If you need any kitchen equipment this is the place to go, not very expensive but the range is…read moreextensive. If you can't find it here the nowhere will have it. They do a great selection of cake tins, at the moment may2010 they have 3for2 on these, great grade of metal all dishwasher safe.

A great DIY store, situated in the Cambridge Close retail Park, parking is right outside, can get…read morevery busy on a Saturday. Sell everything from kitchens, to screws. A light and airy warehouse with nice wide aisles. A good selection of paints and decorating materials. The staff always seem helpful and polite. They have some outdoor items like fencing and paving. A range of different types of trolley to use depending on what you are buying. A good selection of power tools and safety equipment.

The only place I ever get wood from when I'm doing a DIY project is Wickes because they tend to be…read morethe cheapest of all of the major DIY outlets. The only issue is that they don't do the free wood cutting service like Homebase or B&Q, which can be a pain. When Wickes first opened many years ago I remember that they were amazingly cheap. Then they started to increase their prices once they got a market share. Most of their items are own brand and I have to admit that whilst they are cheap for many things, there are still others like Wilkinsons or Screwfix who can still undercut them on pricing.

One of my favourite places to go window shopping in Oxford, and in fact anywhere. Don't be put off…read moreby the idea of expensive breakables - this is like a miniature art gallery of beautiful crystal and glass sculptures. Check out the miniature animals - they make a wonderful wedding or baptism present, or just as a cute present to tell someone how special they are. If such sentimentalism isn't your style, you can at least goggle at the expensive jewellery, which is far more than just necklaces: they do brooches, charms, cufflinks, bracelets and more. You can get gift vouchers if you're afraid of buying the wrong thing for someone, but they'll need to be quite a lot to get much! This is definitely somewhere to indulge in your decadent side, and it's fine to browse.

I just love window shopping in this store. I used to browse the counter at the department store…read morebefore it's demise but it's even better now that it has a dedicated shop. As with all Swarovski shops, the merchandise does have a seasonal aspect as well as a core range. I've always wondered if you could actually use the champagne flutes :-) however whether they are purchased for use or gift, they do look beautiful as do all the goods in the shop. Of the jewellery I have bought from other Swarovski shops (closer to work - I only ever window shop at the Oxford shop), it's all been good quality.

This is a smallish store (by US standards) but has a very wide variety of household products. I…read moreagree with a previous reviewer who describes it as an old fashioned hardware store. I ended up finding the cable ties that I needed, after searching many other stores. The staff was helpful and directed me to the product I needed. I will keep it in mind as I did not know about it before.

A small but well stocked hardware / building supply store in the middle of Oxford. Robert Dyas is…read morea bit hard to locate as its on a back street of Oxford and around the corner. This is the kind of store I have in my hometown in the US. Just like here, even though they're small they've probably got what you need. I bought gardening tools their. They didn't have tools for a large garden but small ones perfect for the back yard.

Hurrans in Banbury is a fantastic Garden Centre located in the heart of the town centre, but with…read moreeasy reach to the circling roads and communications. I have shopped at Hurrans for many years now for all my garden materials, plants and outdoor ornaments. The centre is big, with a large selection of plants in all kinds, shapes and sizes. The outdoor section is equally big with large stone ornaments such as bird tables, pots and urns. In addition to this there is a large aquarium with numerous fish available. We have purchased many goldfish at Hurrans too over the years, and have been more than satisfied each time. The Centre also has a really really great cafe, quite nice surrounded by tropical plants! The cafe is great value, the cheese on toast with chips and tea deal is definetly recommended, we have done that many a time. In general a great garden centre, cafe and aquarium rolled into one, located in Banbury, easy to get to, with pleasant and welcoming staff. Very recommended.

Emma Walker Flowers gets a 5 star rating from me, I highly recomend this flower boutique,I love…read moretheir sumptuous and beautiful approach to fresh flowers, i used to buy flowers every week whilst at Uni when they were located in St Clements, I recently came back to Oxford and i knew this was the only florist i trusted to provide flowers for my big day, Louise and the girls did a fantastic job and created a visual feast and i still to this day get complimented on my wedding flowers, but dont just take my word for it, visit Louise and the girls and let their work do the talking.

This is a 'cut above' garden centre, in that a fair amount of money has been invested in it. It's…read moreout of town so you need a car to get to it, though I think there is a bus stop nearby. It has a very nice food department with fresh bread, fruit and veg, cream, yoghurt, gooey cakes, etc. plus alcohol and strange American produce like pink whipped marshmallow ina jar! Also there is a Mosholu shoe concession, Cotton Traders and a very upmarket kitchen/home dept. selling makes like Joseph and Simple Human, and also the usual garden centre products like bird/animal food, and lots of outside plants and shrubs/trees. There are two places to eat, a cafe where you order at the counter and it's served to you, and a sit-down restaurant with waiter service. We've eaten at both and they are fine, very nice handcut chips! but the manager of the restaurant could do with cheering up a bit. He seemed a bit sour - maybe he had an off day but that can permeate down to the staff. The ladies in the cafe bit are nice. Prices are reasonable all round too. There are very nice walks nearby so we often drive up to Clifford Chambers and have a walk then lunch or tea at this garden centre.

The Stour Gallery is a small and slightly quirky gallery in the centre of Shipston. Its well laid…read moreout with the exhibits shown off to their best effect. There's a good mix of mediums in the pictures and some mighty nice porcelain and pottery. It is on two floors, however, so if you have limited mobility, expect to see only half the displayed items. Friendly and welcoming, its well worth a browse if you are looking for a gift or something personal for yourself.