This Oxford restaurant’s mission is clear - to serve the best bangers and mash in the city.

The Venue
The Big Bang is easy to find on Walton Street, just around the corner from Little Clarendon Street. Inside, the two-floored restaurant is cosy and quirky. It’s best to sit upstairs if possible, where the atmosphere is warmer and the light brighter, but seating is limited.

It's full of original touches — menus have been pasted into old books, for instance, and local art features on the walls. It also hosts regular jazz nights on Tuesdays and on a Monday they very generously allow you to bring your own booze, as long as everyone in your party pays £2.

The People
The atmosphere at the Big Bang is comfortable and intimate, with friendly staff and a constant hum of chatter from clientele, who range from students to couples to large groups celebrating. There’s a very local vibe, but everyone is welcome.

The Food
Ordering at the Big Bang is straightforward as there’s really only one thing on the menu - sausages. But the restaurant has elevated the humble dish of bangers and mash to an artform. Vegetarians are kept happy with basil and vine tomato sausages or wild mushroom and garlic sausages, both surprisingly tasty.

But really this place is for meat lovers, with options such as lamb and mint, or pork and leek, as well as an array of daily specials. Especially recommended are the Toulouse - a half-beef, half-pork hybrid with delicious hints of garlic and spice. There's also the gloriously sweet-and-savoury pork and apple, and the super-spicy merguez lamb sausage.

But the Big Bang doesn’t stop at sausages — they also offer a variety of inspired, flavourful mashes from spring onion, carrot and swede, rose, grain mustard, garlic and rosemary, to just plain old creamed. All dishes come with peas, red cabbage, and onions, and sides of home-cut chips and Heinz baked beans are available to order.

Prices range from £6.49 for the Cheapskate Sausage to £11.99 for the Big Bang Trio. Between noon and 3pm from Monday to Friday there's a lunch special where two sausages and creamed mash costs just £5.50. Additional veg costs £1.65.

You can even have breakfast here, with three dishes to choose from priced at £4.95 to £6.95. Expect eggs, sausage, tomato, bacon, beans, mushrooms, hash brown, tea or coffee, and juice. Bloody Marys are also available if you’re in need of a fast hangover cure.

And if you’re planning on visiting with a group take note of the newest addition to the menu - The Whole Hog. It's 18 sausages including four vegetarian versions, along with all the usual trimmings. And while portions are beyond generous, you'll no doubt find space for one of the traditional, scrumptious desserts at £3.95 each.

The Drink
The restaurant specialises in simple, quality drinks as well as simple, quality food. To complement your sausage and mash, choose from a range of European wines (£3.70 for a 175ml glass of house or £8.99 for a 500ml carafe), or one of the Hook Norton speciality beers. There's Best Bitter, Haymaker Pale Ale, Old Hooky Ale, Double Stout, or Twelve Days.

Also available is the locally made Cotswold Brewing Company Lager and the strong but delicious Green Goblin cider, as well as Lovibonds wheat beer. Spirits (gin, vodka, and whiskey) with mixer are available at £2.99 for a single or £4.50 for a double. And there's the usual selection of soft drinks, juices, teas, and coffees.

The Last Word
With an ethos of sourcing local produce and a commitment to quality food, the Big Bang is a great place to stop by for a casual meal. It can feel a bit cramped when busy, and don’t come expecting anything but hearty sausage and mash, but this is always a reliable and thoroughly enjoyable choice if you’re after some serious comfort food.

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