* Where some people see rabbits, pigeons and squirrels as serious pests, Rosie Barham sees delicious free-range meals. Rosie is a time-served game cook and knows all kinds of ways of turning a tree-rat into a tasty treat, a woodpigeon into the perfect pie, and a rabbit into a roast to remember.
Rosie will be cooking up a storm and demonstrating some of the recipes in her new recipe book Delicious Vermin! at its official launch at the CLA Game Fair at Blenheim Palace this weekend. Find her slaving over a hot pan as you cross Bladon Bridge, near the fishing tuition area.
Published by Mpress Ltd, Delicious Vermin! costs £14.99 and is available at calmproductions.com
* The Plough Wolvercote is holding a fundraising Family Fun Day on Sunday from 11am to 7pm, boasting a dog show, live music, bouncy castles, inflatable games, face painting, art and crafts, fabulous stalls, dance displays, an ice cream cart, cider bar, a raffle and of course food served all day.
The village pub is fundraising for Camren, a local three-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. He has been offered the chance of a life changing operation in America, but £65,000 needs to be raised to send him to a specialist physiotherapy centre, where, with intensive care, he will gain the strength and skills to independently sit, crawl and maybe even walk.
* The Manor at Weston-on-the-Green has partnered with award-winning English sparkling wine company Nyetimber to create an exclusive summer food-lovers package which includes an overnight stay, dinner in the Baron’s Hall where guests will be able to sample the summer tasting menu, and breakfast the following morning. The special seasonal tasting menu showcases the best local ingredients, including British lamb, strawberries and gooseberries, all served alongside a specially curated flight of Nyetimber pairings.
For serious foodie fans, there is the chance to upgrade to the summer cookery school package, which features an additional bespoke three-hour cookery lesson with The Manor’s Executive Head Chef Larry Jayasekara.
The package is available from £485 per couple, with the cookery school upgrade available from £645 per couple until September 2014.
Call 01869 350621 or see themanorweston.com
* This weekend is Cancer Research UK’s Big BBQ Weekend, aiming to encourage men and women from across the UK to turn the heat up on cancer and BBQ to raise money for the charity. Just organise a BBQ for the weekend with your friends and family and raise money for a worthwhile cause by asking people that attend to make a donation.
Sign up at cruk.org/BBQ n With festival season well underway, order a delicious Carluccio’s picnic hamper and collect on the day from Bicester Village.
Priced at £45, each picnic hamper serves two and contains generous portions of regional Italian dishes, made fresh on the day and presented in a reusable cool-bag with a £10 children’s picnic also available.
The ‘classic’ hamper is a full spread. Starters include mixed olives; lemon and thyme focaccia; and savoury tarts with spinach, ricotta and pine nuts. Follow with corn-fed chicken supreme with parsley and pancetta served with a potato, olive and saffron salad on the side, a Ferreto pasta salad with oven-roasted vegetables and a pesto dressing along with a green bean, cannellini, farro and rocket salad. Dessert includes individual strawberry tarts.
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