Discover the art of French joie de vivre at Pompette, Oxford

Discover the art of French joie de vivre at Pompette, Oxford: From morning Petit Dejeuner to chic Apéro and wine feasts to calligraphy. Nicola Swift talks to Laura Weidemann, one half of the brilliant husband and wife pair behind this Summertown indie. >>

Pascal and Laura Wiedemann share the cherished family traditions, elegant Parisian breakfasts and thirst for wine adventures that have inspired the new menus and events at their award-winning Oxford restaurant, making this Summertown indie business a community hub that connects with creatives and craft as well as cooking the best French food in Oxfordshire.

Forget brunch…Pompette is all about le Petit Déjeuner

Stroll along the streets of Paris in the morning and you’ll see people enjoying a Café Complet, a simple, pleasing breakfast of coffee, bread and butter, plus a few choice accoutrements. And so in Oxford’s Summertown, breakfast at Pompette stars their famous, freshly baked baguettes, a recipe obsessively honed during lockdown by Pascal, Pompette’s co-founder and chef patron.

“It started as a personal challenge…could I bake a baguette that would compare with a French bakery?”

This quest for a ‘proper’ French baguette quickly became an obsession, as Pascal mixed, proved and baked batch after batch, sourced authentic French flour and proving cloths, before landing on their signature 48-hour recipe after months of trial and error.

The baguettes – a mainstay during any meal at Pompette – are now the star of breakfast too, served with Normandy butter and the diner’s choice of jam, ham or chocolate spread, along with orange or apple juice and their preferred hot drink. And you can also choose to add a freshly baked madeleine or two – little French ‘butter cakes’ known for their pretty seashell shape – or just pop in for coffee, Tuesday to Saturday, between 10:00 and 11:45 am.

For Petit Dejeuner in Oxford, see Pompette’s menu here:

From baguettes to frites – a selection of midweek bistro classics

With family roots in France, both Pascal and Laura have a deep appreciation for its most-loved bistro-style classics – simple, hearty dishes executed with care, starring the perfect crispy frites.

“We know everyone is feeling the pinch lately and that going out for dinner has for many become an occasional treat. Rather than move to cheaper suppliers – which is completely against our values and commitment to quality – we’ve introduced a series of “and frites” nights, where diners know they’ll get a generous, classic French dish with a drink – without breaking the bank.” – Laura.

On Tuesday nights you can enjoy moules a la crème, on Wednesday nights, deliciously juicy poulet (chicken), and Thursdays gutsy, rare onglet steak – all served with bowls of hot, crisp, perfectly seasoned frites and a glass of wine, for £25 or less per person. And if frites aren’t your thing, there’s also Pompette’s seasonal Prix Fixe menu, which offers two courses for £28 or three for £34, at lunch and 6-6:30 pm, Tuesday to Friday.

For a deliciously French dining experience in Oxford, view all of Pompette’s menus here:

Treasured family tradition transformed into one of the best drinks menus in Oxford

Wiedemann family get-togethers always begin with the French tradition of apèro, an hour to shrug off the day over drinks and nibbles. And so the couple have relaunched the Pompette drinks menu, featuring authentic French Café favourites such as Ricard, Suze and a classic Kir, or perhaps a pour of Martini Bianco over ice with lemon, in honour of Laura’s Granny Gerry. There’s a sherry list too and an outrageously refreshing Alsatian beer, Meteor Blonde, available on its own or made into a classic Picon Bierre with a splash of orange bitters.

If cocktails are your thing, then their short-but-perfectly formed list of classics has something for most tastes, from a reviving Negroni to a sparkling Champagne cocktail, a pair of Spritz’ (Parisian, made with French elderflower liqueur, and Venetian, made with a classic Italian amaro) or a luxuriously boozy Vieux Carré.

Pompette’s Apèro promotion, 5-6 pm Tuesday to Friday, invites diners to choose a drink from a shorter list along with a snack, with options including fat, juicy olives, Marcona almonds, ham and cheese croquette or a bowl of their famous Cervelle de Canut, an addictively creamy fresh cheese dip. It’s a bargain too – with a Picon Bierre just £5 and a glass of Sherry just £6, with your choice of snack included in the price. Cheers!

See what apèro hour in Oxford is all about with Pompette’s menu here:

Pompette Wine Feasts – the sumptuous Summertown supper club for wine lovers.

While a lot of Pascal and Laura’s focus has been on offering delicious things at an affordable price, Pompette’s Wine Feasts are a chance to take the brakes off and go wild for an evening – in the cellar as well as the kitchen.

Held supperclub-style in their Private Dining Room on the last Thursday of every month, each five-course Feast takes guests to a new region, with Pompette’s Head of Wine, Zuzana Némethova, sharing her love for unique, indigenous and local grape varieties.

“Wine is a combination of so many things – geology, topography, climate, nature, history, chemistry. Sometimes war, sometimes lack of supply, sometimes just pure luck. It’s all involved in wine. You have to taste the classics in order to appreciate the unexpected, and it is endlessly fascinating – I love the freedom our Wine Feasts give me…an evening in a new place every month!”

For each feast, Pascal creates a generous five-course tasting menu to pair beautifully with Suzy’s chosen wines, celebrating the produce and dishes of the area, cooking a mix of classical recipes and updated twists.

Tickets are usually around £125 per person (though November’s trip to Piemonte is £185, to allow for Barolo and lots of fresh truffle) and they really are a fun, extremely generous evening – and the opportunity to wine and dine in Oxford on incredible products you simply won’t find elsewhere.

Snap up your ticket to Pompette’s wine feasts here – and be quick, they are strictly limited.

Everything but the turkey – Christmas at Pompette

Pompette’s Christmas menus include many festive favourites without a turkey in sight.  Options include Pascal’s exquisite homemade pâtés and terrines, Pompette’s famous fish soup, sumptuous mains with outrageously rich, silky French sauces featuring the best meat and fish available and rich, savoury Comte, aged for 48 months.

There’s an extra special Festive Prix Fixe menu offering two courses for £38 or three for £46, or a £75 per head Gourmand Christmas Menu, available to those booking the Private Dining Room, all served from 26th November to 21st December.

Check out Pompette’s Christmas menus here:

And finally, a spot of Christmas calligraphy

Embracing their creative, crafty side, Pompette will host a Calligraphy Workshop & Breakfast, teaming up with world-renowned calligrapher Illy Johnson, who works with luxury brands like Hèrmes and Ladurée. After breakfast, attendees will dive into a hands-on calligraphy workshop, leaving with the skills and tools to create their most beautiful Christmas cards and place settings yet. The first date – 1st December – sold out in minutes, however the team is hoping to add another, so join the Pompette mailing list (via the Pompette website) to find out about future events.