We only now seem to be getting the Arctic winter that was anticipated back in September but for some time it’s definitely been snowsuit weather for any littley venturing out under those bright blue skies into the great outdoors.

Which is all good and well, but we can’t wrap up faces, and those rosy little cheeks need to thaw out somewhere.

So where to go with a littley for a delicious hot chocolate when you’re out and about in Oxford?

The chains are always a safe bet for buggy-friendly accessibility and baby-changing facilities, but I find that due to the enormous footfall they receive, they’re rarely as clean as I’d like.

Plus, they’re chains, and when there are as many great independent coffee houses in Oxford, why settle for the ordinary?

My favourite hot chocolate in the city can be bought from the café at Modern Art Oxford – all kinds of delicious.

Blended with three types of chocolate, Modern Art Oxford cafe’s hot chocolate is a cup of sumptuous luxury with added pink and white mini marshmallows, and finished off with two chocolate sticks – a dipper’s delight!

Other easily accessible and exceptionally tasty hot-chocolate hot spots are The Chester in Iffley Fields (tricky to get over the threshold but once you’re in and sipping the dark stuff from one of their lovely china cups you won’t want to leave).

Beetroot on the Cowley Road is great, literally, the hot chocolates there are pleasingly generous.

Barefoot Books in Summertown doesn’t offer a relaxing experience, with lots going on, but it’s fun, and it’s got everything you need and more to keep a littley entertained as you slurp away to your heart’s content in their café.

In short, there are plenty of hot chocolates out there that are well worth going out in the cold for.

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