Starting Up with Martin Southcott @ Boswells of Oxford

Some of you may have noticed we have been working hard on our Broad Street store in recent months and are now excited to reveal why.

We’d like to introduce The 1738 Tea Room Café, the new addition to the Boswells of Oxford store.

After more than 275 years of being at the heart of Oxford’s retail community we have now decided to introduce a traditional tea room. Our grand opening was on Saturday with a visit from Santa himself.

The tea room reflects upon the tradition, value and style of our independent, family-run business by delivering a high quality, welcoming service.

The quintessentially English tea room will offer something new to the shoppers and visitors of Oxford.

It will act as a place to meet, celebrate or simply rest your feet while enjoying a unique selection of teas and fresh coffee, luscious cakes and much more.

The friendly and welcoming waitress table service will help make the experience enjoyable and relaxing, with our carefully selected team working hard to make sure each service has a personal touch. It will provide a haven for shoppers with children, those carrying bags and those of you wanting to take a break from the busy Oxford streets. For people in more of a hurry there will be an efficient take away service on offer.

The large variety of food and drink available and the free wi-fi facilities mean the tea room is sure to be popular among individuals looking for a new, comfortable environment to relax in, get some work done or catch up with friends.

One of my first jobs when I got to Oxford was to go around town and meet with local suppliers who I felt were proactive and passionate about their products, which is the same ethos I used to find my team who will be working in the tea room.

It was important to us to make sure we could form a good relationship with local, artisanal suppliers, instead of taking the easy way out and simply using large faceless companies who would simply deliver frozen goods each morning.

At the 1738 Tea Room Café we pride ourselves on showcasing the high quality products from brands local to the Oxfordshire area.

We have coffee from Peros, stunning cakes from Happy Cakes, Viva Las Cakes, Stephanie Almeida Bespoke Cakes and Truly Scrumptious who will also be supplying sandwiches and traditional pastries. The cheese boards will be filled by Oxford Cheese Company, pastries and breads from the Natural Bread Company, jams and chutneys from Limes Farm and drinks from Brightwell Vineyard. Last but not least, we are very pleased to have a wide selection of teas from the British brand, Twinings Tea.

Twinings will be offering traditional favourites such as English tea, Earl Grey and a selection of fruity teas as well as some more unique teas for you to discover.

Having worked in a number of cafes and restaurants in both the UK and Paris, the thought of coming back to where I spent some of my childhood and working with these passionate local suppliers really excites me.

The store itself has undergone alterations and expansions thanks to recent customer feedback and we’re really pleased with how it looks.

We have opened up another floor to visitors to be able to provide extra shopping opportunities for our customers and improve their overall experience.

Our Haberdashery & Linens departments have moved to their new home on the second floor to leave space on the first floor for a large, spacious seating area allowing us to welcome more customers into the 1738 Tea Room Café.

The 1738 Tea Room Café will be a sociable place with knowledgeable staff, a friendly atmosphere and an inviting environment.

With the tea room and store combination we feel well positioned to embrace the improved appeal of Oxford as a retail and leisure destination in the future.

So what are you waiting for, come in and see for yourself!

TRY IT
1738 Tea Room Cafe, Boswells of Oxford, Broad Street
Oxford 01865 241244