About Jane’s Enchanted Tea Garden

Jane’s Enchanted Tea Garden is a pop up café that opens every year over the summer months (approx. May – September) to deliver delicious afternoon tea in a stunning setting. It’s hidden down a small road adjacent to the canal in Kirtlington and could easily be missed if it wasn’t for the vibrant pink and purple arch entrance prettily entwined with a waterfall of colourful flowers.

Jane has a Facebook group where she posts regular updates about the garden and available dates for booking a table/cancellations. Booking is on a first come first serve basis and is done by contacting Jane directly – you can either send her a text or give her a call. Bookings are secured by transferring a £10 deposit per person, which is then deducted from your bill on the day. Jane is already fully booked this year (yup, that’s how popular this place is!) however, she plans to start taking bookings for next year after she’s wrapped up 2021, so keep your eyes peeled on the Facebook page towards the end of the year!

The Enchanted Tea Garden Experience

On entering the garden, we found ourselves weaving our way down a charming archway of twigs draped with bunting, flowers and foliage – with the occasional teasing glimpse of the seating areas and the canal. The décor was an eccentric combination of fairy lights, chimes, tea pots hanging from branches and the occasional random fake cat and milk churn – it was so random, so wacky and I LOVED IT!

The décor and buzz of customers was accompanied by live folk music being played by the marquee.

Our table was ideally located on its own by the water with a great view of the barge moored up alongside the decking. There was also seating in the beautifully adorned marquee and alongside the barge.

The crockery mirrored the décor and boasted a mishmash of different vintage plates, cups and saucers. It had a very homely, Alice in Wonderland vibe – rustic but oh so charming!

This year Jane has curated the ‘Full Jeeves’ menu, which is £29.50 per person and includes all of the afternoon tea essentials – sandwiches, scones, cakes, tea/coffee and a welcome glass of prosecco. Once we were settled in at our table and dietary requirements had been checked, we were swiftly bought over our tower of goodies. There were three vegetarians and three non vegetarians so we had a cake tower for each.

The veggie sandwiches included coronation quorn chicken, cucumber, cream cheese and mint, cheese and chutney and egg mayo and cress. Whilst the meat eaters had the additions of roasted chicken and cranberry, ham hock with mango chutney and tuna mayo and rocket. We all then had a scone each and a delicious selection of homemade cupcakes including caramel, chocolate and strawberries and cream. It was the perfect amount of food to fill you up but still leave you with room for plenty more glasses of prosecco (which is a bargain £16 a bottle btw!)…

The service was very welcoming, friendly and relaxed and Jane popped her head out a couple of times to check in on how we were doing (and to deliver us more prosecco…). The service was a tad slow at times however, we were drinking at a record speed and it was their first weekend of being open, so they were understandably getting back into the swing of things.

We all had such a lovely afternoon! It was amazing to be out post lockdown and even more amazing to go somewhere so fun, unique and special.

The Verdict

Well, it’s safe to say there is nowhere quite like Jane’s Enchanted Tea Garden in our area, which is why it’s so popular! It’s a unique experience from the moment you enter the garden to the moment you leave – it’s a whimsical jumble of fun décor, excellent home cooked food and relaxed service. The Tea Garden is the definition of a hidden gem and I can’t wait to return again next year to experience it in the evening – imagine all those fairy lights lit up!

To stay up to date on bookings for 2022 or any potential cancellations in 2021, head over to Jane’s Facebook page.

About Choices Bicester

“We have 8 families that have ordered every single week since New Year!”

Choices Bicester is run by couple Rachel and Sumat who both have extensive experience in the hospitality and catering industry. Sumat trained as a chef in Denmark and then worked in a professional kitchen in Germany whilst Rachel went to catering college. After they met in the UK they both went on to work in the airline industry before settling down in Bicester where they now live with their two children. When the pandemic hit last year they decided to take the plunge to launch their passion project – Choices Bicester. Since launching, they’ve received rave reviews and have become a firm favourite takeaway for locals every single week.

Choices Bicester serves up a mixture of cuisines but primarily they draw on Sumat’s heritage, Danish and Thai, for their menus. Their most prominent offering at the moment is their Thai inspired three course menu, which they deliver on a Saturday however, they also do Danish meatball nights and have just launched a new picnic menu.

Their Thai menu changes weekly and tends to include popular Thai staples such as, spring rolls, chicken satay and Thai curries. They offer three very affordable courses, which you can order as many or as few of as you’d like and each course has its vegetarian counterpart. You can place your order up until 6pm on the Friday before via Facebook Messenger or on WhatsApp.

The Choices Bicester Experience

I’ve travelled to Thailand on multiple occasions and the one thing that has drawn me back time and time again is the food – stuff the potent buckets of cocktail and beautiful beaches, I want a spicy papaya salad, fragrant curry, pad Thai and crispy spring rolls! Every time I indulge in Thai food, it takes me back to my travels and that’s exactly what Choices Bicester’s dishes did last weekend.

When Rachel sent me their weekly menu (see below) I was so happy to see that the main course was panang curry. It’s one of my favourite Thai dishes, so I was excited to try their take on it. Rachel and Sumat kindly gifted one of each of their dishes (meat and veggie) and delivered it at around 5pm on Saturday.

Choices Bicester use compostable packaging, which means that all of their packaging (other than their dip pots – hopefully these are to follow) are plastic free, biodegradable and fully compostable. This is amazing and something I feel all takeaway businesses should be striving towards. The takeaway boxes were also really sturdy and looked better than plastic containers, showing you can go plastic free without sacrificing on aesthetics and quality!

Inside each bag was the three courses (veggie was very clearly labelled with a green sticker) and instructions on how to finish off each dish. Rachel and Sumat prepare and cook everything, so all you need to do is heat up each dish in the microwave or oven.

To start I had the veggie option – Thai fried spicy tofu salad served with a ginger, garlic and chilli dressing, coriander and a sweet chilli dip on the side.

The tofu was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and I loved the strong punch of ginger that came through in the dressing. The coriander gave the salad that freshness that all Asian salads need and it was great to have the sweet chilli dip on the side to dunk the tofu pieces into.

My friend had the meat option (same as above but with crispy pork instead), which she said was soft, sticky and full of Asian flavour.

For main, we had the much anticipated panang curry, which was served with chicken as the meat option and mixed vegetables as the veggie option. Traditionally, panang is a thick, spicy Thai red curry that is rich with sweet, sour, coconut and nutty flavours – basically, it’s heaven in a bowl.

For me, a Thai curry is all about the sauce, so I was extremely happy to see that Choices Bicester had provided a whole extra pot of sauce on the side – you can’t be sold short when it tastes that good! The sauce was rich, fragrant and bought to life by the kafir lime leaves sprinkled on top of the vegetables/meat. The taste of those leaves with the sauce threw me straight back to a street food stall in Thailand. A sign of great food – reminiscing. My only feedback on the sauce was that it could have been spicier however, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and think that’s just down to my personal preference of spice – I enjoy a good kick.

The meal was wrapped up with a Thai classic – sweet sticky rice cooked in coconut milk served with grilled pineapple cooked in syrup and lime zest. I’d only ever had this dish with mango before but it worked equally well with pineapple. It was sweet, creamy and indulgent without being too heavy and sickly.

The Verdict

Choices Bicester offer delicious, authentic and very affordable Thai dishes cooked with passion and love.

I think it’s great that their menu is small and changes weekly as it means you can order from them over and over again without having the same dishes each time and the fact that the menu is a fixed 3 courses also encourages people to try new dishes they may have never had before – we’re all such suckers for sticking with our safety orders when it comes to takeaways, so it’s good to be pushed out of our comfort zones to try something new every once in a while!

Rachel and Sumat are clearly very passionate about the food they deliver and I love that they draw a lot of their influence from Sumat’s heritage. They are continually adding new and exciting items to their menus such as, their Easter picnic boxes and I can’t wait to see what else is in the pipeline for them!

Whilst we can’t currently go to the street stalls of Bangkok, we can order from Choices Bicester – enjoy!

Who are Y&R Sushi?

Y&R Sushi is run by a lovely couple – Yaiza and Rene (hence the Y&R) who have been making Japanese cuisine for over 20 years – if anyone knows how to roll a good sushi roll it’s these guys!

They first learnt how to make sushi in Caracas in Venezuela and then moved to Spain where they opened and ran 5 Japanese restaurants over 11 years. In 2013, Yaiza and Rene moved to Bicester and have continued to pursue their passion for Japanese food through their delivery and catering services. They are suppliers for Oxford Town Hall and Oxford University, have served up their sushi at events such as, Blenheim Palace food festival, Celebrating Ceramics and Fitfest and now deliver their menu across Bicester.

Yaiza and Rene make the dishes to order from their home, so have kept the menu quite small. Nonetheless, it includes everything you’d need for a sushi feast! From edamame beans, teriyaki chicken skewers and gyoza dumplings to sashimi, tempura prawns with coconut and sharing boxes of assorted sushi (for 2, 4, 5+ and 10+), there’s plenty of choice to get your mouth watering.

Last week I was kindly gifted an assorted sharing box of sushi rolls and a side of gyozas and chicken skewers to sample and review. Here’s what I thought!

The Y&R Sushi Experience

Sushi isn’t something I eat very often (maybe because I didn’t know I could get it 5 miles down the road!) but every time I do I am in heaven.

I’m no pro when it comes to the different types of sushi rolls available so I left it up to the experts, Yaiza and Rene to put together some of their favourite rolls and dishes for me to try! 

The platter they put together consisted of 4 different types of rolls – 10 Alaska rolls filled with salmon, avocado and cream cheese covered in black roasted sesame seeds, 10 Ebi crunch rolls filled with tempura prawn, avocado and cream cheese topped with teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds, 6 special tempura rolls filled with salmon and cream cheese wrapped in tempura batter and topped with teriyaki sauce and crispy onions and 10 California rolls filled with crab meat, cucumber, avocado and covered in flying fish roe (our sharing box included 36 pieces of sushi – a platter for 2 includes 28 pieces for £26).

They also very kindly included a couple of sides – vegetable and chicken gyozas (£3.80 for 5) and a couple of chicken skewers (£2.60 for 2) in teriyaki sauce. The sushi came with the obligatory dollop of wasabi and ginger (although we could have done with a little more to go around) as well as, soy sauce and chopsticks. 

Each mouthful of each sushi roll was DIVINE however, the special tempura rolls definitely took the crown for me. The contrast in the texture of the soft sticky rice with the crunchy tempura and crispy onions was delicious and the sticky sweet teriyaki sauce drizzled on top tasted like nectar of the gods. I could have munched through a whole tray of those to myself.

The Ebi crunch rolls were a very close second – I loved the crunchy prawns against the freshness of the creamy avocado and the sweet teriyaki. The fresh Alaska rolls doused in soy and a healthy slice of ginger were so tasty and the California rolls were definitely the fishiest of the rolls but tasted great. You could really tell that the rolls were made using the freshest of ingredients.

The gyozas were soft and packed full of tasty filling and Lizzie and Harvey said the skewers were succulent and moorish (I don’t eat meat so they had to be my tasters for this one) – the perfect sides to the perfect platter.

The Verdict

I’m still daydreaming about our sushi sharing box, so that says it all really. Yaiza and Rene have soooo much experience making delicious Japanese food and their skill and passion really shines through in their food – we’re so lucky to have them on our doorstep in Bicester!

I thoroughly enjoyed our takeaway from Y&R Sushi – it was fresh, looked beautiful and tasted even better! The sushi rolls were wonderfully presented in unison and had pops of inviting colour. I was also chuffed to discover new sushi rolls I’d never tried before – the special tempura and ebi crunch rolls were AMAZING.

We shared 36 pieces of sushi as well as two sides between 3 of us and were surprisingly full – I think the sharing box for 2 (28 pieces of sushi) is definitely enough to fill you up but if, like me, you have an irrational fear of not being full then there are plenty of sides to choose from to bulk out your order.

I’m so happy to have discovered Y&R Sushi and hope all sushi lovers in the area have them on their radar to order from – they knock chains like Yo Sushi out the park and are honestly the most lovely couple!

Y&R Sushi deliver for free in Bicester and the surrounding areas (up to approx. 3 miles) Monday – Saturday, 5pm – 9pm. All orders are made from fresh, so it’s worth ordering ahead of time if you don’t want to wait for your order on the night or, if you live a bit further than 3 miles from Bicester (they can deliver a bit further if they can plan for it ahead of time). Call Yaiza and Rene on 07501090507 to place your order.

She recounted fond memories of drinking crisp cold Picpoul de Pinet whilst feasting on fresh seafood overlooking the sea. I instantly booked us a table.

On the day of our booking, we were blessed with perfect blue skies and sunshine – the ideal weather for lapping up seafood by the ocean. After weaving our way along the waterfront, we spotted a vibrant orange wall with “Crab Shack” painted on its side.

We’d arrived and it was far from ‘shack’ like…

Décor 

Located a hop, skip and a jump from the sand, the seating area outside was heaving and led to the calmer light and airy indoor restaurant.

The décor was simplistic but with gentle uses of character throughout. The exposed brick walls and beams were painted white – perfect for opening up the small area with pops of colourful ‘fishy’ artwork and driftwood on the walls  – constant reminders that we were in a fish restaurant. I’m obsessed with these paintings and would like some for my house please…

I also loved the clever use of boat ropes and fishing wire nets as lampshades to elevate the restaurant’s design! 

On arrival I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t space to sit outside. However, as soon as we were shown to our table I realised that the restaurant had been cleverly designed to ensure diners can enjoy the outdoor views of the beach from inside.

The brightness from outdoors is carried through in the thoughtful decoration, which makes you feel like the restaurant is a cool oasis from the busyness outdoors without sacrificing the view and buzz. The Crab Shack VIP area if you will…

Food and Drink

We sat down and I very quickly started to devour the menu. To ensure the freshest, best sourced produce, The Crab Shack change their menu daily depending on the catch of the day, so I couldn’t pre plan what I wanted to order (I do that a lot..).

I loved that there was such an array of choice on the menu in terms of seafood options and price. You can go all out with an extravagant seafood platter at £55pp and a bottle or two of wine or, enjoy a great quality Teignmouth crab sandwich and a beer for just over a tenner. It appeals to the masses, which explains why it was so busy on a Wednesday!

We ordered a bottle of Albariño, the perfect crisp white wine to accompany delicate fish, and soaked up the menu.

And the view…

We decided to share a couple of starters.

First up was pan fried crevettes (£11.95) swimming in a chilli, lemon and strong smoked paprika sauce which we greedily mopped up with the side serving of fresh bread.

Then, seared Brixham scallops (£12.95) served with grilled peach and a caper, shallot and pink peppercorn vinaigrette.

What a pretty plate that is!

However tempted we were by the Royale platter (£160), we decided to rein it in and go for individual mains.

I opted for the whole monkfish tail (£27), which was roasted with lemon and garlic and served with a juicy mango and chilli salsa. I also ordered some chips ‘for the table’.

It was divine and the mango and chilli salsa cut through the richness of the lemon, garlic and the “meatiness” of the fish wonderfully. 

Mum ordered the dressed crab (someone had to have crab!) served with new potatoes doused in butter and mixed leaves. Her verdict? The crab was succulent and flavoursome and the buttery potatoes really hit the spot. 

Jane went for the steak of Brixham turbot (£28) sat on a bed of samphire and asparagus finished off with a thyme and pancetta butter, which she said she thoroughly enjoyed.

Although she did help herself to a few of my chips…

Each dish received a 10/10 from us and although they were a little on the pricey side, we weren’t disappointed by the quality, flavours or portion sizes.

Service

The service at The Crab Shack is the only area where I would say there was room for improvement. There was nothing wrong with the service but there was also nothing special. In such a small, intimate restaurant it would be nice to see service and hospitality that goes above and beyond and leaves more of a lasting impression. 

The Verdict!

I really enjoyed our lunch at The Crab Shack and would 100% recommend it to anyone who is in the area and is a lover of seafood.

The location is picture-perfect – you can literally hear the lapping of the sea from your table – and I love their promise to use the freshest and best quality seafood from the most local sources as possible – why wouldn’t you when you’re literally steps away from the sea? Other than the slightly underwhelming service, this was just the lunch I’d hoped for and well and truly settled my fish craving until I can next return…

Do you love feasting on fresh seafood by the beach? Book your table at The Crab Shack in Teignmouth, Devon NOW! 

I just can’t quite express how much I love this place… and its Milwaukee rye. 

Located in Weston-on-the-Green, a cute village just off of the A34, M40 and 4 miles from Bicester, The Milk Shed is the perfect stop off point for a comforting meal in the countryside before heading towards the craziness of Bicester Village (or if you’re locals – heading in the opposite direction and avoiding it like the plague).

The Milk Shed is based on Manor Farm and offers a true country café experience combined with the trendiness and attention to detail of a café in the city (plus a few more horses).

The inside of The Milk Shed has a homely, farm-kitchen feel.

Rustic, chunky wooden tables are dotted around the café and are complemented by fresh flowers and The Milk Shed logo’s blue stools and seats. Stools are perched along a bench in the centre of the room scattered with newspapers and magazines – the perfect spot for those looking for a relaxing space to do some work – and cute touches such as, fairy lights, picture walls and ‘meet the team’ blackboards give it that added personal and cosy feel.

Every time I’ve visited The Milk Shed it’s been buzzing. From families and yummy mummies to pensioners and couples, people flood to this café every day of the week (minus Mondays when it’s closed) for a bite of their delicious menu and an inevitable ice cream or milkshake as a pud.

Lucie (the owner) makes her own ice cream on site and sources her produce from the farm and surrounding areas. The menu boasts café classics such as, eggs on toast (£7.25), club sarnie (£9.50) and brioche French toast (£6.95) as well as, more unique dishes including squid stew (£10.95), Milwaukee rye with avocado, halloumi and roasted toms (£8.50, my fave – see pic below) and chorizo crostini (£9.50).

Don’t forget to also keep an eye out for their daily specials on the black board and their cakes on the counter. 

In keeping with the relaxed atmosphere of the café, The Milk Shed is all counter service (which also means you’re more likely to be tempted by the goodies on the counter – well played Milk Shed). The staff are lovely and friendly and are always happy to offer out ice cream tasters to ensure you make the right flavour choice… 

Their comfortable seating area outside means you can bask in the sunshine in the summer and the shop – Heart and Soul – opposite is definitely worth a mooch.

The Milk Shed is flexible, which is why I love it so much. You can pop in for a coffee and a slice of cake or a sit down meal with wine. They also host Supper Clubs so keep an eye out on their social media for updates on when the next one will be! 

The food at The Milk Shed is infused with the passion and love of the people who work there, which is what makes it so blinking delicious! When you’re next in the Bicester area, make sure you pop in for a bite to eat (**cough** get the Milwaukee rye)!

Please note: this is not a sponsored post and, as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

My Mum’s friend, who lives part-time in Cape Town, insisted that Protégé is currently ‘the’ place to go for fine dining in this trendy wineland town so, we booked our table as quickly as humanly possible.

Located around an hour and a half from Cape Town, Franschhoek is one of the most well-known towns in the wineland region. Showcasing the best of French/Dutch architecture and surrounded by dramatic mountain ranges, Franschhoek is a feast for the senses before you’ve even delved into its forte – food and wine.

Strewn in high-end restaurant, bars, art galleries and most importantly, vineyards, Franschhoek is a foodies – and alcoholics (holaaaaa) – HEAVEN. 

Stood proudly on Franschhoek’s immaculate high street you’ll find the town’s most recent gastronomical revelation – Protégé. 

Protégé is a casual fine dining restaurant, which is a part of a group of very highly reputable restaurants in South Africa including La Colombe, La Petit Colombe and Foxcroft.

Focusing on high quality food and drink served in comfortable and relaxed surroundings, the restaurant was set up with the intention to recognise, nurture and train young talented chefs with the goal to elevate their talent into something as great as the restaurant’s head chef -Stephen Raaff.

Stephen has been a part of the La Colombe Group since 2013 and has crafted a seamless menu to showcase this fantastic new restaurant. 

The décor of Protégé is simple, sleek yet, charismatic. The pastel colours running through the walls and furnishings of the restaurant give it a fresh and open feel.

Whilst the ceiling to floor window leading onto the outdoor terrace ensures no diner is restricted from viewing the open kitchen in the centre. Little quirks such as, bunny statues and a fireplace, give the restaurant a more personal and homely feel. 

The menu focuses on fresh, local produce inspired by cuisine from around the world and each dish is designed to be shared. The dishes are similar to a starter size and it’s recommended to order between 3-4 dishes plus a dessert per person. 

The wine list and drinks menu boast local wines (as to be expected) and your usual tipples such as, G&Ts. 

We began our Protégé experience with a bottle of Black Elephant Sauvignon Blanc whilst we perused the menu. We loved that the menu consisted of a section dedicated to ‘the cast’ aka. the staff showing appreciation to their hard work and keeping it very in-keeping with the Protégé moto…

Our waiter, Talent was true to his name. He was the perfect combination of friendly, welcoming and professional – and always kept my wine glass topped up (what a babe).

He knew his stuff about the menu and was a delight to be served by – there was already a tip added to the bill but we ended up tipping him more on top of this as we felt he was so deserving.

Talent gave us a few recommendations and before we knew it, we were ready to order our feast.

Between the three of us we ordered nine dishes and three desserts and demolished THE LOT. Whatever you order is bought out staggered, allowing you to really savour each ‘course’.

We began with the lamb rib roti with caponata, artichoke and mint, tuna tataki and tartare with avocado, chipotle, ponzu and crackling and mussels in a lemongrass and ginger tom yum soup.

The tuna was my favourite dish of this course – unique, tender and punchy and something I wouldn’t usually jump to order in a restaurant. 

Next up was spiced squid with chorizo, guacamole and lime, braaied (barbecued) cauliflower served up with za’atar, kimchi, parmesan and wild garlic and my stand out dish of the night – Keralan fried fish with labneh, cucumber and curried sultana.

Every bite of the Keralan fish had bursts of signature Indian spices and transported me right back to eating fish curry on the beach in Kerala – exactly what all good food should do – evoke heart-warming memories.

The final course saw us indulging in the garden pea risotto drizzled in rocket pesto, mascarpone and quail egg, onion tart with goat’s cheese, tomato, olive and capers and BBQ pork and prawn, kimchi, sweetcorn, aubergine and hoisin.

The burst of truffle running through the pea risotto made for a wonderful surprise and the sweetcorn puree on the pork and prawn dish was a revelation. 

Finally, it was pudding o’clock.

We ordered all the puds on the menu other than the truffles – pannacotta with strawberry, basil and verbena, chocolate terrine with peanut and rhubarb and local cheeses with bread, preserves and candied peanuts.

Despite knowing the main ingredients in each dish, the menu keeps the details ambiguous allowing little surprises to wow you in each mouthful. Every puree, gel and emulsion had a purpose of being on the plate and packed an insane amount of flavour. 

I think I would go as far to say that my meal at Protégé was the best dining experience I’ve ever had – and I’ve eaten out a lot. The combination of buzzing ambience, fabulous food, exceptional service and a bill as cheap as £135 for three people including two bottles of wine and service (you’d pay that for a standard meal at the pub in the UK), I feel very confident in urging anyone to book a flight to South Africa and a table at Protégé right this second!

Make sure you book ahead to avoid disappointment.