Good afternoon,
With the summer holidays nearly upon us, we thought it an appropriate time to mention our summer closure. Although we have traditionally been closed for the whole of August, this year we will just be closed for two weeks to allow the team to rest, travel and spend some uninterrupted time with family and friends. We will be closed the weeks commencing the 10th and 17th of August at both the Iffley and Covered Market sites, so our last day open will be Sunday the 9th August and we will welcome you all back on Wednesday the 26th August. Our final pizza night (very possibly of the year) will be on the 2nd of August so order early to secure your spot.
The pastry counter this week is a true celebration of British berries: the almond and brown butter financier is filled with whole raspberries and topped with toasty flaked almonds in a nod to the classic Bakewell tart. At the weekend the Gâteau Basque returns filled with pastry cream and a tangy layer of compote made from the best of this summer’s soft fruit. We have jars of raspberry jam to fill your cupboards and as a special, a few pots of strawberry trifle in the fridge. Our trifle will be made from layers of strawberry compote, génoise sponge, custard, whipped cream and a sprinkle of toasted, flaked almonds. The vanilla bun also returns for the final few weeks of term for those of you who have lamented its absence.
Our pick of this week’s cheese is Whin Yeats. Made in Cumbria rather than Wensleydale’s more customary home in Yorkshire, Whin Yeats revives a tradition of making Wensleydale on-farm. Production is focused on a fairly quick set and drainage with a relatively short maturation to preserve its milky freshness. With a natural mould rind and bouncy texture, the flavours of this week’s batch are yoghurty and tangy with aromas of stone fruits. A great choice for a light dinner with oatcakes and a cold IPA. After a short absence, we also have St Helena back in the cheese fridge. An elegant washed cow’s milk cheese with a silky paste and notes of chanterelle mushrooms alongside its characteristic milky sweetness.
To finish, a brief mention of the sandwiches on offer over the coming week. You may have noticed that we have been increasing our range of filled heritage rolls of late, with tuna salad and salt beef & pickles joining the line up alongside our weekly specials. Our salt beef is expertly cooked by Andrea, thinly sliced and then served with German-style mustard, in house cucumber and onion pickles and slices of Ogleshield cheese. We will also have the very popular roast chicken sandwiches from the Covered Market this week at Iffley, as well as a black olive tapenade roll for the non-meat eaters. Made with Tanche olives from Provence and capperoni from Salina, our tapenade will be paired with some zesty whipped ricotta and sliced fresh tomatoes from Styan Family Produce. A little taste of Southern France for the warmer weather.
Enjoy!
The Hamblin Team
19th July 2026 Summer Closure