Finally, a post about coffee

Coffee. It's about time I talked a little about this 'Elixir of the Gods'. My blog name does contain the word so there should be some posts about coffee.

I wanted to revisit some of the lovely coffee shops in Oxford that I got to try. You can read about my visit there in this post.

Being in Oxford for just one day, or to be more exact, it was more like 8 hours, but lets no quibble. What I was trying to say was that I only got the opportunity to visit three cafes. Some might say that three was enough - or maybe too much, but not you my friends and fellow coffee aficionados. 

Lets begin the reminiscing. We came blame this stroll down memory lane on The Thrifty Anglomaniac's door, again.

So will I was meandering through the streets of Oxford, from the train station towards the university, I came up on this little gem. While I was there, I found out they are part of a charitable organisation called Crisis that provides education, training, and jobs for the homeless. 

The Starlight Cafe is one of the ways that they provide training and jobs while we, as patrons, enjoy a lovely cup of freshly ground and brewed coffee with snacks prepared fresh and locally sourced. I enjoyed a lovely Americano, two shots of espresso with hot water to fill up the cup. It tends to be strong and more of an intense coffee than just the regular brewed type. 

I did mention earlier that I went to three places in Oxford. My second place of coffee nirvana happened along Broad st, a little place called Cafe Creme. A lovely little sandwich shop offering freshly and locally sourced sandwiches, the Moroccan chicken couscous wrap was so good. I ate it as I walked back towards the university to meet up with my group. I am still kicking myself for not taking a picture but by the time I thought about it, it was completely gone, devoured. With this lovely spicy tumeric and cumin basted wrap, I had a lovely espresso shot served with a little strip of lemon zest. Delish!


Last but not least, as we were leaving the university to head back to the train station, I stopped by the Caffe Nero. Caffe Nero is a popular coffee chain  in the United Kingdom. This location is found within Blackwell Bookshop. I got to browse lovely books right across the street from Oxford University, plus indulge in some ... tea. Yes, my friends, I had some lovely, refreshing iced English breakfast blend tea. Oy vey was it hot, at least 98 degrees so I wanted something cool on the walk back to the train. Refreshing and crisp, a lovely amber color, the tea was served with a wedge of lemon and unsweetened. Just how I like it.


Alas, this coffee reminiscing has left me hunkering for a fresh pot of ... well, I think you know.
Cheerio!

My Oxford Blues

Lets take a break from the wine posts and talk about traveling. I was reading one of my favorite blogs, The Thrifty Anglomaniac. She posted about Oxford and mentions fabulous and thrifty things to do while you are visiting there. So go read it!


The City of the Dreaming Spires is full of old architecture and atmosphere. It is one heck of a college town. Oxford University with all of its various colleges, churches, and buildings dominates the city and it is one of the oldest universities in the world. There is so much history, such wealth of knowledge. There is also something for the Harry Potter fans!




You read correctly. The Restricted Section of the Hogwarts library was filmed at the Bodleain Library. The picture on the right is the entrance to the Bodleian, but the real beauty was the interior. The woodwork, the books, the age of the place transforms your experience into something magical.






Not to get too caught up on Harry, I wanted to mention some food. You all know how much I love food. As my last two posts have shown, food and wine are some of my most favorite things. I was only in Oxford for the day, and had to catch the train back to London in the afternoon. I would have loved to stay for at least another day or a week, or a year, but I did get to eat somewhere quite yummy. 








Have any of you heard of Tolkien or C.S. Lewis? Well, they were part of a literary group called The Inklings. They gathered to argue, eat, drink, and smoke at a pub called The Eagle and The Child or as the locals call it "the Bird and Baby". 

This pub has been around since the late 17th century. You find the dark woods and wooden beams expected in a pub so old, and also, the history. The food wasn't so bad either. I chose to have a burger, but not just any burger. No, it was a Boar and Chorizo Burger. Wow! This burger ended up being one of my favorite meals while I was in England. The taste, juiciness, spices, all made for a lovely rich gamy pork taste with a spicy paprika flavored smokiness. What a fantastic dish. It was served with chips (fries for us Americans) and a vinegar based coleslaw that I actually liked.

Well, I will leave you all drooling about this burger. I also hope this post will inspire some of you to either visit Oxford, or (this is for you CulinAIRy) try to recreated this lovely dish for yours truly.

Ta Ta my dears and cheerio!