The Head Of The River is closed for a full refurbishment and reopening at the end of March, exciting news for one of Oxford's most iconic pubs, we in need of an update.

St Clement's legendary Pink Giraffe chinese restaurant has closed after decades in the hospitality industry.

The King Arms in Woodstock has been sold to Fullers apparently, again we wait to hear what the pub chain's plans are for the upmarket pub and hotel.

The ever growing Oxfordshire based House of Jacob group, founded by Damion Farah and Johnny Pugsley, have officially taken over the lease on Bicester based hotel, The Plough, on North Street road.

The foodie duo already have four venues under their belts, consisting of Wolvercote based Jacobs Inn, their original venue Jacobs & Field in Headington, the soon to be revamped Jacobs Chop House up the road, and their other hotel, The Woodstock Arms. The latest addition to the group is owned by Greene King and will see Woodstock Arms manager Owain Llwyd Jones set up the new venue.

Johnny Pugsley, co-founder of the House of Jacobs group, commented: “We always knew we wanted a presence in Bicester, it is such a beautiful part of Oxfordshire so it was a no brainer to get the lease on The Plough when it came up.

"There’s some great boozers in the area and we want to add to with our classic House of Jacobs offering of local produce and great beer, as well as offering quirky, comfy rooms for people visiting the area.”

The Plough will open in April 2017.

A new pie on Pieminister’s menu at The Covered Market – a limited edition special - that might surprise the average pie eater, because the main ingredient is an insect.

The Hopper, available for British Pie Week (from the 6 March) is a Mexican-inspired cricket and black bean pie cooked in a rich tomato, chipotle chilli and sour cream sauce with fresh lime and coriander.

Increasingly, sustainability experts cite insects as a high-protein, low-fat alternative to eating other meats. A green and economical way to preserve the environment, insects could become a regular feature on western menus in the future. Pieminister hopes that The Hopper will challenge peoples’ preconceptions of what eating insects can be like and help raise awareness of the environmental issues surrounding sustainable sourcing for food production.

The Hopper is one of three specials on Pieminister’s Pie Week menu as they’re also bringing back two old favourites from their recipe archives:The Big Cheese: a mature English Cheddar, onion and buttered potato pie with a cream cheese & chive middle and The Guru: a British Lamb Dhansak curry pie made with Chana Dahl, spinach & chickpeas.

To celebrate pies in all their glory, Pieminister will be serving their extended pie menu - including these three specials and their gluten free pies, with mash for just £5. This offer is available at Pieminister in Oxford for British Pie Week, from the 6-12 March.

Wadham College will host 10 international wine producers at Love Wine, Woodstock, Portfolio Tasting on Thursday March 2 from 11:30am including the launch of a 2016 vintage iconic Rosé - Whispering Angel from Chateaux D’Esclan producers of the worlds most expensive Rosé - also on taste.

The international line up will be: Crociani - Tuscany, Italy, Geoff Merrill - McLaren Vale, Australia, Backsberg - Paarl, South Africa, Fincas de Azabache - Rioja, Spain, Familia Schroeder - Patagonia, Argentina, Finca Sophenia - Tupungato Valley, Mendoza, Argentina, Mount Difficulty - Central Otago, New Zealand, Bluebell Vineyards - Furners Green, East Sussex, De Wetshof - Robertson Valley, South Africa, Chateaux D’Esclan - Provence, France. Will launch the 2016 vintage of their internationaly famous Rosé Whispering Angel at this tasting. Together with other New and Old World wines selected from the Portfolio.

The tasting will take place in the historic Dining Hall at Wadham College. A hot lunch will be served from 12:30pm.