The first thing that needs to be said about Oxford’s sandwich supplies is: stay away from the chains. There are plenty of branches of Costa in central Oxford, and if you want over-priced under-filled pap I highly recommend them, but let’s talk REAL sandwiches here: great bread, generous fillings, interesting combinations. A desk-based lunch need never be dull again.
Top of the list is the ever-brilliant, ever-changing Olives (42 High Street, Oxford OX1 4AP). Their everyday selection of baguettes is brilliant enough, stuffed to the brink with the finest of fillings: superb freshly sliced parma ham or salami, buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes that actually taste of something, but their weekly specials is where they really show off. The rare roast beef, blue cheese, roast onion and rocket baguette is generally reckoned to lead the field, but there’s always something interesting on offer. I once even spotted them stuffing baguettes with huge chunks of lobster and garlic mayo. On top of that, they’re a decent deli, and if you pop in and choose a bottle of wine at lunchtime, they’ll have it chilled for you by the time you leave work in the evening.
Bread is often under-recognised as an important element in a sandwich: too many people are willing to accept a basic brown/white choice with no further questions asked. That’s the reverse of the situation at the relatively new Natural Bread Company’s Companion cafe, on Little Clarendon Street. As you’d expect from the makers of the best bread in Oxford, the focus here is on the gorgeous crusty rolls, chewy and slightly sour, but the fillings ain’t bad either. Last time I visited, the soft goat’s cheese was deliciously ripe and creamy, and the roasted vegetables actually had little charred bits on them: a far cry from the soggy mess of steamed aubergine served in many cafes. They also make an amazing coffee, with a choice of two different beans always on.
Bread is often under-recognised as an important element in a sandwich: too many people are willing to accept a basic brown/white choice with no further questions asked. That’s the reverse of the situation at the relatively new Natural Bread Company’s Companion cafe, on Little Clarendon Street. As you’d expect from the makers of the best bread in Oxford, the focus here is on the gorgeous crusty rolls, chewy and slightly sour, but the fillings ain’t bad either. Last time I visited, the soft goat’s cheese was deliciously ripe and creamy, and the roasted vegetables actually had little charred bits on them: a far cry from the soggy mess of steamed aubergine served in many cafes. They also make an amazing coffee, with a choice of two different beans always on.
Good bread is also at the core of the offerings at the Organic Deli Cafe on Friar’s Entry, where they also make their own bread. Their range of vegetarian fillings is particularly impressive (butternut squash and brie, anyone), and all their meats are free-range at least, if not organic too. My favourite is the “Free Range”: roughly hewn slices of chicken breast with a deeply savoury homemade basil pesto and sweet sundried tomatoes. This is for those days when you are really, really, hungry. They also have a small selection of vegan groceries.
On the other hand, the next two places focus firmly on fillings, cramming them into the smallest possible amount of flatbread required to transport them to your mouth. LB’s (253 Banbury Rd, Oxford OX2 7HN) do the most dangerous garlic and tahina sauces I’ve tasted in Oxford: I’ve been known to lick the paper their sandwiches are wrapped in to make sure I don’t miss any. Order the chicken or lamb shwarma wraps, stuffed with marinated smoky grilled meat, crunchy salad, and drizzled with plenty of those sauces before being gently warmed through. Then try not to order the baklava unless you like looking like Mr Creosote.
Najar’s on St Giles might look like a small newspaper hut, but there’s a reason why the owners have been made honourary members of the Balliol JCR, and it’s not their range of magazines. Selling possibly the best falafel in Oxford (in a close tie with Al Shami), you could just take them away as they are, but for best results get them in a pitta with hummus and tahina. Just keep nodding when they ask you about the massive range of extras they will offer you.
Finally, it doesn’t exactly count as a sandwich, but one of the best treats on a sunny day in Oxford is to grab a baguette and take a trip to the Oxford Cheese Shop in the Covered Market. Let the guys behind the till know what types of cheese you normally like, or what flavours you fancy that day, and they’ll talk you through various different options, tasting as you go. Once you’ve settled on a couple (or more, if you’re greedy), add some of their chutney and amazing butter, take the lot off to University Parks, and munch contentedly.
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