A lunchtime treat at the Castleyard Cafe Oxford

A lunchtime treat at the Castleyard Cafe Oxford

Monkey and I were spending a day in our county city recently and we were invited to have a lunchtime treat at the Castleyard Cafe Oxford.  The cafe is right next door to the Oxford Castle, and only a few minutes walk from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Actually it’s a little oasis of peace, light and airy and by the looks of the cakes on offer, we would eat well!

A lunchtime treat at the Castleyard Cafe Oxford

The Castleyard Cafe had a bit of a makeover earlier in the year and was relaunched with a new name, new look and a new menu.  We’d not been before so I can’t comment on the transformation, but I certainly like the feel of it now. The team pride themselves on offering locally sourced items, from the breads in their deli style sandwiches, through to their cakes and ice creams.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a lunchtime treat at the Castleyard Cafe Oxford, as the website doesn’t show their menu.  Eating out with a fussy eater of a 6 year old can always be a rather tricky experience.  I have a child who will eat all sorts of things at home, but when we’re out – not a chance.

A lunchtime treat at the Castleyard Cafe Oxford

We were meeting Emma from Bubbablue and Me for lunch and we’d arrived just before her.  Monkey took the opportunity to sit down and survey the menu.  The cafe offers soup, deli style sandwiches, pies and I also spotted a beam salad and couscous.  I knew Monkey would probably not eat anything on offer.

Emma arrived and we both agreed that The Healthy sandwich with Chicken and Avocado sounded lovely. Sadly there had been an issue with some deliveries and this option wouldn’t be available.  I decided on The New Yorker with Pastrami, Emmental and Gherkins on Rye.  But what about Monkey? In the end we decided on The Italian with no rocket or tomatoes.

Of course, when it arrived Monkey decided he wouldn’t eat mozzarella either (loves it at home).  We were then told that they had cheddar available.  Lovely, the sandwich was changed and he had a Mortadella and Cheddar sandwich in the end.

A lunchtime treat at the Castleyard Cafe Oxford

There are a whole host of drinks options available, I settled for a Coke with plenty of ice and Monkey had his favourite, an Apple Juice.  We’d left him to pick a table for us, and he decided a seat with a view would be best.

A lunchtime treat at the Castleyard Cafe Oxford

I didn’t notice it until we were leaving, but we were sat next to a bookcase full of books for all ages.  I wish I’d noticed it earlier as my sandwich got forgotten and Monkey was getting a bit fractious, waiting for his mother to eat.

I thought Monkey might have gone for one of the Judes Ice Cream tubs, but no, he thought that a Calipo lolly was in order.  Emma and I had both been drooling over the cakes, she had opted for the Stout and Chocolate cake, whilst I was sold on the Peach and Raspberry cake.  Both were devine, served with fresh coffee and hot chocolate to end our meal off nicely.

 

I hadn’t realised that free wi-fi was also available in the Castleyard Cafe until I got home.  I might have missed the signs in the cafe for that.  There are baby changing facilities and the cafe prides itself on being breast-feeding friendly.  Personally, to make it more family friendly, a few less ‘fussy’ standard sandwich options would go down well.  I know my son isn’t the only child who likes the plainer things in life.  But the food we did eat was tasty and fresh and you could tell that the staff really cared about what they were selling.

With full tummy’s it was time to head over to the Castle for our Oxford Castle Unlocked experience.  Read more about that later in the week.

You might like to pin for later if you’re visiting Oxford?

A lunchtime treat at the Castleyard Cafe Oxford

disclosure:  we were given a voucher to cover the cost of our lunch in exchange for an honest review

 

 

2 thoughts on “A lunchtime treat at the Castleyard Cafe Oxford

  1. It was a shame about the limited choice at the time we went. But the food was nice and it’s something different to the chains which are in the castle complex area. Nice to catch up too.

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