Good places to eat and/or hear jazz: well you can do both at the Dog House (near Abingdon) on a monthly basis. I have special needs with respect to restaurants due to a pesky little nut allergy so, personally, I look for ones where I am least likely to, um, croak! Having said that, I am rather fond of the Loch Fyne Fish Restaurant in Jericho, Oxford ...no points for guessing their speciality! They do the most wonderful sashimi dish! They do also serve venison in the most wonderful sauces! However, for obvious reasons, I don't eat out much but I do love to cook for friends. I'm particularly fond of venison and quail (the latter is wonderful stuffed with an apricot, cranberry, brandy and nutmeg mix which I invented and then roasted in a big pot - I usually do two per person). I also make a stonking good courgette/mushroom/cream lasagne. (Dieters need not apply!) Happy eating! Cheers Trixi

Hi again Helmut - just thought of some more venues: Raymond Blanc's Quatre Saisons is near by, but I would need to find a sugar-daddy to take me there; and excellent jazz can be heard at Oxford's The Spin on Thursday nights. There's also a Maison Blanc in Jericho (near to the Loch Fyne fish restaurant). I've found the food variable there - often good, occasionally neutral, but they do nice marguerites! Cheers, Trixi