Oxford’s first vodka, gin and whisky distillery employs heritage grains from the surrounding countryside to make its organic spirits, investing in regenerative farming techniques last used in the early 1900s. The distillery is located in South Park, a short walk from the city centre, and is one of the few to use a “grain-to-glass” process, rather than buying in a neutral spirit from other sources. Gin enthusiasts will love the immersive tasting tour, which offers the chance to sample iterations infused with plants from Oxford Botanic Garden.

Since its days as a turquoise tuk-tuk serving the farmers’ markets of Oxford, Jericho Coffee Traders has come a long way, with the company now serving matchless coffees from its High Street espresso bar as well as from its roastery in Osney Mead. Time it right and you can leave with beans straight out of the roaster. Aromatic small batches aside, be sure not to miss “doughnut day”, courtesy of local Tap Social chef Frideswide O’Neill. With flavours including blackcurrant jam and malted chocolate custard, it’s not only coffee drinkers who make a beeline for JCT.

Since its recent takeover, The Star has quickly become a hit with locals, drawing crowds for its pub quizzes, live music and famous Star Haus Lager – an exclusive brew from Cotswold Brew Co, described as being “light-bodied with delicate notes of elderflower, citrus and a sweet malt finish”. And, despite the arrival of The Star’s new owners, it remains a proper pub, with no food in sight beyond a bar snack or two (and we never say no to bar scampi). If the spacious revamped garden wasn’t enough, The Star’s reverse-BYOB scheme encourages punters to bring their own food, and there are also exciting weekend pop-up kitchens. Look out for residencies from the likes of Tippan Tippan Nepalese, Cranston Pickles and Lorencini.