Staff and customers at a popular Oxford cafe are to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

The Vaults and Garden is situated in a historic building with a vaulted ceiling which is owned by the University Church of St Mary the Virgin.

It opened in August 2003 and a series of activities are now being organised to celebrate the occasion.

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Will Pouget, who runs the cafe near the Radcliffe Camera, said it was important to celebrate the anniversary.

He added: "Following a private event, with a talk by Canon Brian Mountford, who was vicar at the church when we began, there will be a series of public events in September, which our customers can book on Eventbrite.

"There will be coffee tastings and meet the producer events.

"We want it to be very convivial and not too formal."

Oxford Mail: Will Pouget with some scones

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The Pouget family moved to Oxford in 1988, following the success of the Oxford Cheese Company shop, which was opened in the Covered Market 40 years ago by Robert Pouget.

In the early 1990s the family began selling vegetarian deli items on a small counter within the cheese shop, which reflected a passion for a more vegetarian-based lifestyle The counter was called Vegetarian Heaven.

Will Pouget returned from London to Oxford, leaving a career in environmental film production to open a dedicated vegetarian deli and salad bar called the Alphabar in 2000.

Following this, in August 2003 William and Robert Pouget opened the Vaults & Garden, which was fulfilling a family dream to serve vegetarian and heathy food in an affordable cafe using seasonal organic local produce.

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Will added: "We started being supplied by Worton Organic Garden (now Worton Kitchen Garden) in Cassington with their knobbly Heratidge vegetables, buying all their surplus.

Oxford Mail: Will Pouget in the Vaults & Garden cafe

"We are also from supplied from Hampton Gay near Kidlington with vegetables and also their long horn beef."

The Vaults and garden has become an oxford institution for its generous breakfasts and lunches as well as freshly baked scones served with homemade jam and relaxed hospitality.

Its unique Oxford Cheese Rarebit is made using pasture-fed Cerne Abbas cheddar and sourdough bread from the Hamblin Bakery.

And the Goats Cheese soufflé uses Goat Curd from Norton and Yarrow in Long Wittenham.

The cafe's shade-grown coffee is from a small family farm which Will has visited in Colombia and is roasted by Missing Bean roastery.

Gatineau supplies croissants and pastries.

Out of 20 different organic loose leaf teas several come direct from an organic Darjeeling tea estate.

To book an event visit the Vaults & Garden cafe website for more details.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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