Bucks &amp; Oxon


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-covered-market-gets-a-gastro-upgrade">The Covered Market gets a gastro upgrade</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/05/Arbequina.jpg" alt="food at Arbequina" class="wp-image-189147" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/05/Arbequina.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/05/Arbequina-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/05/Arbequina-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/05/Arbequina-400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A summer tapas plate at Arbequina</figcaption></figure>



<p>We reported earlier this year that Oxford’s 250-year-old <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/latest-news/kim-kardashian-lewis-hamilton-estelle-manor-oxfordshire-buckinghamshire-news/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Covered Market </a>is having an ambitious glow-up, and the gourmet facelift is well underway already. Holding its crown as one of the city’s most beloved dining spots, Spanish tapas restaurant <a href="https://arbequina.co.uk/new-venue" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arbequina</a> is debuting a second joint in the market next week. After opening in 2016 in a former chemist on Cowley Road and since earning a coveted spot in the <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/restaurants/michelin-star-winners-near-you/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Michelin guide</a>, the new site promises many moreish Mediterranean morsels and a very shiny zinc bar running the length of the restaurant. All the better to perch at with a slice of the best tortilla in town, alongside a crisp glass of albariño.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-corks-popping-at-pompette">Corks popping at Pompette</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="613" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/04/Pompette-Oxford-interior-1000x613.jpeg" alt="pompette" class="wp-image-159082" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/04/Pompette-Oxford-interior-1000x613.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/04/Pompette-Oxford-interior-800x491.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/04/Pompette-Oxford-interior-400x245.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/04/Pompette-Oxford-interior.jpeg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>In other Oxford food news, we already knew that Summertown bistro <a href="https://www.pompetterestaurant.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pompette </a>was something special, so we weren’t in any way shooketh when then clinched the number 50 spot in the <a href="https://www.thegoodfoodguide.co.uk/best-local-restaurant" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Local Restaurants </a>list earlier this week. Owners Pascal and Laura specialise in relaxed vibes and hearty yet refined food; they even elevate simple bread and butter to ‘something to write home about’ status. See you there for a celebratory apéro.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-masterchef-pro-moves-in">A Masterchef Pro moves in</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="2000" height="1333" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/Bear-by-Carlo-Scotto-restaurant.jpg" alt="Bear by Carlo Scotto restaurant" class="wp-image-198057" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/Bear-by-Carlo-Scotto-restaurant.jpg 2000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/Bear-by-Carlo-Scotto-restaurant-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/Bear-by-Carlo-Scotto-restaurant-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/Bear-by-Carlo-Scotto-restaurant-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/Bear-by-Carlo-Scotto-restaurant-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></figure>



<p>I witnessed <a href="https://www.instagram.com/the_chocolate_chef_/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nkosi Sibanda</a>’s culinary wizandry at the end of last year at <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/bear-carlo-scotto-beaconsfield-review/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Carlo Scotto’s chef’s table</a> residency at <a href="https://crazybear.co.uk/hotels/beaconsfield/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Crazy Bear </a>in Beaconsfield, and he impressed diners and the top dogs so much that he’s been promoted to Head Chef. As a former Masterchef Pro quarter finalist – he rose through the ranks in the 2024 series – Sibanda knows a thing or two about producing delicious plates under pressure. Whether you’re heading to The Crazy Bear to check out the <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/buckinghamshire-oxfordshire-news-kaleb-cooper-maya-jama/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new pool terrace</a> or have a milestone meal in mind, he’s one to watch.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-two-star-sat-lunch-for-a-song">A two-star Sat lunch for a song</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/The-Hand-and-Flowers.jpg" alt="The Hand and Flowers interior seating" class="wp-image-199077" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/The-Hand-and-Flowers.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/The-Hand-and-Flowers-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/The-Hand-and-Flowers-1000x1000.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/The-Hand-and-Flowers-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/The-Hand-and-Flowers-500x500.jpg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/The-Hand-and-Flowers-1100x1100.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Okay, it’s all relative, but when we’re talking about a weekend lunch at the two Michelin-starred <a href="https://thehandandflowers.co.uk/special-occasion/sunday-lunch" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hand and Flowers</a> in Marlow, £95pp for iconic house dishes is a pretty decent deal (the regular Saturday menu rings up at £195pp). Tom Kerridge’s much-lauded local will be dishing up the new <a href="https://thehandandflowers.co.uk/special-occasion/saturday-lunch-menu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Saturday Lunch Menu</a> from <strong>18 July</strong> so you can try those Michelin faves for yourself. Think duck liver parfait with orange chutney and toasted brioche and the house fish and chips with caviar tartare sauce and minted pea purée. Tom’s spoiling us.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hyde-away-in-london">Hyde away in London</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="992" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/07/Hyde-Seek-Restaurant-Bar.jpg" alt="Hyde Seek restaurant bar" class="wp-image-206540" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/07/Hyde-Seek-Restaurant-Bar.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/07/Hyde-Seek-Restaurant-Bar-800x529.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/07/Hyde-Seek-Restaurant-Bar-1000x661.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/07/Hyde-Seek-Restaurant-Bar-400x265.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>You know what you deserve after the school and summer holiday madness? A swish little city break, we’d say. Happily there&#8217;s a shiny new venture on the cards on the doorstep of Hyde Park, just a speedy train ride from our counties.  <a href="https://hydeandseekhotel.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hyde and Seek </a>is set to open in <strong>Sept 2026 </strong>and promises high-end luxury blended with boho Bayswater spirit (it&#8217;s part of Marriot Bonvoy&#8217;s boujee Tribute Portfolio). Think interior design influences from Zandra Rhodes, Ossie Clark, David Hockney and David Hicks alongside nature-led touches inspired by the hotel’s parkside location. Seeker’s Restaurant &amp; Bar overlooks the greenery, with a speakeasy-style bar that’s just the spot for sundowners. And if you’re combining work and play, HydeOut offers a chic co-working space in a glass-roofed courtyard, with an all-day café lounge right at hand for pre-meeting flat whites. As for the 309 rooms, they’re all suitably groovy, with Grown Alchemist toiletries and calm reading nooks aplenty. Think ‘back to school’, but for the grown-ups. Check us in. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sending-muddy-love-to-the-crooked-billet">Sending Muddy love to The Crooked Billet</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1048" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/07/The-Crooked-Billet.png" alt="The Crooked Billet Stoke Row" class="wp-image-206546" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/07/The-Crooked-Billet.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/07/The-Crooked-Billet-800x559.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/07/The-Crooked-Billet-1000x699.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/07/The-Crooked-Billet-400x279.png 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>An enormous Muddy squeeze to the team at ever-brilliant <a href="https://www.thecrookedbillet.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Crooked Billet</a> in Stoke Row, and to the local community, following a fire at the pub last Saturday night. Thankfully no one was hurt but the historic pub has suffered fire damage and officials are working with owner and award-winning chef Paul to get repairs going as soon as possible. We’ll be making a booking as soon as they’re back on their feet and we recommend you do in the future too – I sampled one of the best lingering Saturday pub lunches of my life there last summer. In the meantime, they’re in Muddy’s thoughts.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-in-the-mood-for-more">IN THE MOOD FOR MORE?</h2>



<ul>
<li><a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/spotlight/muddy-awards-party-2026/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Behind the scenes at the Muddy Awards party – meet your 2026 winners!</a></li>



<li><a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/travel/worlds-best-fashion-designer-hotels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Check it out! Burberry hotel takeover + 9 more fashion stays</a></li>



<li><a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/pubs-inns/best-pub-gardens-oxfordshire-buckinghamshire/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The prettiest pub gardens near you</a></li>
</ul>


Gourmet goss! Fresh openings and a new Masterchef arrives in Bucks

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