Bucks &amp; Oxon


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprise-clarkson-s-cotswolds-pub-opens-on-friday">Surprise! Clarkson&#8217;s Cotswolds pub opens on FRIDAY</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/456333410_17854397178250182_5130815156131307854_n.jpg" alt="The Farmer's Dog Burford" class="wp-image-169193" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/456333410_17854397178250182_5130815156131307854_n.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/456333410_17854397178250182_5130815156131307854_n-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/456333410_17854397178250182_5130815156131307854_n-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/456333410_17854397178250182_5130815156131307854_n-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Clarkson has kicked up a storm by announcing that his Cotswolds pub, The Farmer&#8217;s Dog, will open this Friday, months earlier than planned. It was due to open in 2025 under the name The Windmill, but the former Top Gear star has U-turned in dramatic fashion and is snipping the ribbon this very week. The pub&#8217;s Instagram account, created only yesterday, has already amassed over 60k followers, and they&#8217;ve put up a giant marquee for the expected onslaught of punters when it starts trading at noon on Friday. Local residents are expecting an influx too and are concerned that the quaint rural area isn&#8217;t set up for such an A-list event. All eyes on Burford &#8211; let&#8217;s see how this one shakes out!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hobnob-with-the-olympic-history-makers">Hobnob with the Olympic history-makers</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/452907674_18446878447049353_4262571872752259266_n.jpg" alt="Heston Blumenthal" class="wp-image-169087" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/452907674_18446878447049353_4262571872752259266_n.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/452907674_18446878447049353_4262571872752259266_n-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/452907674_18446878447049353_4262571872752259266_n-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/452907674_18446878447049353_4262571872752259266_n-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Instagram @thehestonblumenthalteam</figcaption></figure>



<p>Heston&#8217;s top-notch Bray eatery The Hind&#8217;s Head is putting on a once-in-a-lifetime Olympic celebration dinner a week on Wednesday. Mr Blumenthal has invited a bunch of returning local Olympians for a five-course meal round his place, an offer few in the world would refuse. The guest list isn&#8217;t confirmed, but amongst those tipped to attend are Tom Dean, Helen Glover and Max Whitlock. It takes thousands of hours, heaps of grit, and nerves of steel to bag an Olympic medal, but to bag a spot alongside them at dinner you just need to be fast &#8211; take your marks, get set, <a href="https://www.hindsheadbray.com/news-and-events/olympic-celebration-dinner/">BOOK</a>!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-home-of-hygge-sostrene-grene">The home of <em>hygge</em>, Søstrene Grene</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/453403173_891509519689951_2089668583298560698_n.jpg" alt="Søstrene Grene" class="wp-image-168995" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/453403173_891509519689951_2089668583298560698_n.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/453403173_891509519689951_2089668583298560698_n-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/453403173_891509519689951_2089668583298560698_n-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/453403173_891509519689951_2089668583298560698_n-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Instagram @sostrenegrene</figcaption></figure>



<p>The trend for Scandi just keeps going. The Westgate Centre in central Oxford has just launched <a href="https://sostrenegrene.com/en-gb?_gl=1%2a1y7jqs5%2a_up%2aMQ..%2a_ga%2aMTUxOTMzOTc2NS4xNzIzNzM4Nzkw%2a_ga_GXRKRY6QTJ%2aMTcyMzczODc4OS4xLjAuMTcyMzczODc4OS4wLjAuMA..">Søstrene Grene</a> (&#8216;The Grene Sisters&#8217;), to hordes of eager English customers ready to criminally mispronounce its name. A Danish homewares and lifestyle retailer with over 300 stores worldwide, Søstrene Grene leans heavily on the hygge with soft lighting, muted colours, classical music and a labyrinth-style layout guiding guests through various departments before arriving at the checkout. Head in for affordable homewares, trend-driven decor or frankly just for a bit of peace and quiet.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-blenheim-palace-s-great-skate">Blenheim Palace&#8217;s Great Skate</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/416001052_282961334776916_4659800029204237644_n-1000x667.jpg" alt="Blenheim Palace" class="wp-image-169088" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/416001052_282961334776916_4659800029204237644_n-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/416001052_282961334776916_4659800029204237644_n-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/416001052_282961334776916_4659800029204237644_n-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/416001052_282961334776916_4659800029204237644_n.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Instagram @blenheimpalace</figcaption></figure>



<p>Yep, it&#8217;s August, so high time we started thinking about our Crimbo plans. Hot off the press is the arrival of Blenheim Palace&#8217;s <a href="https://www.blenheimpalace.com/whats-on/events/christmas/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Great Skate</a> this Christmas. On <strong>Fri 15 Nov</strong> they&#8217;ll turn the ducal palace&#8217;s iconic Great Court to ice for your festive skating pleasure until New Year&#8217;s Day 2025, part of their Winter Neverland® theme which also includes the famous Christmas market and Tinkerbell&#8217;s tour of the State rooms. There&#8217;s rink-side seating for those who struggle to remain vertical whilst on skates (guilty), so you can soak in the holiday spirit with a mulled wine or hot chocolate and spare yourself the sore bum. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-star-studded-eight-hands-dinner-at-le-manoir">Star-studded eight-hands dinner at Le Manoir</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/441198001_18434825920025665_1962744478122720274_n-1000x667.jpg" alt="Raymond Blanc Alain Roux" class="wp-image-169094" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/441198001_18434825920025665_1962744478122720274_n-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/441198001_18434825920025665_1962744478122720274_n-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/441198001_18434825920025665_1962744478122720274_n-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/441198001_18434825920025665_1962744478122720274_n.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Instagram @raymondblanc</figcaption></figure>



<p>Lastly, a foodie tipoff like none other. Slipped into the events calendar at Le Manoir as if it were nothing, the restaurant is hosting an <a href="https://www.belmond.com/hotels/europe/uk/oxfordshire/belmond-le-manoir-aux-quat-saisons/contact-us" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">incredible, one-off five-course dinner</a> designed and hand-prepared by the UK&#8217;s most accomplished French chefs, Raymond Blanc and Alain Roux. They&#8217;re joining forces with their respective protégés Luke Selby and Benoit Blin to craft a once-in-a-lifetime meal on <strong>18 Nov</strong>, an occasion that has never happened before at Le Manoir and, so they say, probably never will again. What would you give to receive your own masterpiece by two timeless masters of their craft? Dig deep behind the sofa &#8211; champagne, canapés, five inimitable courses with wines, tea, coffee and petit fours, will set you back a cool £500.  </p>


Superflash! Superstar spotting, fine dining and new stores galore

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