Bucks &amp; Oxon


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-farewell-towersey">FAREWELL TOWERSEY</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/TOWERSEY-FEST.jpg" alt="Towersey Festival view from the stage " class="wp-image-147300" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/TOWERSEY-FEST.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/TOWERSEY-FEST-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/TOWERSEY-FEST-400x266.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/TOWERSEY-FEST-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Good news or bad news first? Good, it is. <a href="https://www.towerseyfestival.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Towersey Festival</a> is back with a bang on the August bank holiday (<strong>Fri 23 &#8211; Mon&nbsp;26 Aug</strong>), with a brilliant line-up including Billy Bragg and folk duo The Staves, alongside its usual family-friendly workshops and crafts. Sadly (you knew it was coming), this summer will be the festival’s final high-jinks after 60 years in the biz. As a boutique fest, the team has found it difficult to operate in the last couple of years but they promise this final blowout will be a massive. We&#8217;re digging out our glitter wellies for this one.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bottoms-up">BOTTOMS UP </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="999" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Bar-unsplash.jpg" alt="Generic bar with bottles " class="wp-image-163312" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Bar-unsplash.jpg 999w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Bar-unsplash-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Bar-unsplash-400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px" /></figure>



<p>Still sobbing? This should cheer you up. Marlow&#8217;s nightlife is about to get hotter with a new Med-inspired cocktail bar opening later this month *clink clink*. The passion project of Matt Jolley, a certified globetrotter<strong><em>, </em></strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/montysmarlow/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Monty’s Bar</a> will transform the old&nbsp;Clayton’s site on Oxford Road into a local paradise – think rotating beach club menu, outdoor seating area, live music, and high-end cocktails. It will be open every Weds to Sunday from 5 pm, and there will also be a members&#8217; club scheme, which includes exclusive after-midnight entry, so you&#8217;ll want to get your hands on a card ASAP.</p>



<p>We&#8217;ll also be sipping a bevy or two at the new café taking over the Costa Coffee spot on the high street in Kidlington, north of Oxford. The stamp of approval on plans for the coffee shop is still fresh, but we know that it will serve hot food and open until suuuper late (until 11 pm). Watch this space for more updates. Speaking of cafés, <a href="https://www.spigadeli.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Spiga </a>has been put on the market after two and a half years of feeding the good folk in Amersham, South Bucks. If you haven&#8217;t checked out this charming Italian deli on Sycamore Road, now&#8217;s your chance to take the menu for a spin before it passes into new hands.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-foodie-news">FOODIE NEWS </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Piccolino-in-Marlow.jpg" alt="Piccolino restuarant in marlow " class="wp-image-163313" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Piccolino-in-Marlow.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Piccolino-in-Marlow-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Piccolino-in-Marlow-400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>We&#8217;ve sung plenty of praise for the vino gem Wilding on Oxford&#8217;s Little Clarendon Street in the last three years. Sadly, as of last month, Kent and the team packed up the wine bar and shop. But as Wilding&#8217;s door closes we say an excited hello to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kibouoxford/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kibou</a>. Hailing from Cheltenham, the Japanese bar and restaurant started in a small basement and has grown to five national locations, including Cambridge and Battersea. Now it&#8217;s our turn to get a slice of the bao bun. The menu takes inso from contemporary Japanese dishes: from Tokyo&#8217;s street food staples to hand-rolled sushi and beloved Japanese beers. If you&#8217;re mad about crisp tempura, sushi rolls, or ramen, mark your calendar for July.</p>



<p>Hungry for more? Book your table at just-opened Italian restaurant <a href="https://piccolinorestaurants.com/locations/marlow/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Piccolino</a> in Marlow (make it a table for two). Set on the old Marlow Bar &amp; Grill site, the menu is all authentic Italian dishes (the Bruschetta Con Gamberoni has Muddy&#8217;s name written all over it) whipped up with ingredients sourced from producers in Provence, Puglia, and beyond. The interiors are even more mouthwatering, with a decidedly Mediterranean sea-blue colour scheme and plenty of natural light (see our pic above). Plus, there&#8217;s a winterised terrace (thank you heaters) for al-fresco dining and DJ nights.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shop-til-you-drop">SHOP &#8216;TIL YOU DROP</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Elkstone-Studios-.jpg" alt="ELkstone Studios in Cheltenham " class="wp-image-163315" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Elkstone-Studios-.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Elkstone-Studios--800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Elkstone-Studios--400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Elkstone Studios</figcaption></figure>



<p>If you&#8217;d rather dine at home, grab your biggest tote and hop over the border to <a href="https://www.elkstone-studios.com/event-details/farmers-market-2024-07-07-09-30" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elkstone Studios</a> in Cheltenham, where a fresh new farmers&#8217; market launched at the beginning of June and will be open on every first and third Sunday of the coming months. Locally grown produce is high on our agenda, but there are also stalls for gins, cheese, teas, and pastries.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cowley-carnival-s-back">COWLEY CARNIVAL&#8217;S BACK! </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Cowley-road-Carnival-.jpg" alt="Cowley road Carnival, oxford " class="wp-image-163342" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Cowley-road-Carnival-.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Cowley-road-Carnival--800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Cowley-road-Carnival--400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Ready to shake your tail feathers? Of course you are! <a href="https://www.cowleyroadworks.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cowley Road Carnival</a> will relaunch on 7 July after being cancelled last summer. The community fest is a vibrant celebration of cultures from around the world with a carnival, parade, live music across 30 stages, dance, and a smorgasbord of street food. This year&#8217;s theme of &#8216;Our Nature, Our Future&#8217; gives a nod to sustainability. People from all over the county flock to this event every year (an average of 50,000) so don&#8217;t miss out. The event will be spread across three months &#8211; July being the first, followed by Cowley-Fornia on 4 August and the grand Carnival Procession on 1 September.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-on-the-top-table">ON THE TOP TABLE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="850" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Snapinsta.app_448076188_2213554035649339_52220593118833059_n_1080.jpg" alt="Le Manoir" class="wp-image-163256" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Snapinsta.app_448076188_2213554035649339_52220593118833059_n_1080.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Snapinsta.app_448076188_2213554035649339_52220593118833059_n_1080-800x680.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Snapinsta.app_448076188_2213554035649339_52220593118833059_n_1080-400x340.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">@belmondlemanoir</figcaption></figure>



<p>And finally: the National Restaurant Awards are in &#8211; and guess which Oxfordshire icon is at the top table? Okay, the picture&#8217;s a bit of a giveaway. Raise a glass to Raymond Blanc&#8217;s Le Manoir aux Quat&#8217;Saisons in Great Milton, today voted number 87 in the UK&#8217;s top 100 restaurants. It&#8217;s held two Michelin stars ever since it was founded in 1984 too, which is no mean feat. <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/restaurants/happy-birthday-5-ways-to-toast-le-manoir-at-40/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read our piece</a> on how it&#8217;s celebrating its 40th birthday year &#8211; and you&#8217;re invited.</p>


Hot news! New bars and restaurants in the ‘hood – and carnival is BACK

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