Muddy Stilettos Bucks & Oxon

The urban guide to the countryside -

Well, hello!

I'm Hero, editor of Muddy Bucks & Oxon, here to bring you the quirky, cool and downright unmissable in the area.

Our curated A-Z of the grooviest local businesses

Superflashy newsflash!No need to have your ear to the ground when Muddy's on the scene! Here's the latest hot goss delivered right to your shell-like.
Half Term Saviours!Harassed parents, breathe! We know 36 ways to keep the kids entertained across Bucks & Oxon - from film courses and cookery days to the best theatre and wildlife days out.
Top 50 gastropubs 2020 revealedWhose tripled-cooked chips have got them into the gastropub hall of fame? Roomy pants on, let’s tuck in because FOUR of Bucks & Oxon's foodie pubs made the grade.
Snowdrops everywhere!They're coming out! The loveliest places to catch winter snowdrops across Bucks & Oxon in the next few weeks.
This girl can!Juggling motherhood, jiggly bits and the barriers to exercising, This Girl Can is back with its brand new campaign and we *love* it!

Fri 28 Feb - Sun 1 Mar

Mon 24 Feb - Sun 1 Mar

February 2020

The latest handpicked businesses we think you’ll love

Flipping fabulous! Where to eat this Pancake Day

Can’t be bothered with the faff of Pancake Day? Drop the spatula and make a reservation at one of these eateries instead.
- Best cheap eats in Bucks and Oxon
  
  Caned the credit card but still fancy a dinner date? What you need is a Muddy-approved cheap but chic dining spot.
- Muddy eats: The Mole Inn, Toot Baldon
  
  A true foodie haven hidden away in the Oxfordshire countryside, The Mole Inn is a rural retreat of a pub that's worth a detour.
- Drink and drive
  
  Made it through dry Jan and want to carry on?. Or failed miserably (c'est moi) and thinking to go again for Feb? Try these 9 brilliant bars near you for marvellous mocktails.
- Top 50 gastropubs 2020 revealed
  
  Whose tripled-cooked chips have got them into the gastropub hall of fame? Roomy pants on, let’s tuck in because FOUR of Bucks & Oxon's foodie pubs made the grade.

Our honest reviews of the UK’s best schools

Making plans? Find your perfect Pub, Inn, Hotel, Café, Restaurant or Bar across the Muddy counties.

A boutique masterpiece

The Artist Residence in the hamlet of South Leigh, Oxfordshire with its slick styling and cleverly chosen art, is a welcome antidote to traditional Cotswolds inns. Muddy loves.
- Holiday planning? 10 European-style staycations
  
  Love a continental jaunt but staying in Blighty this year? These 10 UK holiday spots have a distinctly European feel.
- Call me Cupid! 46 romantic stays across the Muddy counties
  
  In the mood for love? Of course you are, pussy cat! Here, allow us to assist with the rumpy pumpy with 46 romantic boltholes across the Muddy counties.

4 new season trends to try (and one to avoid)

The high street is awash with new spring/summer goodies. Overwhelmed? Here’s our pick of the new trends worth exploring – and how to wear them.
Beauty
- 5 of the best … face masks
  
  We love the enforced relaxation that comes with using a face mask - you have no choice but to lie back and take things easy for a while. Plus you emerge with skin peachier than a baby's bottom. Result!
- What to buy the hedonist who has everything?
  
  How about a little green to chase away the blues? These candles from MALIN+GOETZ are a chic (legal) way to relax this month.

Review: Holes

An exhilarating new stage adaptation of Louis Sachar’s award-winning ‘90s YA hit novel Holes, that will enthrall both kids and adults.
- The funniest show on TV is back
  
  The Cotswolds is all creamy stone cottages, exquisite gastropubs and picture perfect villages, right? Erm...
- Jeeves with added (Wooster) sauce
  
  Up for some jolly japes, an avalanche of comic effects and a gentle skewering of the upper class? Then you might just love this anarchic reimagining of the P.G Wodehouse classic.

Win £2000 to kickstart your business dreams

Have a brilliant business that needs a helping hand? We’ve teamed up with business banking alternative, Tide, to offer a whopping two grand (yes, you read it right) to give you the boost you need. Win it here.
Kids
- How to get your child to engage with reading
  
  All the mums at Muddy HQ are struggling with this at the mo: how to get our little darlings to step away from the darn screen and read more books. What to do? We asked an expert.
- Day trippers
  
  Half term's here (*smiles through gritted teeth*). Please the little people and save your sanity by checking out these 22 top family day trips.

The 4 funniest people on social media

Fancy a giggle? These Instagram and Twitter accounts are happy to oblige.
- Exclusive interview! Muddy meets…. Laurence Fox
  
  The actor-turned-singer has been front page news since an incendiary appearance on Question Time last week. In this exclusive interview, he talks midlife crises, death threats and groupies with Muddy's Kerry Potter.
- Muddy meets Josie Long
  
  We caught up with (we reckon) the most positive comedian in the business about motherhood, MasterChef, making people laugh and her new tour, Tender.