• Oxford may be the furthest point from the sea, but thanks to The Big Bang, the beach is coming to us, right in the heart of Oxford.

With 23 tonnes of sand, palm trees, deck chairs, cocktails, beers, Pimms, G&Ds ice cream and a programme of live cultural and sporting events, it will be a summer like no other in the Castle Quarter.

Look forward to sandcastles and Punch & Judy shows over summer weekends, with a fantastic line-up of events and activities for all ages, including a beachside cinema in August, as well as petanque and beach volleyball leagues, for which teams are invited. There will also be weekly ‘stay and play’ mornings, allowing parents to relax in the Castle Quarter’s restaurants while their offspring enjoy supervised activities on the beach.
The beach opens on July 5 until summer ends (mid-September) between 10am and 11pm daily with a Big Bang BBQ available throughout the summer.

  • Raymond Blanc’s mantelpiece must be rather overcrowded but he can now add to Le Manoir’s awards with the BMW Square Meal Best UK restaurant for 2013, for being ‘the quintessential out-of-London restaurant’, and ‘the go-to destination for celebratory meals.’

He said: “I still feel like I am on an extraordinary journey with the most incredible team – we are all creating something unique, always aiming for the sublime.”

  • As part of the five-year celebrations at Jamie’s Italian in George Street, Oxford, the restaurant will be offering nearly every dish on the menu for £5 between July 8-12.

  • Ox-Fest boasts a great food line-up next weekend at Carswell Golf and Country Club, The Snooty Mehmaan, The Shoulder Of Mutton, Shush, The Venue, Hacketts Coffee Bar, Rico's Pizza Shack and Bampton Kebabs. ox-fest.com