Tap Social’s latest project The White House on Abingdon Road aims to be fully open from mid/late January.
The historic Grade 2 listed pub will be a family friendly community cafe, bar and kitchen, serving delicious locally sourced seasonal dishes, locally roasted barista-made coffee and of course craft beer brewed in the heart of Oxford.
With a generously sized garden and seating across two floors, complete with wood burning stoves, an eclectic mix of comfy furniture, and art by talented artists in prison, the White House will be a novel and relaxing spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner, a coffee or a drink.
“Frides’ culinary background is seriously impressive and her food is incredible, so we were really keen to get her involved in a bigger way”
Opening from late January and open 7 days/week, it has just been announced that Frideswide O’Neill will be opening the kitchen at the White House and implementing an exciting new menu using local producers and ingredients.
Frides is of course the brains behind new lockdown start up company Patron, keeping us all in doughnuts this year, and Patron itself will be incorporated into Tap Social from 2021.
“I can’t wait,” Frides says. “I’m so excited about running the kitchen at The White House.”
READ ABOUT PATRON HERE: http://551.326.mywebsitetransfer.com/review-patrons-english-doughnuts-delivered-by-bike-in-oxford-are-selling-out-every-week-heres-why/
The Patron bakery will operate through The White House to supply its infamous doughnuts, brownies and more delicious offerings at Tap Social’s venues and stocked wholesalers around Oxford including Jericho Coffee Traders.
Tess Taylor, Tap’s co-founder and director says: “We’ve known Frides and her partner Sam for several years now and have been working with Patron since June, stacking The Horse Box (their mobile unit outside The White House) with baked goods.
“Her culinary background is seriously impressive and her food is incredible, so we were really keen to get her involved in a bigger way.
Frides will be creating the menu for the White House, setting up the kitchen, getting the staff training programmes underway, and implementing the menu rollout for January, and leading on all the cooking and baking across the board.
Tap Social, if you haven’t come across it, opened up a giant brewery/bar/pop up restaurant/event space on the Botley Industrial Estate as a social enterprise three years ago, staffed by prisoners from Springhill Prison (between Bicester and Aylesbury).
“YOU DON’T GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO OPEN A PUB EVERYDAY”
Springhill Prison is the lowest level open prison for offenders preparing to leave prison. Tap Social also works with marginalised groups referred by Aspire and Clean Sheet with an ex offending background.
So what can we expect? “It will have a very similar feel to our Botley base,” Tess says, “full of mismatched tables, chairs and crockery set up in a beautiful listed building. It will also have a function room for yoga and music alongside the cafe and restaurant.”
Open 7 days a week and serving brunch right through to dinner and Sunday lunch, Tess prefers to think of The White House “more as a community kitchen serving modern day pub food with good beer” – for 60-80 seats covets, which may increase depending on demand as time goes on.
As for the food – sustainable, affordable and accessible are words all thrown around, with the nearby allotments used to grow their own produce.
Exciting times then? “The White House is an amazing building in a residential area, and close to town so it has great potential as a mixed use space on different floors. You don’t get the opportunity to open a pub everyday,” Tess adds grinning.
For more information go to http://tapsocialmovement.com
