Our amazing friend Keiko visited Yeshi’s village in Tibet last week and took some beautiful pictures for us of family, friends and the nomad areas that Yeshi once trekked.

Bright sunshine is tricky to photograph, and she had to call people into the shade for their portraits. Yeshi’s parents are retired now and Keiko says that they spend their days moving from one sun spot to the next. They sit together cracking walnuts, knitting and attending to small tasks, following the sunshine all the while.

Tibetans are sun-seekers like the rest of us, only they don’t have to look as far. At high altitude they feel the strength of the sun’s rays even in wintertime, and the sun is almost always out year-round. Yeshi remembers the family gathering to eat noodles on the roof of their house in all seasons. Outdoors is the place to be, but only until sundown, when the temperature drops sometimes quite dramatically.

Thank you to everyone who came and ate with us in the sunshine last week. Our new place gets lots of good rays. The days are getting longer, and thanks to your recommendations and pleas we have a great selection of booze to go with your food – bottles of Staropramen, cans of Beavertown Neck Oil and Brewdog Punk IPA, and award-winning canned wine. Lucky Buddha Beer flew off the shelves last weekend and turns out to be the perfect pairing for momos.

We are open again Thursday-Saturday this week, opening times as follows:

Thursday: lunch 11am – 2pm / dinner 5pm – 9pm
Friday: lunch 11am – 2pm / dinner 5pm – 9pm
Saturday: lunch 11am – 2pm / dinner 5pm – 9pm

This week’s menu is already live on our website. We’re bringing noodles back (lunchtimes only) as these were a bit of a hit last week. Keep watching this space for new menu items landing in time.

A reminder that our outdoor tables are available on a first come first served basis only – we are not taking bookings. You can still pre-order for evening takeaways, however. The best time to call is between 4 and 5pm on the day, as we get busy after we open. Ring us on 01865 499318 or you can just drop in.

Finally, please consider supporting our work providing free food for vulnerable people in our community through the auspices of Oxford Mutual Aid. We supply 50 meals every week through this amazing voluntary organisation, and we are so grateful for donations towards this effort. Do let us know if you have any questions – we are always happy to talk about the work that Oxford Mutual Aid are doing and how Taste Tibet feeds in. Thank you.