Vanbrugh House Hotel, St Michael's Street

The Vanbrugh House Hotel has been a fixture in St Michael's Street for a while now, but the only time I'd previously been in, a couple of years ago, was to point to the reception staff it might be better if they stopped calling their restaurant a 'brassiere' (sic) on the sign outside. Not the kind of thing I do normally, but it had been annoying me for months. I think the rather uninterested response (though they did say it was about to be changed) was one reason why I didn't proceed to try the restaurant, but as I continued to walk past I decided that two courses for £9.95/three for £12.95 sounded like a good deal, and at least there was no underwear involved.

The Jam Factory, Hollybush Row

Anyone who arrives in Oxford for the first time by train must be unimpressed by the bleakness of Frideswide Square just outside the station. But it is enlivened by the Jam Factory, a splendid brick building where Cooper's Oxford Marmalade was originally produced. It's now made elsewhere, which is rather sad, as a delicious smell of boiling oranges must once have wafted over the city.

Fishers, St Clement's

I grew up by the sea, but I've learnt by now not to miss the cry of the gulls, the salt spray in the air and all the other maritime clichés: Oxford must be about as far from any coastline as it's possible to be. So at first sight Fishers was a bit of a curiosity. It serves almost exclusively fish and shellfish (on a main menu of 23 items I counted two vegetarian dishes and a single meat option; that's not including the various shellfish platters), sourced and delivered daily from all over Britain.

Pierre Victoire, Little Clarendon Street

It's well known that if you go to a restaurant in France a good way of maximising your chances of eating well at a reasonable price is to choose from the set menu du jour. Such menus have of course made their way to the rest of the world; still, it may not be surprising that lunch at the French-run Pierre Victoire (three courses for £10.90) represents the best quality/price ratio that I've found so far in Oxford.

Gino's, Gloucester Green

Gino's is not found in one of Oxford's more glamorous locations: situated amid the glorious 80s brickwork of Gloucester Green, it affords an excellent view of the bus station. Still, the garish turquoise exterior hides a rather pleasant dining room with an impressive map of Italy on the the ceiling and in any case the restaurant is usually busy and offers a good value 'two courses [or, more precisely, one and a half] with a drink for £8' lunch deal. However, our meal didn't exactly outshine the surroundings.

Quod, High Street

Unlike its more secluded sister establishments the Old Parsonage and Gee's, Quod is right in the centre of Oxford, ready to catch passing trade from students, tourists, and those like us who find that the restaurant they intended to visit is closed. Accordingly you could say that it doesn't - necessarily - have to try too hard, and indeed I've heard mixed reports of the à la carte menu from several people. However, I'd previously enjoyed the popular weekday set lunch (£11.95 for two courses, £15.90 for three) and was happy to give Quod a chance again. It was a fortunate decision.

[Out of Oxford] Westover Hall Hotel, Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire

The back of the hotel. It could almost have been a summer's day (bitter December winds not shown).

If I ever spent Christmas in a hotel, it would have to be somewhere like Westover Hall, with its grand entrance hall overlooked by stained-glass windows, cosy wood-panelled rooms and spectacular views across to the Isle of Wight. This would be a good place for pretending that most of the twentieth century never happened (especially if Downton Abbey was booked up). But as my parents live a few minutes' drive away, I'll probably never get the chance. Still, for non-residents Westover offers two dining options: Vista Bistro, and the fine dining One Park Lane restaurant (the name isn't as pretentious as it sounds, as the hotel address is Park Lane). Fine dining seemed a bit much for a Wednesday lunchtime a few days after Christmas, so we went for the bistro, and its three courses for £20 menu, which included a strangely unadvertised glass of wine (it also turns out that you get one course free if you book in advance). Nevertheless, I thought that the influence of One Park Lane could be discerned in our meal - at least, in two of the three courses.