(Originally published on 10/12/2020)

With South Oxfordshire being in the new Tier 2 from 2nd December, pubs can reopen, but the tight restrictions (only single households permitted inside the pub and every customer must have a substantial meal!) mean that it will be an extremely uncertain and stressful period as licensees strive to get customers through the doors and keep their businesses afloat. The local South Oxfordshire CAMRA Branch has been in contact with all our pubs over the last week and we are pleased to report that over 100 of our pubs have reopened at this time. This is a magnificent effort. However, your local needs your help! Please do what you can to support our pubs, and our breweries, through this difficult time.

We have updated our Directory of the reopening details of all the pubs in our area to show the operating details of each and every pub. Many are offering special low-price menus with meals under £5 to tempt you back. In addition, several have gone to extraordinary lengths to set up outdoor heated and covered areas such as marquees, tents and pods, for which groups of up to six people from different households are allowed to meet up for a meal and drinks. These pubs have been highlighted in the Directory listings. Many are also continuing to offer takeaway food and drinks services and these are also shown.

Our local breweries and cider-makers are also continuing to provide drinks click and collect takeaway, off-sales or home delivery services. Details of these are also shown in the Directory. As ever, we are keeping this as a live document and updating it as frequently as we can. Please do check the links for each pub to find out further information and to book your table. If you are able to, then please do keep visiting your pub – they really do need your support and custom at this time to help them get through this crisis.

Graham Hards - Branch Chairman