Reviews by Natasha Turner
Virtual Pub Quiz
Natasha Turner
Returning to my hometown in January this year was fairly daunting. Would things be the same? How would new routines compare to old? Luckily for me, two friends had also returned to Oxford and we ...
5 years ago
Virtual Pub Quiz
Lussmanns
Natasha Turner
Knowledge and interest in where the food we eat comes from has increased over the past few years, both from a health and a sustainability perspective. It is now much easier to stay informed and make ...
5 years ago
Lussmanns
Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra: Tchaikovsky & Rachmaninov
Natasha Turner
There is a reason why Tchaikovsky’s
violin concerto in D and Rachmaninov’s symphony in E minor is such a popular
programme with professional and amateur orchestras alike. Both have enough ...
5 years ago
Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra: Tchaikovsky & Rachmaninov
Nathan & Ida: Double Bill
Natasha Turner
When Shropshire window-dresser-turned-gigolo George (pronounced with a soft ‘g’ the glamorous French way) meets cat burglar Frankie in Saint-Tropez, an unlikely friendship forms. Worried she ...
5 years ago
Nathan & Ida: Double Bill
Marsh Harrier
Natasha Turner
Slightly off the beaten track down Marsh Road, the Marsh Harrier isn’t necessarily the first Oxford pub that springs to my mind. But finding ourselves up those ways, we were enticed in by the ...
9 years ago
Marsh Harrier
The Gardeners Arms, Plantation Rd
Natasha Turner
Tucked away in the depths of Jericho, this vegetarian's haven boasts an impressive menu of veggie burgers, hotdogs, salads and sides. The place has been praised by veggies and the meat-inclined ...
9 years ago
The Gardeners Arms, Plantation Rd
Las Iguanas
Natasha Turner
Situated on the corner of Park End Street overlooking the Millstream, Las Iguanas is always packed out on a Friday and Saturday evening with people taking advantage of the generous cocktail happy ...
9 years ago
Las Iguanas
The Harcourt Arms
Natasha Turner
This is a lovely little pub, tucked cosily away on the corner of Cranham Terrace, just barely out of reach of the yuppie/hipster Jericho takeover. Drinks are reasonably priced for the area (I did ...
9 years ago
The Harcourt Arms
Royal Shakespeare Company, Summer 2015
Natasha Turner
Ben Jonson's Volpone is at the RSC and director Trevor Nunn is keen to prove its relevance. But greed, scams and schemes will probably always be relevant, and Nunn might have done better to focus his ...
9 years ago
Royal Shakespeare Company, Summer 2015
Sushi Corner
Natasha Turner
There are many overlooked gems on the Cowley Road and Sushi Corner is definitely one of them. A bit scruffy and unremarkable from the outside, once inside the place is clean, bright and delightfully ...
9 years ago
Sushi Corner
Così fan tutte
Natasha Turner
Mozart’s comic opera, Cosi fan tutte, will forever be celebrated for its genius. It’s raunchy, it’s bolshy, and its jokes remain fresh and its story poignant even to this day. As two soldiers ...
9 years ago
Così fan tutte
Cult Screens - Oxford
Natasha Turner
For their third year running, Cult Screens are back in Oxford, holding cinema screenings in outdoor venues around the city. Until September, they will be showing a range of classics and new ...
9 years ago
Cult Screens - Oxford
Mamma Mia Pizzeria (Jericho)
Natasha Turner
I can’t believe that living in Jericho, I had never been to Mamma Mia Pizzeria before last week. It was honestly the best pizza I’ve had in Oxford and it’s right on my doorstep! Then again, ...
9 years ago
Mamma Mia Pizzeria (Jericho)
Summer Bootcamp
Natasha Turner
Until Wednesday, my only experience of a bootcamp class was watching one take place from across a park, usually as I lounged on the grass sipping a beer. So it was with an impending sense of doom ...
9 years ago
Summer Bootcamp
Oxford Fringe 2015
Natasha Turner
Standing faux-nervously in a suit and tie at the front of a harshly lit studio, Watts begins at the beginning. Brandishing a notebook, he reads out parts of a scathing review of a previous show in ...
9 years ago
Oxford Fringe 2015
The Chester Beer Festival
Natasha Turner
Since reopening back in September, The Chester Arms appears to be going from strength to strength. Now nearly famous for its ‘nearly famous steak platter’, The Chester has decided to try its hand ...
10 years ago
The Chester Beer Festival
All Bar One
Natasha Turner
Having only ever glanced into All Bar One through their huge glass windows, I didn't realise quite how large the place is! It goes back and back and back, with two bars and various seated areas for ...
10 years ago
All Bar One
Sheldonian Theatre Guided Tour
Natasha Turner
Songs about ducks, misplaced brass noses and what to do with cherry stones are just some of the weird and wacky Oxford University traditions that you will learn about in the Sheldonian Theatre's new ...
10 years ago
Sheldonian Theatre Guided Tour
Racketeers
Natasha Turner
After seeing The Voyage of the Narwhal at the Oxford Fringe festival last year, I couldn't wait to get my hands on tickets to The Awkward Silence's newest sketch show, Racketeers, which debuted at ...
10 years ago
Racketeers
Oxford Literary Festival 2015
Natasha Turner
After swooping in late to the Divinity School, having apparently just exclaimed 'where the hell is the Bodleian?!', Zoe Williams sat down to deliver her talk on why we all need to be left-wing and ...
10 years ago
Oxford Literary Festival 2015
The Victoria (Jericho)
Natasha Turner
This cosy little pub, right down the end of Walton Street, is just the sort of place that Jericho needs to keep hold of as everything else inevitably turns into hip yuppie hangouts. The low lighting ...
10 years ago
The Victoria (Jericho)
One Man, Two Guvnors
Natasha Turner
Slapstick, bad puns and the sort of physical comedy that leaves you wondering, ‘was that supposed to happen?’ are what you can expect from the latest National Theatre production to hit Oxford ...
10 years ago
One Man, Two Guvnors
1855
Natasha Turner
Although I still mourn the loss of Krispy Kreme, 1855 wine bar is a worthy replacement. Slightly hidden in the Castle complex, the bar avoids the hustle and bustle of the city centre, and has a ...
10 years ago
1855
Rae Morris, Fryars
Natasha Turner
Tipped to be a big name for 2015, Rae Morris commanded the stage last night at the O2 Academy Oxford, performing songs from her début album, Unguarded. Perhaps known best as the backing vocalist on ...
10 years ago
Rae Morris, Fryars
The Theory of Everything [12A]
Natasha Turner
The Theory of Everything is a heart-wrenching movie adaptation of the book, Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, written by Jane Wilde, Hawking's first wife. The film tells the story of Jane ...
10 years ago
The Theory of Everything [12A]
World of Wine - Australia and New Zealand Wine Tasting
Natasha Turner
Having only ever tasted one Australian Sauvignon Blanc and determined that this was probably not enough knowledge on which to claim that Australian wines are my favourite, I decided to attend the ...
10 years ago
World of Wine - Australia and New Zealand Wine Tasting
House of Fun
Natasha Turner
When I took my seat at Arthur Smith's The House of Fun on Friday evening, I was full of excited anticipation for what I expected to be a hilarious night of comedy. What followed can only be described ...
10 years ago
House of Fun
Boyhood [15]
Natasha Turner
It still amazes me that everywhere I look Boyhood is receiving huge praise and high ratings. Did I watch the same film as everyone else? Richard Linklater's “ground-breaking” story of a boy's ...
10 years ago
Boyhood [15]
Dreaming Spires
Natasha Turner
Build an Oxford college, attract new students from John Locke to Michael Palin, and find out why one Oxford man chose to cover his face instead of his modesty, in new crowd-funded Oxford board game, ...
10 years ago
Dreaming Spires
Bumps in the Night
Natasha Turner
Fire-eating, fake chest hair and hula hooping were all things to be seen at the Mercury Flame Presents: Bumps in the Night burlesque show at the Jericho Tavern last night. The Halloween-themed ...
10 years ago
Bumps in the Night
The Full Monty – The Play
Natasha Turner
A theatre full of gleeful women can only mean one thing: Simon Beaufoy's The Full Monty is in town, and it doesn't disappoint. For the few who don't know, the story follows six unemployed men from ...
10 years ago
The Full Monty – The Play
Bill's Restaurant
Natasha Turner
Dining out is a special treat for most, so if you want something that looks fancy but serves standard food for reasonable prices, then try Bill’s restaurant on St. Michael’s street. ...
10 years ago
Bill's Restaurant