This year has been huge for Taste Tibet. There has been a radical shift in the way that we operate and the bonds that we have made with our own city.

Ordinarily we would have spent the spring and summer at festivals around the UK. We love the festival life and our children in particular really missed it this year. But COVID has kept us close to home and helped us to make connections in Oxford that are deep and incredibly rewarding, and we are very grateful for that.

First and foremost, our hook up with East Oxford-based Oxford Mutual Aid gives us the opportunity to reach people who have never have tasted our food before, and these are the people who need it most. Long before COVID we searched for sustainable ways to support local charities and action networks but were often frustrated by the response. Oxford Mutual Aid has made it possible for us to contribute to an ongoing initiative to support Oxford’s most vulnerable that is also incredibly accommodating and flexible. It is perfect. Please consider supporting us to continue providing free food to our community.

Secondly, spending the festival season in Oxford gave us the opportunity to get to know our own city and customers a whole lot better. Delivering food to your doors gave us windows into your family lives and also introduced us to parts of the city we didn’t know and which have now become destinations for family outings. Result!

Finally, our feet were firmly planted in the city centre for many years. When considering where to lay our more permanent roots, Oxford city centre seemed the obvious choice, but when the opportunity came up around the corner from our home in East Oxford to open here and serve our local community, we grabbed it. We could not have known at the time how our industry would suffer at the hands of COVID and how important community would become. We are so lucky and grateful to have set up shop here in East Oxford, where local support is so strong. We feel very proud to be an East Oxford indie, and neighbours to some legendary local businesses.

Thank you to the hordes who came to our stall for lunch every Wednesday without fail in Gloucester Green. Some of you have – heroically – driven long distances to pick up takeaways since we opened in Magdalen Road. It’s been a thrill to see you in East Oxford. To those of you who can’t swing by, a city centre momo stop is in our plans at some point down the line – bear with us!

We will keep going as a takeaway on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until we close for Christmas. We are open 5-8.30pm on these days. If you would like to buy a gift voucher, these are now live on our website. We are also offering discounts to everyone who subscribes to our mailing list this week – sign up here!

Thank you to @hannah.lyman.draws for the beautiful illustration of our new shop.