I have a great emotional attachment to Jacobs and Field. On arriving in Oxford this was the first restaurant I 'discovered' (searching for brunch destinations in Headington) and quickly came quite attached to it. So it seemed the perfect place to take my parents for a Saturday lunch. It is place that comes with fine, though safe food, with experimentation less important then serving a lovely meal. The staff are always friendly, approachable, and comfortable within the bustling atmosphere. And it is a very welcoming place for a young child, with a décor that fits my daughter's particular interest in mirrors (which surround you on either side of the dining area).

Food is the important thing here and the menu is so wonderfully varied that our party could order brunch, pasta, and pizza. (We resisted salad and burgers.) For brunch we selected Eggs Neptune (poached egg, crab and hollandaise all on sourdough). The eggs were well cooked, the hollandaise sauce one of the nicer examples of its kind and the crab was delicious; the meal coming together well. The only drawback was that more crab was wanted, but I guess this is as much a compliment of the quality of food as it is a drawback. A samphire & crayfish linguine was the special of a day, a perfect choice for a seafood AND pasta addict. In their words it was 'scrummy' and was a well portioned delicious meal. Two of our party had pizza, which has a very good base (stonebaked sourdough will always be a winner for culinary excellence) with generous toppings. There was particular praise for the thick fresh mushrooms on top of the Chorizo pizza. Finally I had the free range chicken jambonette, a tasty dish with some very fine champ mash. I particularly liked the chorizo accompanying the meal and the chicken was cooked to perfection.

The portion sizes are just right to leave room for dessert, meaning all five of us had to have them. There was a 3 to 2 split with the Jacob's sundae (an indulgent mix of ice cream, honeycomb, chocolate brownie and chocolate sauce) proving a particularly popular choice. The rest of our group had the caramel chocolate pot. The sundae was as delicious and decadent as it sounded, complete with a healthy slab of honeycomb on top, while the caramel chocolate pot was heavenly; a thick layer of chocolate above caramel. The only drawback is that it was far too solid to dunk the shortbread biscuit into it, which was rather a missed opportunity.

Jacobs and Field is the jewel in the House of Jacobs' mighty crown. The food was delicious, the service friendly, and the atmosphere of this establishment lovely. Jacobs & Field is a great venue for brunch, lunch and dinner; but a warning: it is a very popular destination at the weekend, so booking is highly advised. A group in front of us couldn't be seated because of the popularity. This shouldn't stop you from visiting this restaurant though, as it is one of the finest places to eat in Headington, and maybe even the whole of Oxford.

I love Jacobs & Field - it's the best thing that's happened to Headington since Waitrose, the Windmill Fair Trade shop and Coco Noir (chocolate). Small - and cramped when full - it may be, but with the scrubbed antique wooden tables and chairs and the vintage culinary paraphernalia cluttering up the place it feels like being squashed into someone's homely farm kitchen rather than being processed by yet another generic food conglomerate. And that's what people go there for - that, and the extremely delicious food.

There's a deli counter with a good selection of high-end meats, cheeses, pies and cakes, plus fresh veg, bread, eggs and other necessary groceries. True, the fresh stuff may be cheaper elsewhere, but if you're a Waitrose customer just popped in on your way past you're not that likely to notice the price differential - and if you're coming here to do your weekly grocery shop you're probably fairly unusual. More than likely something will catch your eye on the way out or in from a tasty lunch, breakfast (served until 6pm daily) or coffee and cakes - all of which are superb. They do a mean mug of hot chocolate; a cheeky square of baklava with it will set you back 60p. The lunch/salads bar has loads of tasty options to suit vegetarians, and the meaties can supplement with a pie, or go for the full English breakfast, or try a generous plate of filling kedgeree if they're feeling fishy. The veggie breakfast is the best I've encountered anywhere for some time, entirely encapsulating what I always hope I might get when I order one. With real baked beans in interesting sauce (ie. they look homemade), wholemeal or white toast, mushroom, tomatoes, egg (cooked how you like it) and a veggie sausage, this is hard to beat - and slightly difficult to finish. Best of all, the stuff on the salads bar is sold by weight - just pile whatever you want on your plate and then get it weighed in at the till.

Though staff are always busily multi-tasking behind the open counter - serving deli customers, cooking/prepping food and serving cafe diners - it never feels rushed, or slow, or anything other than lovely. It's very baby- and child-friendly too - though getting a pushchair through to the back room would be a challenge, and for sunny days there's their teeny street-front seating area to solve that problem.

If I hadn't just moved out of Headington, I'd be there every weekend.