* Rumour has it that Carluccio’s is coming to Oxford and setting up shop at the bottom of Little Clarendon Street near Brown’s. A Carluccio’s spokesman said: “Nothing has been confirmed yet so we don’t have any information to send over.” But watch this space. It would make sense considering they closed their Oxford Castle site and now only have a Carluccio’s presence at Bicester Village.

* The Medley Mangetout Cafe at Medley Manor PYO Farm in Binsey had its first pop-up night last weekend which was an enormous success.

The lovely pop-up cafe concentrates on bringing the farm to the table and the table to the farm, meaning its food is seasonal, fresh and good.

Run by Rachel Gee, of the family that owns the farm, The Mangetout Cafe is a wonderfully eclectic mix of mismatched furniture, assorted china, and painted tin cans filled with fresh garden herbs which serves light lunches and teas on Saturdays from noon to 6pm for the rest of the month, so hurry.

Medley Manor Farm, Binsey Lane, Binsey, Oxford, OX2 0NJ.

* The next St Giles Cafe Literary dinner is upon us on Wednesday, July 30, at 7.30pm, the third of its regular dining club events – Food for Thought. The evening offers a five-course menu at £40 per person and a literary discussion theme.

On hand will be Dr Lynn Robson, tutor and lecturer in English literature who has a specialist interest in 16th and 17th century English literature.

The evening is limited to 20 diners and reservations are available on a first-come, first-served basis. This is a one table dinner, so guests can enjoy discussions with their fellow diners, and is designed to be informal and good fun. It’s also BYO. An early reservation is strongly recommended.

Please email info@stgilescafe.com or call 01865 554200.

* Luke Thomas’s first cookbook is finally out and aptly titled Luke’s Cookbook. It’s a brilliant and highly usable collection of 100 much-loved family favourites which me and my children are already cooking with glee.

Oxford Mail:

The UK’s youngest head chef who set up Luke’s Broadway, has been wrestling with this book for a while, determined so we can all cook his recipes, and it’s worked. Think his take on cheese and pineapple (goat’s cheese balls with pineapple salsa) or spaghetti bolognese with a parmesan-herb topping. Published by Michael Joseph and priced £20.

* Raymond Blanc is introducing some new courses to the Raymond Blanc Cookery School including the Let’s Cook course (Thursday, July 31, and Wednesday, August 6) to prove it doesn’t have to take all day to achieve culinary perfection. This intensive three-hour course (available as either morning or afternoon sessions) teaches students how to quickly create an inspired and seasonal three-course menu and is therefore suitable for both novices and seasoned cooks – an ideal way to learn new tricks.

Prices cost £365 per person.

Private Tuition is also now available for a maximum of three hours and individually tailored to each inquiry received. Prices are £450 per session for up to six people or £75 per person for seven-10 people. www.manoir.com or 01844 27 8881.