Kate’s really useful local (and not-so-local) directory

Okay, so it’s only a 15-minute walk from here to Carfax, but if you can’t make it into town, or don’t fancy braving the crowds, or would simply prefer to give as much custom as you can to local people, you’ll find loads of useful shops and eating and drinking places much nearer to home…. Stroll westwards along Botley Road and you’ll find all sorts — from an old-fashioned home-made cake shop, to an ironmongers, to a shop that sells fine Tuscan terracotta pots and planters, not to mention out-of-town shopping developments fairly bursting at the seams with builders’ merchants and DIY shops, computer superstores, furniture stores, well-known purveyors of household and electrical goods and cut-price European foodmarts. Nip over to the station and you’ll find a small Marks and Spencer and a Smith’s. Hop on to the bus (or cycle) up to Elms Parade for a Co-op, a butchers/greengrocers, a deli, a petshop, a dry cleaner — you name it.

Listed here are just a handful of really local shops (no more than five minutes’ walk away) that this island resident has found really useful over many years. If you have a favourite you’d like to see included, please email alan@hilcot.demon.co.uk giving location, phone number, opening times and a brief description of goods and services on offer—or, if they have their own website, just email the link.

More adventurous non-supermarket food shopping options also feature here.

Chemist
Pupinder, our very own award-winning pharmacist, is at Harris Chemist, 74 Botley Road (turn left off the island), telephone No. 01865 242649
. He is open from 9 to 5.30 weekdays and 9:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays. (If he’s closed, try the now misleadingly named 10 O’Clock Chemist, 59 Woodstock Road , telephone No. 01865 515226, which is open until 7.30 pm every day… And if they’re closed, try Boots, Oxford Retail Park, Ambassador Ave, Cowley, OX4 6XJ, telephone No 01865 717699, where the pharmacy is allegedly open until midnight.

Food and stuff
The Westgate Hotel on the corner of Mill Street (turn right off island) has a little shop that sells bread, eggs, milk, basic groceries and frozen foods, spuds, onions, etc., as well as ice cream, sweets, tobacco, beer, wine and spirits. Monday to Friday 8 am to 10 pm, Saturday 9 am to 10 pm and Sunday 10 am to 10 pm.

Or there’s Eggs Eggsetera: (turn left off island – tel (01865) 241900), where Joe and Linda Devlin have earned themselves s a well-deserved reputation for community-spiritedness, having worked tirelessly to continue to supply essentials to local people come hell or high water — okay, mostly high water. Eggs (obviously), bread that’s a cut above, groceries plus deli goods plus fruit and veg plus small selection of meat, plus coal, logs and kindling, plus newspapers. And Christmas trees when the time comes. If you haven’t got time to buy the raw materials and make your own sandwich, Joe prides himself on his filled baguettes; the shop does a lively takeaway trade at lunchtime. If Joe isn’t too busy and you ask him nicely, he will be happy to deliver heavy things.

Newsagent
Turn right along Botley Road and cross over Becket Street for Haris’s newsagent (19 Park End Street tel: 01865 791520). Opening times: Mon-Sat 5:30 am (!) to 21:00, Sun 6:00 to 20:00.

Estate agents
Pearce Alder (www.pearcealder.com) are just along the Botley Road and specialise in local property, especially on Osney Island. 33 Botley Road, Oxford OX2 0BN  Tel: 01865 246502  Fax: 01865 248482.

Bike sales and repairs
Turn left along Botley Road – Warlands (www.warlands-cycles.co.uk)

63 Botley Road
Oxford, Oxon OX2 0BS
01865 723 100
Open Weekdays 8:30am-5:30pm; Sat 8:30am-5:15pm

Non-supermarket vegetable and plant shopping, Pick your own, etc.
Medley Manor Farm, Binsey Lane, Oxford, 
telephone No. 01865 24125, pick your own and ready-picked produce. Asparagus available Tue / Thu / Sat, 12-6.30pm from May, and strawberries start at the beginning of June, from which point they are open 7 days, 9.30am – 7pm. Also broad beans, spinach, beetroot, garlic, etc.

Vegetable Boxes
Tolhurst Organic – produce deliver seasonal fruit and vegetables every week. Most of the vegetables are grown on their organic farm in South Oxfordshire and will have been harvested on the day of delivery. Our local delivery arrives at Oatlands Road on Wednesday afternoon. Contact Jane Ivemey on 01865 556151 for details of how to get started. Cut flowers are available during the summer months.

Riverford also deliver here. I can vouch for their boxes, even if they are a bit carrot heavy.

Farmers Markets, etc.
Organic veg and cut flowers are also available from the delightful David and Anecke at Worton Farm vegetable garden, Cassington. Or catch them at Wolvercote farmers market any Sunday between 10 and 1 pm. This farmers market, while not strictly local, is a little gem. A wide variety of stalls selling mostly organic local produce, with a pleasant little café area where you can read the paper over your cup of tea or your full English breakfast (winter only) while you wait your turn in the veg queue. Excellent bread from The Natural Bread Company (which has just opened a lovely little shop in Eynsham, incidentally). If you live on the island and you badly need a lift to Wolvercote farmers market or want to give me a shopping list, email me at katestewart@ntlworld.com. NB I reserve the right to say no if too many people take me up on this offer.

Gloucester Green also hosts a farmers market on the first and third Thursday of the month. NB Very useful for herbaceous plants and veg plants.

Comments, corrections and suggestions welcome!