Scenic walks in Oxford

The weather is just glorious at the moment so it is a perfect time to get out and about.  Oxfordshire is blessed with some spectacularly picturesque scenery. One of the great things about Oxford is that within 15 minutes walk of the centre of town, you can find yourself trailing into the heart of England’s green and pleasant countryside. Check out one of these fabulous walking locations to make the most of a dry weekend:

Within 20 minutes of the centre of town:
Christchurch Meadows 
Port Meadow
Shotover

And a little further afield:
Blenheim Palace grounds
The Cotswolds

If you are in Oxford and have a free day, then click on the image below to see some great country walking routes:

And why not listen to this song while you are planning your route: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg7KsemZGIc

What is the biggest Oxford College?

Kit Villiers, one of OISE Oxford's most experienced teachers and a specialist in legal English tuition, offers his opinion on the question: What is the biggest Oxford College?

As they potter off to see the Cathedral and the 'Harry Potter' Hall, tourists are told that Christ Church is the biggest college in the university, but the reality isn't quite so straightforward. Christ Church with its royal history, Eton and government connections may be in some sense the grandest, but it is not even the richest college. If one equates money with size, Christ Church is pipped by St John's, whose landholdings throughout the UK are massive, and which once owned almost all of North Oxford. (Christ Church is second on this measure).

How about physical size? This is very difficult to measure: should it include only the area covered by the original city centre buildings? Buildings for the accommodation of undergraduates (and increasingly graduates) are sprouting up all over the city, e.g. Hertford by the Thames and Lincoln near the 'Bear'. One wouldn't normally consider these modern buildings as part of a college, and certainly no tourists can or would bother to gain access to them. Perhaps the area should be contiguous: here Magdalen scores well as it claims to stretch a mile back from the High St. But a lot of this is gardens, deer parks, etc., and it seems odd to count this in the size of a college. Christ Church Meadow is contiguous but hardly part of the college. On the other hand it would be difficult to exclude all bits of green: New College for example has buildings beyond its lovely gardens, which are surely part of the college.

On the basis of core size (i.e.that clearly for college use, as opposed to commercial use such as Corpus's Old Bank Building, and contiguous) frankly I'm not sure which is the biggest in area, but I would suspect it might be St John's, which seems to be expanding ever northwards along St Giles after swallowing up the Lamb and Flag, and creating a new quad. The new quad would seem to put St John's up there also if we rate by numbers of quads, although Wadham has quite a few too.

As to number of students, this also is subject to fluctuation and to a lot of unverifiable boasting too. Does one count only undergraduates? Since postgraduates now number almost half the student population and are increasingly accommodated in college, this measure would seem to be a little outdated. The boasters are often a trifle vague as to whom they are actually counting. Having said this, Teddy Hall packs an awful lot of students into a small area, and recently I heard that St Catherine's now claims to be the biggest college by student numbers. Meanwhile St John's thinks it's the biggest, having allegedly passed Christ Church a few years back.

And the final answer? Kellogg, of course: even though it has no undergraduates and no sportsground, and most students live out, this college along the Banbury Road now has more students than any other.

British Cheese - Possibly the Greatest Cheese in the World!

Our in-house foodie, Samantha Bardsley, previously posted a brilliant piece on some of Britain's culinary specialties (click here to read 'An English Winner Dinner'). As this post received some great feedback from our readers, we thought we would narrow this subject down to the dairy delight, cheese!

The French tend to get most recognition for their cheese, but most experienced cheese eaters will agree that Britain provides even better. Included in the 700 cheeses that Britain has to offer, we have:

Bath Blue

Barkham Blue
Blue Monday (named after the song by New Order)
Buxton Blue (Protected Designation of Origin, currently not produced[1])
Cheshire Blue
Cornish Blue
Devon Blue
Dorset Blue Vinney
Dovedale (Protected Designation of Origin)
Exmoor Blue (Protected Geographical Indication)
Harbourne Blue
Lanark Blue, Scotland
Lymeswold no longer produced.
Oxford Blue
Shropshire Blue
Stichelton
Stilton (Protected Designation of Origin)
Blue Wensleydale
Yorkshire Blue

My personal favorite has to be Stinking Bishop. When you're next in Oxford, head to The Oxford Cheese Shop in the Covered Market, just below OISE Oxford, and pick up some Stinking Bishop and crackers, and enjoy!

What do you call your loved one?

As you puzzle over what to write in your valentine's card this evening, how will you address your partner?

In every language there are myriad pet names that people give to their other halves. Petal, sweetheart, darling, poppet and honey are all names commonly used by the British. 

'"Chouchou" is Carla Bruni's term for her husband, the former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, meaning 'little cabbage'. Samantha Cameron was heard on microphone saying "I love you babe" to her man, Prime Minister David Cameron - and Michelle Obama described the most-tweeted picture ever (above) with the words, "That's my honey giving me a hug."'1

Click here to see some of the endearing names the French, Brazilian, Japanese, Spanish, Indonesian, Arabic, Thai, Chinese and Russians used for their loved ones. Interestingly there seems to be a food and animal-related theme...

Where do the British ginger roots come from?

What do Prince Harry, Nicole Kidman, Rupert Grint and Geri Halliwell all have in common? No, they don’t all have royal roots…they have ginger ones! Many international students are fascinated by the abundance of red hair when they come Britain and it is true that, especially amongst the Scots, gingerness is at its most prevalent here. Whilst only about 1 – 2 % of the world’s population has red hair, a whopping 13% of Scots are ginger, closely followed by Ireland with 10%. Traditionally there has been a bizarre prejudice against redheads in Britain but more recently it has become a more desirable feature with many people choosing to dye their hair red. But why are there so many more ginger people in Scotland? A recent study by researchers at the ScotlandsDNA project shows that a much higher proportion of people in Scotland carry the ‘ginger gene’ and Mr Moffat, their Managing Director, believes the origins of the gene may be an adaptation to Scotland's poor weather.

Mr Moffat explains: "I think it's to do with sunshine - we all need vitamin D from sunshine - but Scotland is cloudy, we have an Atlantic climate and we need light skin to get as much vitamin D from the Sun as possible."

Click on the image below to read more!

The Cutteslowe Walls

By OISE Oxford tutor Kit Villiers

We're sometimes told that we're moving towards a classless society. That might be true in Britain today, but it certainly wasn't a little earlier in my lifetime, if events in north Oxford in the 1950s are anything to go by. In 1934, at the instigation of a developer of private housing nearby, high and forbidding walls were erected between the new development and a City Council housing estate which bordered it to the east. Apparently the developer thought that having 'slums' next door would adversely affect his sales! Amazingly the walls remained in place right up to 1959 (long after the houses on the 'middle-class' side of the barrier were sold), when the City Council finally removed them.

Where are we talking about? Going north from the Summertown shops you pass first Wentworth Road and then Carlton Road on the right, shortly before you reach the Cutteslowe Roundabout. These two are the 'fancy' streets named by the developer; but proceed down either of them and you'll be surprised to note that for little apparent reason the street names suddenly change, before you get to the junction with Jackson Road. Wentworth becomes Aldrich, and Carlton becomes Wolsey. 2 metre high brick walls used to block these roads completely, preventing even pedestrian passage to the other side.

As a child, the walls were a great mystery to me. There were rumours of the most awful folk living on the other side: they had crew-cuts, were armed with bicycle chains and - most intriguingly - wore something called 'drain-pipe' trousers. And that was just the women!  Or possibly the men - we never knowingly met any of the denizens of the sealed off estate, so we didn't really know. Of course the key word here is 'knowingly'. I'm sure we mingled perfectly happily without realising it. After all, the estate was not prison; one obvious way in (and out) was along the A40, as not even the snobbiest developer was able to build a wall across that.

Our family (and doubtless many others) were forced to use this route, as one of the anomalies of the situation was that the only primary school in the area was on the 'wrong' side of the wall, and children such as my brother had to walk down the busy A40 just to get to Cutteslowe Primary School each morning, usually accompanied by one of my parents.

The walls were notorious, and tourists came from miles around to see them. They proved very hard to get rid of. A tank knocked down one in the war, but it was rebuilt. Finally the council had to buy the land they were built on, and knocked them down in September 1959. They would have liked to have changed the street names too, but this was a step too far.

So, if you are interested, stroll down Carlton Road one day and see if you can still see any change. Actually there is a plaque there now, put up by the Blue Plaque Society. This was done as recently as 2006, showing how interest in this bit of rather unfortunate bit of Oxford's local history still continues.

What are the world's most spoken languages, and which are the hardest to learn?

'The world's most widely spoken languages by number of native speakers and as a second language, according to figures from UNESCO (The United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), are: Mandarin Chinese, English, Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, Bengali, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, German and French.

The ease or difficulty of learning another language can depend on your mother tongue. In general, the closer the second language is to the learner's native tongue and culture in terms of vocabulary, sounds or sentence structure, the easier acquisition will be.

So, a Polish speaker will find it easier to learn another Slavic language like Czech than an Asian language such as Japanese, while linguistic similarities mean that a Japanese speaker would find it easier to learn Mandarin Chinese than Polish.

Dutch is said to be the easiest language for native English speakers to pick up, while research shows that for those native English speakers who already know another language, the five most difficult languages to get your head around are Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and Korean.'[1]

Do you speak English as a second language? If so, what do you think is the most difficult part of learning English? Please leave your comments below.

Oxford’s Dreamy Pub Scene

Oxford is famed for being a “city of dreaming spires" but it is also home to many dreamy public houses (pubs), which are a popular drinking establishment choice for residents, students and tourists of Oxford.

One of our favourite pubs is The Royal Oak, which is situated along the Woodstock road. It is a short walk from the city centre and offers a wide range of world beers, wines and spirits – including English potato vodka (obviously something not to be missed!) It is a cosy 18th century pub with many small rooms and corners to relax and drink in. I would thoroughly recommend the traditional Sunday lunch, which is very comforting on cold, winter day. 

Another firm favourite is The Trout, a 17th century pub in Wolvercote, North Oxford. This pub is a great summer option with its large terrace which opens onto the river Thames, it is a perfect place to sit and slowly sip on cold drinks on a summer’s day. I would recommend a gin and tonic (double). The Trout is also a form favourite in Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse novels and in the television adaption. You may spot a star here while enjoying a pint!

Another absolute cracker of a pub is the Perch Inn. Ensconced in the heart of beautiful Port Meadow, this 17th Century pub has been a place of much pleasure for all the Oxford community. In the winter months, the blazing wood fire oozes a warm tingly feeling throughout, and in summer its delightful beer garden overlooks the weeping willow trees and meandering waters of the river Thames. The garden also boasts a giant Alice in Wonderland-style chess set and a children's recreation ground to keep the little ones entertained.

Finally, it would be rude to talk about pubs in Oxford without making reference to one of the city centre's finest (and oldest - 13th Century would you believe!). Yes, you've guessed it, it's the Turf Tavern. Anyone who has been (including Bill Clinton, a regular visitor in his University days) will tell you  that this hidden gem has a very special feeling about it.  The mouth watering selection of real ales and the top quality traditional pub food it serves is a killer combo.

I think you will agree that a pub crawl in Oxford is more than just a beer or two in any old boozer. We, at OISE Oxford, see it as a cultural experience which is why it makes a regular appearance on our leisure programme. Even if beer and ale is not your 'cup of tea', grab a pie and a glass of OJ and soak up the traditional vibe of Oxford's Dreamy Pub Scene.

Hooray for Haggis: It’s Burns Night Tomorrow!

Burns night is one of the quirkier festivals in the UK calendar and is celebrated mainly in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It is a celebration of the life and poetry of famous Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759–1796), who wrote mainly in the Scottish dialect. Amongst many other things he wrote the lyrics to the well-known New Year’s ditty, Auld Lang Syne. Typically Burns Night is celebrated with a traditional Burns Night supper which is held on or around Robert Burns’ birthday on 25^th January. The first suppers were held at the end of the 18th century by Robert Burns' friends on 21st July, the anniversary of his death, and have been a regular occurrence ever since. The meal has 3 essential features: haggis, Scotch whisky and poetry.

The Meal

The Burns Supper traditionally begins with the Selkirk Grace, a thanksgiving poem said before the meal:

Some hae meat and canna eat,

And some wad eat that want it;

But we hae meat, and we can eat,

And sae let the Lord be thankit.

This precedes a starter of  ‘Cock-a-Leekie’ soup, unsurprisingly containing chicken and leeks and thickened with barley.

Then comes the real star of the show! It may sound unappetising but haggis is a savoury pudding containing sheep's heart, liver and lungs minced with onion, oatmeal, suet and seasoning, traditionally encased in the animal's stomach. This is served with "neeps and tatties" (turnip and potato) and washed down with a glass of Scotch Whisky.

During formal celebrations, an elaborate ceremony surrounds the presentation of the haggis involving the playing of bagpipes on its entry and the recitation of the ‘Address to theHaggis’. 

Various toasts are proposed throughout the evening, resulting in the consumption of many a glass of whisky.

Celebrating Burns Night in Oxford?

Why not go for a 3 course Burns Night Supper at The Crown or The Eagle and Child pub in Oxford which is being served all this week from Monday 20^th - Sunday 26^th January?

Alternatively pick up a haggis from the butchers in the Covered Market and cook up your own celebratory meal following the recipe here.

Battle of the Capitals: London vs Paris

London mayor Boris Johnson’s recent claims that London ‘is without doubt the greatest city on the planet’ did not go down well with the deputy mayor of Paris who in response described London as ‘a "suburb" of Paris, that is less safe, and less attractive for families.’ London may have just overtaken Paris in terms of visitor numbers but which is better?

Attractions

From a sight-seeing point of view, both cities are home to some of the world’s best-known tourist attractions. Paris boasts the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Sacre Coeur whilst London has Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s and the Tower of London. It’s a tough call.

Museums and Galleries

Paris is without a doubt a great place for museums and galleries - you’ve got the Louvre, the Centre Pompidou and the Musée d'Orsay. However when it comes to free entry, London has it covered with a wide range of attractions including the British Museum, the V&A, the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery, the Science Museum, the Tate, all of which you can visit without parting with any cash! And what’s more, it saves all that pesky queuing too.

Day Trips

The vast chateaux of Versailles and Fontainebleau await visitors to Paris looking for a decent day trip. By contrast, Windsor Castle doesn't quite match up. And for children, Disneyland beats Thorpe Park every time. Paris takes it.

Hotels

When it comes to a place to lay your weary head after a hard day’s sightseeing, there is not much in it in terms of prices and variety. The average hotel in London will set you back £116 as opposed to £128 in Paris and both have an extensive range to choose from.

Restaurants

There is no doubt that London’s selection of eateries is more varied, however at the top end, Paris is unrivalled with 11 restaurants boasting 3 michelin stars in contrast to London’s two. It also has many more independent coffee shops, whereas London is dominated by chains like Starbucks, Costa and Caffè Nero.

Transport

Londoners might moan about delays on the Tube, and the fact that it closes shortly after midnight, but London’s metro system covers a far greater area, is cleaner, and has far fewer irritating buskers. When it comes to taxis however, London’s are the most expensive in the world  On the other hand though they are supposed to be more reliable. And, thanks to the Congestion Charge, the city centre is far less traffic clogged. 

Weather

This is a bit of a no-brainer with Paris lying further south although both cities are equally prone to showers. On average, Paris is a few degrees warmer in both the Easter and Summer holidays and Parisiens enjoy more hours of sunlight too.

Nightlife

Paris may be the home of cabaret and has a decent number of trendy bars but London has everything you could possibly want from a night out, from historic pubs to super clubs. Its music scene is also top notch.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a leisurely weekend of sightseeing with a better chance of decent weather and haute cuisine, Paris is the city for you. But if you’re short of cash and still keen for the culture, London is where it’s at. And if neither of those float your boat, why not come to Oxford instead which has masses to offer when it comes to culture and less of the mahem!

Source: Telegraph Travel

UK’s Oldest Family Firms Share Secrets to Success

Incredibly, some of Britain’s oldest family firms have been around for almost 500 years, surviving multiple wars, plagues and recessions. But just what is the secret to their success? In a new series of documentaries by the BBC entitled ‘Hidden Histories: Britain's Oldest Family Businesses’, the UK's most longstanding firms share their top business tips, some of which can be found below:

1. Butchers: RJ Balson & Son - Established 1515

Records show Robert Balson first rented a market stall in 1515 in the "Shambles" - an open-air meat market where animals were slaughtered and blood would drip into the gutter on the street. Offering personal and attentive customer service has kept shoppers coming back over the centuries. Balson says he helps sort out his customers' problems from behind the counter. "Usually if they've got a problem it's because they are not eating enough meat," he explains.

2. Construction firm: R Durtnell & Sons - Established 1591

Since the financial crash of 2008 over 7,000 UK building firms have gone out of business, but Durtnell and Sons, based in Brasted, Kent, has remained afloat since the reign of Elizabeth I. Spotting new ways of working has helped the company thrive and in the early 1800s, owner at the time, Richard Durtnell, made a crucial decision to bring together all the craftspeople he needed, such as glaziers and bricklayers, in one yard. As a result of this innovation, he became one of the first general builders.

3. Bank: C Hoare & Co - Established 1672

With two branches in London, this independent bank can trace its origins back to the reign of Charles II when founder Sir Richard Hoare began trading as a goldsmith and banker. His clients included diarist Samuel Pepys and Charles II's widow Catherine of Braganza. The tenth and eleventh generations of the Hoare family run the bank today and the company says the secret to their longevity is adhering to their core values and ethos - "to treat others as we would wish to be treated".

4. Miller: Mornflake - Established 1675

William Lea started milling oats at Swettenham Mill in 1675 in Cheshire and 15 generations later the company is still trading. Current manager John Lea says constant innovation, investment and commitment to consumers is the key to staying in business. Innovation became particularly vital during World War Two. With home-grown, sustainable food a necessity in the war, then-owner Philip Lea was ordered by the Ministry of Food to leave the RAF and return home to Britain to "feed the nation".

5. Hatters: James Lock & Co - Established 1676

Following the great plague of 1665 and the great fire of 1666, wealthy residents from the City of London moved to the west of the city in search of clean air. Entrepreneurial shopkeepers spotted the exodus and opened up businesses in the emerging West End. Choosing the right location was crucial to establishing James Lock & Co. With a shop close to St James Palace, the firm became milliners to the gentry and the military and still supply hats to the royal family today. Over the years customers included Admiral Lord Nelson, Sir Winston Churchill and Charlie Chaplin, but its most famous product was the very first bowler hat in 1850.

Tune into BBC Four at 9pm on Wednesdays to watch the programme or read the full article at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25711108

Elementary My Dear Watson…

On 1st January 2014 over 9 million viewers in Britain tuned in to watch the BBC’s hit show ‘Sherlock’ with a further 3.5 million who watched later on catch-up. It also holds the record for the largest number of people tweeting about a drama during a broadcast on UK television (averaging at 2046 tweets per minute during the broadcast).  

But what is it about this show that makes it so appealing to the British public? A good deal of the credit for this lays at the door of the programme's creators Stephen Moffat and Mark Gatiss. They are both writers for another extremely successful BBC drama, ‘Doctor Who’, and are clearly very good at what they do. The story goes that they developed the idea for the series during numerous train journeys to the Doctor Who production base in Cardiff. 

However, I think that the person who deserves the most credit is the man who inspired both Moffat and Gatiss in the first place; the character of Sherlock Holmes himself, as created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 

It is not without reason that Sherlock Holmes has become the archetypal detective. 

Conan Doyle was a delightfully eccentric man and, in my opinion, something of a genius. In Sherlock Holmes, supported by his dedicated chronicler and best friend Dr. Watson, he managed to create a character who is both fascinating and almost superhuman in his wide ranging abilities and yet is somehow very believable and endearing as a person.    

When they first meet, Dr Watson says of Holmes "I had no idea that such individuals exist outside of stories”, which indeed they probably do not. However, when reading Conan Doyle’s stories it is impossible, if not to believe, then to at least hope that they do.    

Interestingly the phrase “elementary my dear Watson” that most people associate with the character of Sherlock Holmes was never used by Sherlock in any of the Conan Doyle stories. 

Neither, in the books, does he have a great love or attachment to deer stalker hats. 

These apocryphal elements of the Sherlock Holmes story have been toyed with in the BBC’s Sherlock (along with Watson’s moustache) in what I believe is a playful nod and a wink to fans of the original works of Conan Doyle.  

To find out more, tune in to the final episode in the latest series this Sunday at 8.30pm on BBC 1 or catch up on the series so far here.

Alternatively, if reading is more your thing, then why not read the first ever Sherlock Holmes story ‘A Study in Scarlet’ here.

Souper Soup

As the cold weather continues, it is the perfect time to turn to a warming bowl of soup.  Soup is the perfect meal choice for those who are ready to turn over a new healthy-eating-leaf in the New Year.  It offers the perfect opportunity to inject more vegetables into our diets following weeks of festive mince pies and mulled wine.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall raves that the ‘Classic British soups more than hold their own against any bouillabaisse, bisque, brodo or borscht…We invented fire. We roasted meats. We made pots. We cooked soup. That's the story of culinary evolution in a nutshell’.

‘On a cold winter's day, soup lifts the spirits, comforts, warms. It soothes us when we're ill and keeps us going when we're broke. It raises expectations at the beginning of a meal or – with the addition of that other unshakable staple, good bread – it can be the meal’.

I will be turning to a roast butternut squash and red pepper soup to lift my spirits, following a great recipe by James Tanner.  Another good office recommendation is the warming Thai pumpkin soup, favoured by some at OISE Oxford.  What soup will you be turning to?  We look forward to hearing.

Happy New Year!

From all the staff at OISE Oxford we would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year! We have seen many students come and go over the year and it has been an absolute pleasure to meet you all.

Later tonight the traditional new year's song 'Auld Lang Syne' will once again resound all over the world as 2014 commences. The song's title translates into colloquial English as "the good old days" or "back in the day" and its lyrics were originally written by well-known Scottish poet Robert Burns back in 1788, inspired by fragments of traditional songs from earlier times. But it was not until after his death that the tune emerged and it has since gained huge popularity all over the world, being translated into numerous different languages. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the lyrics, take this opportunity to swat up ready to join in the sing-song and click here to get to grips with the tune. Don't worry, the first verse and the chorus should be more than enough to get by!

AULD LANG SYNE

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

And auld lang syne?

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my jo,

For auld lang syne,

We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet

For auld lang syne.

And surely you'll be your pint-stowp

And surely I'll be mine

And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet

For auld lang syne!

Chorus

We twa hae ran about the braes

And pu'd the gowans fine

But we've wander'd monie a weary fit

Sin' auld lang syne.

Chorus

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn

Frae morning sun til dine,

But seas between us braid hae roar'd

Sin' auld lang syne.

Chorus

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere,

And gie's a hand o' thine,

And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught

For auld lang syne!

Chorus

For more on how this simple Scottish folk song became one of the world's most popular songs and what it means, visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-25402099

We are in “taint week”

Britain is currently in  “taint week”.  The in between bit between Christmas and New Year has been nicknamed by some the “taint week” – because t’ain’t one thing nor the other.

A typical week is on hold, with many British people enjoying a festive holiday.  For those who have returned back to work all is very quiet, with the majority of e-mails being sent receiving an 'out of office reply'.  It is a time to relax and enjoy the change in pace.  'This is a national deep breath, a communal duvet day, and a guilty pleasure that unites us all, whatever our religion. Unless, of course, you’re a shop assistant'.

A traditional activity/chore to complete between Christmas and the New Year is the 'thank you' letter, which has to include not only the initial 'thank you' for whatever Christmas gift, but also a thoughtful (and therefore rather difficult) paragraph which would make the reader feel valued.  Often, this letter writing task can be helped with a festive glass of sherry!

It is also a time for the brave and hardy swimmer to prepare for the New Year's dip.  Every year, thousands of Britons and people across the world take the plunge into coastal waters, rivers and lakes and in the case of the UK very icy waters.  Good luck to all who are going to take the plunge, don't forget your towel and maybe a hot water bottle...

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/christmas/9767609/The-week-that-unites-us-all-inone-long-deep-breath.html

Trip To The Pantomime?

For those of you who do not know what a pantomime is, it's a form of theatrical spectacle common in England during the Christmas season, generally adapted from a fairy tale and including stock character types who perform songs and dances, tell jokes, etc.  It is often referred to by the abbreviation 'panto'. Some of the more popular pantos include Jack and the Beanstalk, Aladdin, Dick Whittington and His Cat, Peter Pan and Cinderella.

If you haven't yet been to an English pantomime, it's definitely worth a go! The audience is primarily made up of families with young children, but the entertainment is for all ages. Typically they involve a lot of audience interaction and include frequent calls of "He's behind you!", "Oh, yes it is!" and "Oh, no it isn't!". The audience is always encouraged to boo the villain and "awww" the poor victims.

A healthy selection of pantos will be churned out across the UK this Christmas. The most popular place to see one in Oxford is at the Oxford Playhouse, and this year they will be showing Robin Hood. If you are interested and would like to find out more, click on the image below to be redirected to the website of the Oxford Playhouse.

Warming Beverages for the Weekend

As we get deeper into winter, it is natural to turn to warming drinks for comfort and cheer.  At this time of year the great British pub starts serving a super selection of warm drinks for the discerning punter.  My winter favourites include mulled wine, hot spiced cider and eggnog.  

Indeed, at the weekend to embrace the cold weather and as an offering to a Thanksgiving celebration I decided to make eggnog.  The result was rather mixed...  

Eggnog is a popular drink throughout the United States and Canada, and is usually associated with winter celebrations such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year. 

The origins and the ingredients used to make the original eggnog drink are debated. Eggnog may have originated in East Anglia; or it may have simply developed from a medieval European beverage made with hot milk. The ‘nog’ part of its name may stem from the word noggin, a Middle English term for a small, carved wooden mug used to serve alcohol.  The British drink was also called an Egg Flip.  It was during the 18th century when the drink crossed the Atlantic to North America.

I somewhat followed a combination of two recipes.  It consisted of milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, brandy, rum, nutmeg and also many lumps – which were not included in the original ingredient list.  The lumps I thought added extra texture, but sadly were not to everyone’s taste.  For future attempts I will consider using a sieve.

This weekend I would recommend to all readers to make a warming beverage as the temperature is set to plummet.  Here is a very handy list provided by BBC Food.  At OISE Oxford, we look forward to hearing the results.

"Afternoon Tea" by Stephen Smith

If you consult an English Dictionary, you will find that "tea" can be a drink or a meal.

High Tea is a (usually cooked) meal served in the early evening, when the children come home from school, in place of a somewhat later dinner or supper.

Otherwise, "tea" means Afternoon Tea, normally taken in the late afternoon, consisting of cake and a pot of tea - most often the black English breakfast tea. Popular cakes include crumpets and teacakes - the latter containing dried fruit. Both are eaten hot (the teacakes sliced), with butter.

The Queen, however, of Afternoon Teas is the English Cream Tea, a cornucopia of scones (small, round cakes made from flour, milk and a little fat), jam - most commonly strawberry jam - and thick, clotted cream (ideally, the famous, rich Devonshire clotted cream), again with a pot of tea. You slice the scones, spread a thick layer of jam on each half, and then a thicker layer of clotted cream on top of the jam. Two scones per person will probably suffice. On balance, this mini-feast probably excels even the Great English Breakfast as Britain's finest contribution to the pleasures of the table.

There are tea shops (or Olde Tea Shoppes) in many of our villages, so you can combine this delight - perhaps enjoyed in a typical English garden on a hot summer's day - with vigorous country walk, to burn off any extra calories absorbed.

Although we live in an increasingly global market, good scones, crumpets, teacakes, clotted cream, lemon curd, rhubarb crumble and other English specialities are usually difficult or impossible to find outside their country of origin - so make the most of them whenever you have the chance.

Have your Cake and Eat it!

Whilst British cakes may not have the world-renowned reputation of the French patisserie, they are nonetheless a delightful, and I would say essential, addition to the British diet. Not long ago we did a feature on the afternoon tea and no afternoon tea is complete without a good slice of cake to accompany a steaming cup of tea. As a huge cake fan myself (and I really would be huge if I ate all of the cakes in this blog post), I feel it is my duty to share the very best of British cakes with you so that you too can experience the pleasure of these delicious delicacies. Here are some of our favourites:

The Bakewell Tart (voted by Sam, our Client Manager)

I had the pleasure of visiting the birthplace of this specialty whilst visiting the quaint Derbyshire town of Bakewell, not far from my university in Sheffield. Mr Kipling put icing and a cherry on top of this shortcrust pastry treat, but the Bakewell pudding (a puff pastry and almond paste delicacy) is thought to have been made as a mistake by the cook of Derbyshire landlady Mrs Greaves who misunderstood her instructions.


The Scone (voted by Will, former Sales Executive)


A traditional choice, the humble scone is a must-try for anyone educating themselves in English specialties  Traditionally served topped with jam and clotted cream, the scone is of a bread-like consistency and originates from Scotland. Simple but tasty.



The Eccles Cake (my choice)

This lesser known treat is ram packed with flaky, buttery pastry and currants and can sometimes be topped with demerara sugar. It is named after the English town of Eccles in Manchester.





You may also like to try:- Victoria Sponge, Battenburg, Lemon Drizzle, a Chelsea bun, a Welsh cake or a Fondant Fancy.

Dig in!

Remember, Remember…

Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot...

If the British bonfire night traditions leave you stumped then hopefully this well-known 17th century rhyme will give you some clue as to what all the fuss is about.

On this night in 1605, Guy Fawkes and his cronies famously tried and failed to blow up the Houses of Parliament with several dozen barrels of gunpowder, putting the life of King James I in peril. As a result of this treason he was sentenced to the cruelest form of execution – being hung, drawn and quartered, and people commemorate the failed Gunpowder plot to this day.

The rather gruesome tradition of burning effigies of Guy Fawkes is gradually dying out but not so the fireworks displays and bonfires which will be taking place all over the country this week. So if you happen to be in Oxford this Saturday, why not join in the festivities and head down to South Parks where yet another spectacular fireworks display will be lighting up the Oxford skies? Gates open at 5pm.