Bucks &amp; Oxon


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-art-superstars-on-our-doorstep">Art superstars on our doorstep</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/05/Rise-2021-by-Marguerite-Humeau-©-White-Cube-Domenico-Conte.jpeg" alt="Claydon White Cube summer 2026" class="wp-image-204324" style="aspect-ratio:1.4985014985014986;width:640px;height:auto" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/05/Rise-2021-by-Marguerite-Humeau-©-White-Cube-Domenico-Conte.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/05/Rise-2021-by-Marguerite-Humeau-©-White-Cube-Domenico-Conte-800x534.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/05/Rise-2021-by-Marguerite-Humeau-©-White-Cube-Domenico-Conte-1000x667.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/05/Rise-2021-by-Marguerite-Humeau-©-White-Cube-Domenico-Conte-400x267.jpeg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rise 2021 by Marguerite Humeau © White Cube Domenico Conte</figcaption></figure>



<p>Skip MoMA and the Louvre and this summer;<a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshire-berkshire/claydon-house/white-cube-at-claydon" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Claydon House</a> near Buckingham is the international art destination to be seen at. World-renowned gallery White Cube is bringing 20 global art big shots to the historic National Trust beauty from <strong>6 June – 14 Sept.</strong> Claydon’s rococo interiors and gorgeous gardens will host works by Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley, Jeff Wall and El Anatsui to name but a few acclaimed contemporary artists on the bill. Expect striking sculptures, immersive installations, ‘blow your mind’ photography and knockout paintings, plus arty surprises aplenty across the grounds. To top it off, two new ‘secret gardens’ are opening at Claydon: the walled Pool Garden and the Florence Nightingale Garden. Rarely seen before, they’ll host sculptures by Turner Prize nominee Marguerite Humeau and Virginia Overton. Even better, the exhibition is free to NT members, but you’ll still need to book a ticket because this is bucket list stuff in Bucks.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gees-is-having-a-glow-up">Gees is having a glow-up</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="2048" height="1365" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/05/490770641_1190000299772112_780463179064708170_n.jpg" alt="Gees, Oxford. James Wyman Architects, 2022." class="wp-image-189159" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/05/490770641_1190000299772112_780463179064708170_n.jpg 2048w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/05/490770641_1190000299772112_780463179064708170_n-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/05/490770641_1190000299772112_780463179064708170_n-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/05/490770641_1190000299772112_780463179064708170_n-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/05/490770641_1190000299772112_780463179064708170_n-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></figure>



<p>There will sadly be no savouring the tastes of the Med in an iconic Victorian conservatory in Oxford this summer; one of the city’s most revered dining hotspots is closing its doors from June for a major reno. Grade II listed<a href="https://www.geesrestaurant.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Gees</a> is beloved by the likes of Raymond Blanc OBE (whose Manoir aux Quat&#8217;Saisons is also undergoing a makeover until Jan 2027), and recently welcomed new head chef Nick Galer, who was previously head chef at Heston Blumenthal&#8217;s The Crown in Bray. The stoves will be powered down while the interiors are transformed into “a warmer, more communal dining experience”. Those keen to toast its reopening in the romantic glasshouse needn’t fret: the conservatory is staying put, but the acoustics are being refined and there’s more colour and luxe textiles on the design moodboard. You can bet we’ll be first in to have a nose around (fizz in hand).&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-jewel-in-the-chilterns-pub-crown">A new jewel in the Chilterns pub crown</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1062" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/09/The-Crown-Inn-Pishill-2.jpg" alt="crown inn Pishill" class="wp-image-136841" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/09/The-Crown-Inn-Pishill-2.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/09/The-Crown-Inn-Pishill-2-800x566.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/09/The-Crown-Inn-Pishill-2-1000x708.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/09/The-Crown-Inn-Pishill-2-400x283.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/09/The-Crown-Inn-Pishill-2-742x525.jpg 742w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>When one Oxfordshire culinary destination closes, another opens. <a href="https://thecrownpishill.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Crown Inn at Pishill </a>near Henley was formerly owned by currently on bail comedian Russell Brand, who bought the Grade II listed pub in 2020 with a view to converting it into a recording studio. Those plans never got off the ground, and The Crown Inn was recently acquired by local couple John Bloomer and his wife Jane. The pair is bringing an exciting new feel to the former coaching inn, serving locally sourced Thai-fusion food alongside pub classics, and while the main bar is still being renovated, brunches and lunches are now being served in the very pretty thatched barn area. Also in the works is cosy new accommodation and a garden spa with outdoor saunas and ice baths, as well as a studio for yoga and wellness retreats. Who doesn’t love some savasana with their pork scratchings? It sounds like the perfect balance to us.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-cooking-in-clanfield">What’s cooking in Clanfield?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="668" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/DoubleRedDuke-WeTheFoodSnobs.jpg" alt="double red duke canfield" class="wp-image-142876" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/DoubleRedDuke-WeTheFoodSnobs.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/DoubleRedDuke-WeTheFoodSnobs-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/DoubleRedDuke-WeTheFoodSnobs-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/DoubleRedDuke-WeTheFoodSnobs-786x525.jpg 786w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>At The Double Red Duke, always something delicious, but the west Oxfordshire tastemakers are particularly spoiling us with their 2026 chef series. The team has invited some of the UK’s best renowned gourmet legends our way for a trio of pop-up dinners, starting with nineties’ restaurant icon<a href="https://www.countrycreatures.com/events/country-creatures-chef-series-rowley-leigh-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Rowley Leigh</a> on<strong> 17 June</strong>. After you’ve savoured his French-British delights, mark <strong>6 Oct</strong> in your diary for a<a href="https://www.countrycreatures.com/events/country-creatures-chef-series-honey-co/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Middle Eastern feast</a> care of <a href="https://honeyandco.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Honey &amp; Co </a>founders Sarit and Itamar, then Michelin-starred <a href="https://www.countrycreatures.com/events/country-creatures-chef-series-chef-adam-handling-mbe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Adam Handling MBE</a> is bringing his refined zero-waste cooking to the table on<strong> 11 Nov.</strong> Don’t move: the culinary talents are coming to you.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hungry-for-more">HUNGRY FOR MORE?</h2>



<ul>
<li><a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/whats-on-buckinghamshire-oxfordshire-may-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The 60 best things to do near you this May</a></li>



<li><a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/the-rise-of-micro-restaurants/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tiny tables, huge hype: The rise of micro-restaurants</a></li>



<li><a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/travel/uk/travel-guides/rivals-style-cotswolds-travel-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Live the ‘Rivals’ life in The Cotswolds: Where to eat, stay &amp; play</a></li>
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Local goss! Tracey Emin in Bucks and big Oxford restaurant news

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