It’s all kicking off with an incredible array off foodie focused events from literary dinners, spice challenge, immersive dining, game nights, Casino Royale, celebrity suppers, cruise & dine, wrestling, circus suppers, pumpkin week and Halloween! Here’s our pick of the best:
Autumn must be on its way because The Perch in Binsey has announced its annual game night dinner with wine pairing, on Friday November 6. Start with Perch-made mulled cider, Perch-smoked Devonshire duck breast, pan-fried Cotswold partridge breast, treacle-cured venison loin and finish with a warm plum & gingerbread pudding, caramelised plums, gingerbread, duck egg custard & chopped stem ginger. £90 per person. Book at 01865 728891
This Halloween, The Killingworth Castle in Wootton has teamed up with Secret Theatre to launch an immersive Halloween dining experience, SEVEN DEADLY SINS, running from October 29-31. Combining immersive performances with a specially created Halloween menu. Guests will become part of the story as they are told secrets and clues before they even step through the door, to help unravel the crimes before the evening is over. The Seven-Act Immersive Dining Menu includes snacks, bread, beef tartare, locally shot venison and a dark chocolate cremeux. Tickets cost £99 per person, with performances at 4pm and 8pm on each day. Come hungry. Wear a mask. And be careful whom you trust. BOOK HERE
The Coconut Tree in St Clements is inviting local diners to take on its new seven-stage Sri Lankan spice challenge, running until October 31. Guests will attempt to climb a “spice ladder” featuring everything from jalapeños through to Trinidad Scorpion and Carolina Reaper chillies, with successful challengers earning a place on the restaurant leaderboard and an exclusive reward they can use until the end of 2026. For £10 per person, guests can choose either a platter of Coconut Tree’s signature chicken wings or hot battered cauliflower and attempt to climb from the relatively mild Tuk Tuk Ride right through to the formidable Naga Fire, featuring Carolina Reaper chillies and a maximum five-alarm heat rating.https://www.thecoconut-tree.com/offers/the-tct-spice-challenge/
Treadwell at The Store, Oxford is launching a series of Literary Dinners in partnership with Blackwell’s Oxford. Each one pairs a great novel with British food, music and live readings. Rosemary Shrager opens the series on Friday November 20 with The Great Gatsby. She’ll read from Fitzgerald’s novel across a menu of devilled eggs, Oyster Rockefeller, sausage Wellington and lemon posset. Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility follows in March and Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited brings the series home to Oxford in June. Every guest takes home a copy of the novel, and £10 from each £95 ticket goes to Oxford hospice charity Sobell House. Book here https://treadwellrestaurant.co.uk
Live music and DJs at OXTWO in Summertown. On Sunday evenings from 6:30pm-8:30pm, guests can enjoy live performances alongside dinner, with the kitchen serving until 8pm. And then, on the final Friday of each month, OXTWO hosts a DJ night, bringing a vibrant energy to Summertown and keeping the music going late into the evening. https://www.oxtwo.co.uk/livemusic
The name’s Pigs, Five Little Pigs. Head down to the revered Wallingford restaurant on November 11 for its third collaborative event with Wallingford’s Corn Exchange, and this time it’s Bond as they shake our martinis for a Casino Royale themed day. With lunchtime/matinee and dinner/evening tickets available, there’s no excuse to miss out, and plenty of reasons to dress to kill. 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of Casino Royale, Daniel Craig’s first outing as 007, and it remains one of the best Bond films of all time. Tickets are limited and cost £55pp, including three course meal (dessert to takeaway), and cinema ticket. https://www.fivelittlepigs.co.uk/events/casino-royale
Holland & Holland Game Dinner, Feathered Nest, Nether Westcote – Thursday November 12. Celebrating the best of British game, Head Chef James Erasmus collaborates with Joshua Hunter, Head Chef at Holland & Holland on this six course Tasting Menu (£125pp). Expect game liver parfait choux bun with hot smoked pigeon pastrami, prune ketchup, hand rolled buckwheat garganelli with braised hare broth & autumn roots, mallard, partridge & fois gras pressing, a roast loin of sika deer with salt baked celeriac, smoked heart, preserved elderberry & peppercorn jus, then a peach & pumpkin custard tart with cinnamon & nutmeg ice cream and finally Tunworth Cheese with warm pear brioche & perigord truffle. https://thefeatherednestinn.co.uk
Monster Bash is back at Botley Taproom on October 25. Yes, the legends at United Wrestling UK are returning with all the non-stop, high-octane professional wrestling you have come to love from Oxford’s only regular wrestling show thanks to Tap Social. https://www.tapsocialmovement.com/pages/events
At KIBOU Oxford on Little Clarendon Street, an ambassador-led tasting dinner will take place on Thursday October 15 (£45pp), pairing guided sake tastings with a multi-course Japanese menu. Hosted by a sake expert, the evening explores a carefully curated range of Akashi-Tai sakes, each representing a different style and flavour profile. From light and crisp to rich and umami-led, each sake is paired with premium dishes from the menu, designed to show how beautifully sake works with food. BOOK HERE
The Folly in Oxford and Oxford River Cruises have joined forces to offer a fantastic new Cruise and Dine package. Pair a private river cruise with an exceptional meal. Board an elegant Edwardian River boat and enjoy the highlights of river life in Oxford accompanied by a glass of Prosecco, passing landmarks such as Folly Bridge, Christ Church meadows and the university boathouses. Then enjoy a stunning three course meal in The Folly restaurant. The cruise lasts approximately 45 minutes, advance booking is essential and hurry because the trip only operates between March and October. https://oxfordrivercruises.com/river-cruises/cruise-and-dine/
Flight Club becomes Fright Club on October 31 with an all day haunted house party and lots of different ways to join throughout the day including a Spooky Halloween Brunch complete with social darts, unlimited pizza, welcome cocktail and bottle of prosecco each, a Halloween Bullseye Challenge Hour with prizes to be won, fancy dress, and a live DJ playing Halloween classics all day. BOOK HERE
Celebrated chefs and television personalities Cyrus Todiwala OBE DL and Tony Singh MBE, collectively known as The Incredible Spice Men, will host an exclusive dining experience at The Oxford Belfry Hotel and Spa on October 14. This one-off event will bring together two of the UK’s much-loved chefs for an evening of social dining, conversation and exceptional food. The evening will begin with a welcome reception drink, followed by an exclusive, unscripted Q&A with Cyrus Todiwala and Tony Singh. Guests will hear about their culinary journeys, inspirations and passion for bold, flavour-led cooking. Then enjoy a four-course dining experience, with the menu cooked by The Incredible Spice Men themselves bringing together vibrant flavours, spices and ingredients for a memorable dining experience. £175 pp. Book here https://oxfordbelfryhotel.creventa.events/en-GB/events/book/erHlLRUs
It’s pumpkin week at The White Hart in Fyfield from October 27- November 1. Throughout the week they will be celebrating all things pumpkin! Enjoy a selection of pumpkin inspired dishes, alongside our signature pumpkin cocktail – all made using their homegrown pumpkins. https://www.whitehart-fyfield.com/events
Masons Arms, Clanfield. Fools Delight Circus rolls into town for one gloriously eccentric evening on November 5, of circus, supper and general mischief. Expect a four-course feast from Fools Delight’s Dave Cross, live music from The Silver Daggers, circus acts popping up throughout the evening and, because why not, fireworks to finish. https://www.countrycreatures.com/events/fools-delight-circus-supper-club/
Cherwell Boathouse, North Oxford, Game Tasting Dinner, October 29. Come for the venison tartare, stay for the dangerously decadent Calvados Baba. Six courses celebrating the best of the season with matching wines drawn up by Brice and Paul – it’s always a great evening! BOOK HERE
The Crown Faringdon has got into live music comedy! On the last Thursday of the month enjoy live stand-up FIND OUT MORE HERE that bring a “big city” comedy circuit feel to the intimate, historic setting of a traditional coaching inn, whilst on the first Sunday of the month its Open Mic night. Just rock up and play or simply enjoy the music. FIND OUT MORE HERE while every Saturday night there is live music in the bar.
