instagram.

For more Oxford speciality coffee suggestions, please check out my Oxford coffee guide and Oxford coffee map.