* The Thatch in Thame is celebrating being named among the best places to eat and drink in the south in this year’s Observer Food Monthly Awards. The pub was named runner-up in two categories, Best Restaurant and Best Place to Drink, after being voted for by readers of Observer Food Monthly magazine.

* The Organic Deli Cafè, Restaurant & Wholefoods Store at 24 Friars Entry in Oxford, is hosting a pop-up autumn feast weekend tomorrow and Saturday with a fabulous looking menu.

Tickets are available at bookatable.co.uk n The Oxford Pumpkin Festival kicks off today to highlight food waste and demonstrate the ways we can make better use of food – it will feature lots of great cooking and eating events, food fairs, films, kids stuff, gigs and lots of hands-on workshops and recipe swapping.

See goodfoodoxford.org/ oxford-pumpkin-festival

* It’s Halloween Night at TVC on the High Street, tomorrow night from 8pm until late. Expect decorations, fancy dress, blood punch, black magic and cocktails.

For more information, call 01865 248777.

* Yates’s, which has an Oxfordshire branch in Sheep Street, Bicester, has launched its new menu, taking inspiration from the latest food trends – street food, customisation, ‘dirty burgers’ and Americana influences.

The high street pub operator, now celebrating 130 years of trading, has revamped its food menu to make it fresh and enticing.

Following a successful trial, 14 new dishes have been rolled out across all sections of the menu.

On-trend dishes making their mark include blueberry pancakes served for breakfast or as a dessert; bacon and maple syrup pancakes, and porridge topped with syrup and blueberries for breakfast; an All-American sharing platter; Sloppy Mac Burger – a classic burger topped with chopped bacon and macaroni cheese; and Carolina Glazed Pork Belly.

Elsewhere, the lunchtime choices give a nod to street food with two new quirky-named flatbreads, ‘Meat the Greek’ and ‘BBQ Pig’, while the lower calorie choices, all under 500 calories, include a new Thai-style yellow chicken curry and a grilled rump steak salad.

The ‘Rooster Booster’, one of two new chicken dishes on the menu, contains half a chicken, chicken wings and Southern fried style chicken strips.

* The Eagle & Child, The Chequers and The Crown in Oxford launch their Autumn Beer Festival from tomorrow until November 16, showcasing a range of dark beers, featuring a rotating range of 13 exciting ales from some of the UK’s best brewers, including Red Squirrel’s London Porter, Itchen Valley’s Dark Solstice and Wild Beer Co.’s Scarlet Fever, as well as a trio of specialist beers created through an experimental “Whose Beer Is It Anyway?” brewing process.

The three pubs have also launched a new Hop Circle app offering their cask ale drinkers the chance to enjoy a selection of rewards for their loyalty. Free to download on both iOS and Android phones, the app will allow users to enjoy 25p off every pint of cask ale ordered, browse a collection of tasting notes in the Ale Library, and automatically receive further offers and promotions throughout the year.

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