Do you want to buy local food and support local producers, but don't know where to start? This guide intends to provide real and local information to help. Where possible all the suggestions are recommendations based on the experience of contributors. Please do contact us if you have information you can share to make this guide more comprehensive. Send your comments or suggestions to jane.pendlenton@googlemail.com.

HOW TO GUIDES No. 2: BUYING LOCAL FOOD IN OXFORDSHIRE

***RECOMMENDED: OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION: visit http://www.local-food.net/, a local food directory for Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, put together by the BBO(Bucks, Berks and Oxon) Food Groups based at Oxford brookes University. It seems an excellent site, and you can download newsletters, look at events and search for a local food supplier or producer. 

THIS GUIDE:

1. Oxfordshire - county as a whole
2. Oxford City
3. Cherwell valley
4. West Oxfordshire
5. South Oxfordshire District
6. Vale of the White Horse

1. OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY

First stop: Daily Info Food Guide for excellent full listings and reviews, and the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Food Groups directory at http://www.local-food.net/. On Daily Info, look out especially for:

• ORGANIC VEGETABLE DELIVERY ('Box schemes'): 6 schemes, delivering within Oxon/Bucks area.
• FRESH PRODUCE, INCLUDING FARMS & MARKETS, see also a List of Farmers' Markets in Oxfordshire with full contact details.

Thames Valley Farmers Markets: full details for towns in the Thames valley region within Oxfordshire

2. OXFORD CITY

First stop: Daily Info Food Guide for excellent full listings and reviews of:

• ORGANIC VEGETABLE DELIVERY ('Box schemes'): 6 schemes, 4 producing in Oxon/Bucks area.
• FRESH PRODUCE, INCLUDING MARKETS: 5 markets within Oxford City
• ORGANIC MEAT: 6 shops, 3 within Oxford City
• FISHMONGERS: 2 static vendors in Oxford City
• BAKERIES: 5 recommendations in Oxford City
• DELICATESSENS: 13 recommendations inOxford City

RECOMMENDED:

• North Aston Organics- Vegetable Box Scheme
• Wolvercote Farmers' Market: every Sunday, til 1pm, Wolvercote Primary School. Breakfasts available.
• East Oxford Farmers' Market: every Saturday, 12-3pm, Manzil Way, off Cowley Road. Including stalls of locally made jams and chutneys- 'Jacob's Jars'. There is also a cafe at the market. See the link for details of stallholders updated every week. You can also contact the market administrator, Josie Webber on eastoxfordmarket@gmail.com, or phone number: 07769 828620.
• The Vaults Restaurant, St. Mary's University Church, and the Alpha Bar, Covered Market- local, organic, reasonably priced, healthy & delicious! Phone

3. CHERWELL VALLEY

a) Woodstock Farmer's Coop Market OX20 1SL: 1st Saturday of every Month, 0830am-1pm. Contact Suzanne Wilson on 01295 276771 for more details or see here.

b) Banbury Farmer's Coop Market, Cornhill, Market Place, Banbury, OX16 5LJ: 1st Friday of the month. Contact Suzanne Wilson on 01295 276771 for more details.

4. WEST OXFORDSHIRE (incl. COTSWOLDS)

a) Witney Farmers' Coop Market: 3rd Wednesday of every month, 0830am-1pm, Market Place, Witney OX28 4AZ. Contact Peter Williams on 01865 820159.

b) Charlbury Farmers' Coop Market: Saturday Quarterly, the Playing Close, Charlbury. Contact Roger Watts on 01608 811559.

c) Chipping Norton Farmers' Coop Market, OX7 5NA: 3rd Saturday each month, 08.30am-1pm. Contact Suzanne Wilson on 01295 276771.

5. SOUTH OXFORDSHIRE DISTRICT

a) Farmers' Markets in South Oxfordshire: details here

b) Sandy Lane Coop Farm, Milton, Tiddington OX9 2LA. Directions: see website or call 01844 279 269 

• Who: Charles and Sue Bennett
• Supplying: local organic fruit and vegetables (where not grown on the farm, this is mainly supplied from Herefordshire), local honey, bread, local meat, flowers.
• When: Market at the farm every Thursday, 2-6pm. Market in Oxford, 12-3pm, every other Saturday (alternate weeks there is another supplier) Asian Cultural Centre, Manzil Way, off Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1GH
• Home box scheme: Available in Oxford and surrounding area. A £10 box delivered to your door, once a week on Friday (apart from 4 weeks from Christmas) comprising vegetables grown at Sandy Lane Farm, in season, and supplemented with organic vegetables grown by other local growers or grown within Europe.
• YOUR COMMENTS: A very friendly farm and great food. I have tried the vegetables from here and the bread. Both were delicious. The local honeycomb honey was great too. The farm is in a  beautiful location although just off the M40 and you can see the sheep and cows if you bring children. I really recommend this farm. (J Pendlenton)

c) Thame Farmer's Market: Every second Tuesday of the month, 8.30am to 1.30pm.

d) Rectory Farm, Stanton St. John. 20 minutes from Oxford by car, 40 minutes by bike!
From the A40 Headington roundabout take road to the North signed Stanton St. John 2m. Follow farm signs after 0.75m. Update from Oxford's Daily Info: 
Tel 01865 351677 for crop reports, 01865 351214 for the office or 07966 246388 for orders. Email rectoryfarm@farmline.com
15/05/2007: Asparagus available for picking Tue/Wed/Thu 2-6pm, Sat & Sun 9.30am-1pm. £3.90 per kilo; discounts on larger amounts. Strawberries from May 20th. Other fruit and lots of other veg (including lettuce) to pick or pre-picked. Meat from local butcher available Tue-Sat 8.30am-5.30pm. Info: 01865 358933. Also café and children's entertainments at weekends. Open daily, 9.30am-7pm. Easy disabled access.

6. VALE OF THE WHITE HORSE

a) Abingdon Farmers' Coop Market: 3rd Monday of the month, 08.30am-1pm, Old Station Yard
(off Stert Street), Abingdon. Contact Peter Williams on 01865 820159.

 b) Recommendations from Daily Info (http://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/guide/shopping/food.html#fresh)

Millets Farm Centre, Kingston Road, Frilford, Abingdon
Tel 01865 391266 Crop reports: 01865 391555
Large selection of fruit and vegetables plus dairy products, fish, patisserie, wine, meat, garden centre & restaurants, children's area etc. Farm shop open 7 days a week, 9am-6pm. PYO starts beginning June and will be 9am-5pm daily. Maize maze in July. Free tractor rides may be available on weekends in summer.

Peachcroft Farm, Radley, Abingdon
(Leave A34 at first Abingdon North exit. Left to roundabout; left into 12 Acre Drive - farm is 400 yds on left.)
Tel 01235 520094
PYO: many kinds of berries (strawberries expected end May 2007) and peas, also potatoes, asparagus (available now, April 2007), etc. Farm Shop has soft fruits, vegetables, cream, free-range eggs, free-range poultry, cakes, pies, preserves, fruit juices, and honey. Easy disabled access. Tractor rides, apparently. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm, Sun 10am-5pm. Farm shop has these hours too, all year round.

c) Didcot area, Recommended: 2 local farm shops, both selling fruit, veg, eggs and meat.

• Steventon Hill: Q Gardens
• Old Farm Shop, Harwell: grow without chemicals tho' haven't applied for Soil Association recognition.  Vegetable box scheme.

d) Wallingford, Recommended:

• Just Trading, Wallingford: run by a co-operative, selling organic foods from Infinity; Traidcraft; and Bio and Ecover refills
• Down to Earth, Wallingford: locally sourced fresh foods (within 30 miles radius)

 

Appendix: Information about Oxfordshire as a region: towns and districts

Look at a map showing the 17 major towns in Oxfordshire, with info about each: http://www.oxtowns.co.uk/