Bucks &amp; Oxon


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE LOWDOWN </h2>



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<p>Sitting in prime position in upper crust north Oxford neighbourhood Summertown, this deli/bistro has a bit of a history. First there was the 3AA Rosette and Michelin starred restaurant The Oxford Kitchen (the only in the city), then there was relaxed fine dining restaurant 215 Kitchen &amp; Drinks that survived three lockdowns with its delicious home delivery. And now, for the past year it&#8217;s been the Kitchen Food Company &#8211; a deli on the ground floor stocking high quality British produce, and a relaxed walk-in bistro upstairs serving breakfast through to late lunch, making use of what&#8217;s on offer downstairs. Just a couple of months after opening it scooped up a Muddy Awards for the Best Deli &#8211; and now, a year on, it&#8217;s only getting better. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE VIBE </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-deli.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-143491" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-deli.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-deli-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-deli-400x300.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-deli-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>The deli here really is something special &#8211; but hey, you don&#8217;t get the kudos of a Muddy Award for nothing! An explosion of colour and delicious smells, it sells over 1,500 products including its own 50 product-strong Kitchen Food Company line and highly regarded UK businesses and producers including Brindisa (London&#8217;s bijoux chain of authentic tapas restaurants), Belazu (the rose harissa was talk of the town during lockdown) and Daylesford Organic. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-deli-2-.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-143498" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-deli-2-.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-deli-2--800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-deli-2--400x300.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-deli-2--700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-deli-3.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-143499" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-deli-3.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-deli-3-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-deli-3-400x300.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-deli-3-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Alongside the jars, jams, oils and chutneys there&#8217;s also an excellent deli counter with fresh antipasti favourites (cured meats, olives, stuffed peppers), a varied selection of cheese, breads and takeaway lunch options if you don&#8217;t have time for a sit down meal &#8211; think sausage rolls, scotch eggs, salads, chicken burgers (a staff favourite) and heavenly looking quiche. I&#8217;ll be coming back to try that one. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="750" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-inside-750x1000.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-143493" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-inside-750x1000.jpg 750w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-inside-600x800.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-inside-300x400.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-inside-394x525.jpg 394w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-inside.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" /></figure>



<p>Moving upstairs, the bistro &#8211; which seats 50, plus 24 more on the heated pavement terrace &#8211; is bright and modern, with a huge bay window overlooking the bustling high street at the front (try and nab this table if you can &#8211; it&#8217;s the best seat in the house), plus there&#8217;s banquette seating at the back. </p>



<p>The decor is cool in an understated way with industrial fixtures and quirky art (I loved the retro bottle top piece, above), with a touch of bang-on-trend <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/home/interiors/best-interiors-shops-for-mid-century-furniture-and-homewares/">mid-century styling</a>. Extra points for fresh tulips on every table and the exceptionally passionate and friendly staff &#8211; if you have a question about the produce, just ask! </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="750" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-inside-2-750x1000.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-143494" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-inside-2-750x1000.jpg 750w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-inside-2-600x800.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-inside-2-300x400.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-inside-2-394x525.jpg 394w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-inside-2.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">SCOFF &amp; QUAFF </h2>



<p>The bistro is open Weds &#8211; Sat from 10am to 3pm with a set lunch menu from 12pm, plus an all-day brunch menu on Sundays from 10am to 3pm. The deli and the bistro work in harmony with the menu, changing daily to reflect what&#8217;s available and fresh. If you&#8217;re inspired, you can even have a shopping bag prepared with all your favourite produce and just have it added to your bill to take home at the end. Cue having a go at recreating the dishes at home. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="873" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-wine--873x1000.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-143495" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-wine--873x1000.jpg 873w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-wine--698x800.jpg 698w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-wine--349x400.jpg 349w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-wine--458x525.jpg 458w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-wine-.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 873px) 100vw, 873px" /></figure>



<p>Making the most of the deli, we chose nocellara olives to start as we sipped on our drinks &#8211; a Kir Royal made with Kitchen Food Company&#8217;s heavenly homemade cherry cassis and a French red Château Faizeau St Emilion Cru. The wine list here does not mess about with a small but perfectly curated list. Off to a good start. </p>



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<p>For my main I chose from the brunch menu &#8211; Eggs Royale with Scottish salmon and locally sourced eggs from Willowbrook Farm, nr Kidlington. The dish came perfectly presented and slathered in genuinely the best hollandaise I have tasted (apparently, the secret ingredient is a dash of white wine vinegar). For my plus one it was a toss up between Croque Monsieur, chorizo corquettes or fish and chips from the specials menu. The latter was victorious and arrived as a ginormous portion &#8211; just look at the size of this fish&#8230;</p>



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<p>&#8230; served with thick-cut chips, mushy peas and homemade tartare sauce. Whilst Kitchen Food Company is no longer a &#8216;fine dining&#8217; restaurant in the traditional sense, there&#8217;s really something to be said about the food here &#8211; it was pretty much faultless and the quality of the produce really shines. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">OUT &amp; ABOUT </h2>



<p>You&#8217;re about a half an hour walk from central Oxford here, but if you&#8217;re sticking around in Summertown have a mooch along South Parade for award-winning <a href="https://www.wildhoneylove.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wild Honey</a> health store. There&#8217;s also the <a href="https://www.thenorthwall.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">North Wall arts centre </a>and <a href="https://www.wisegal.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sarah Wiseman</a> art gallery for culture vultures. Boutique gym <a href="https://www.fitlife.co.uk/summertown">FitLife</a> has also opened a new outpost here if you fancy a pre-lunch pilates class. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-143489" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-400x300.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Kitchen-Food-Co-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p><strong>Good for: </strong>Foodies and friends. It&#8217;s evident here that the produce has been carefully curated and the menu is a reflection of this (try and leave without a hamper from the deli, I dare you). The location in Summertown is perfect for lunch and a catch up. </p>



<p><strong>Not for:</strong> The menu here is dependent on the deli and is small but perfectly formed, so if you&#8217;re one of those people that <em>must</em> check the menu before visiting or like loads of choice, it might not be for you.</p>



<p><strong>The damage: </strong>Minimal considering the quality here. Brunch ranges from £7 for Bircher muesli to £16 for Eggs Royale. Specials are £8 &#8211; £15. </p>



<p><em><a href="https://www.kitchenfoodco.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kitchen Food Company</a>, 215 Banbury Road, Summertown, Oxford OX2 7HQ. Tel: 01865 511 149</em></p>


Review: Kitchen Food Company, Summertown, north Oxford

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