Ashmolean Dining Room, Beaumont Street

I was going to begin this review with some thoughts on being a provincial food blogger: given that most Oxford restaurants charge less than their London equivalents, should we expect lower quality, or at least less finesse? Or does good food come at a more reasonable price outside the capital? I thought that the restaurant at the Ashmolean, which after its high-profile opening in 2009 was hailed as a significant new addition to the Oxford dining scene and reviewed in most national newspapers, would be an ideal testing-ground for my theories. Unfortunately, though, my experience there was disappointing by any standards.

[Out of Oxford] La Perle, Milford-on-Sea

Milford-on-Sea in Hampshire boasts a nice beach and a fine view across to the Isle of Wight, but this seaside village is not an especially appealing place in winter. On a cold evening in February the dark main street was lit up only by the lights of La Perle.