I hate eating supper at 5pm, shovelling food in for the sake of it because I’m going to the theatre later on.

Likewise, post-show, the moment has past. By 10.30pm I just want to go home and most restaurants have stopped serving by then anyway.

But come the interval I’m starving, so this week I decided to resist the lure of the ice creams, sweets and crisps on offer in the New Theatre foyer and instead try to find something slightly more substantial and healthy on George Street.

Considering you only have 20 minutes at most, it was an interesting mission. I didn’t want burgers, fried chicken or sushi, and there wasn’t enough time for a sit down meal.

But then I spied the originally named George St Cafe, right opposite the theatre which looked nice and homely, selling coffee, sandwiches, cakes and paninis, with lovely wooden trestle tables, wooden floors and a gleaming counter.

A fantastic selection of sandwiches, baguettes, and wraps were laid out, with some intriguing selections and my hardest problem was choosing what to have.

Opting for a mozzarella, olive, spinach and tomato panini, I then had to wait four minutes while it was cooked to perfection; no flat, tough offerings here.

The bread was fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside, the filling was generous, fresh and tasty and it cost £3.20.

There was a great selection of drinks from all the usuals to the more exotic green tea and honey options, settling on a blood orange San Pellegrino Aranciata Rossa (£1.20) all of which I managed to consume before the bell rang for the curtain call.

So next time I go to the theatre I know I’m covered. In fact, the George St Cafe is a lifesaver.

George St Cafe, 19 George Street, Oxford, OX1 2AU