Oxford News
Landlord ‘delighted’ as Rolling Stones rock legend pops into pub
The singer was in the city alongside his fiancée Melanie Hamrick, visiting Oriel College for Evensong on Sunday (June 7).
Sir Mick dined with students before joining a small group at The Half Moon pub in St Clement’s later on in the evening.
It was here that the 82-year-old sang the folk song Handsome Molly with a local Irish band and Stones keyboard player Matt Clifford to stunned pubgoers.
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Now, landlord Johnnie Fisher has told this newspaper that he was “delighted” to welcome the music icon into the Oxford pub.
“We do not comment on the activities of individual patrons, but we were delighted by Sir Mick’s surprise cameo at our weekly folk session on Sunday night,” he said.
“The Half Moon prides itself on its authentic atmosphere and welcoming community.
“Our Sunday folk session has been going for many years and is open to everyone, and we welcome musicians of all abilities.
“You never know what to expect at the Half Moon. You’ll have to come to one of our Sunday folk sessions to see the magic for yourself.”
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The Half Moon is an intimate Irish pub in St Clement’s, famous for its vibrant, late-night traditional music sessions.
A pub goer previously told The Sun: “I caught a glimpse of one of them from the side and said to my mates, ‘Wait… is that Mick Jagger?’
“A few moments later, someone hopped onto the piano, and Mick just started belting out some lyrics.
“The most surreal part was that almost nobody seemed to realise it was him. There were no crowds, and you could really tell just how much fun Mick was having.”
Famously, the Rolling Stones played at Oxford University in June 1964 at a Magdalen College Commemoration Ball.
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The event had a special interest because the Stones were nobodies when they were booked to appear, but very big stars indeed by the time of the gig 12 months later.
They were obliged to interrupt a US tour and fly back to Britain to fulfil their contract, which cost them £1,500 in air fares to pick up a £100 fee.
Mr Jagger, who last performed with the Rolling Stones in 2024, met Ms Hamrick while touring with the band, and the pair have been together since 2014.
It was revealed last April in a Paris Match interview with the former ballerina that the rock icon proposed “two or three years ago”.
She added that while the engagement has been in place for a while, she does not know if they will actually tie the knot.
Gary Collin, from Bicester, was heading home on his bike when he was stopped by BOTB presenter Christian Williams.
He was told he had won a £40,000 Volkswagen Golf GTI and a £30,000 cash prize through the company’s weekly Dream Car Competition.
Mr Collin said: “It’s amazing.”
He explained his connection to the vehicle, saying: “I played for the Golf GTI because it was launched in 1976, which is the same year I was born.”
After sitting behind the wheel, Mr Collin was told about the extra surprise.
When Mr Williams revealed the £30,000 hidden in the boot, Mr Collin said: “Happy days! I’m buzzing. That’s Disneyland sorted.”
Mr Williams said: “Gary had literally just finished work and was on his bike when I stopped him, so he had absolutely no idea what was about to happen.
“His reaction was brilliant. He was genuinely shocked, and you could see the excitement building as he realised he’d won the Golf GTI.
“Then when we opened the boot and revealed the extra £30,000 cash prize, that took things to another level.”
The presenter said the Golf GTI was ‘such an iconic car’ and a ‘really personal choice’ for Mr Collin.
Founded in 1999, BOTB has awarded more than £100 million in prizes to lucky winners across the UK, including dream cars, luxury holidays and life-changing cash prizes.
The company currently offers the chance to win a £1.2 million home in central London.
The American theme proved popular amongst London crowds, as did the cocktails and the Brooklyn-centric soundscape, and so the brand quickly grew.
This saw several other restaurants open, including in Oxford, which can be found on the top floor of the Westgate shopping centre.
Although part of a franchise, it does have an air of individuality that most establishments which might belong to a group struggle to bring to the table.
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I do believe wait-staff and management have a major impact on a restaurant’s image and the customer experience.
It’s difficult to find places to have a meal out as a treat – whether you’re solo dining, with your significant other, getting the kids out of the house or meeting friends – where not only the vibe is good, but the staff are everything you’d imagine when you think of the word hospitality.
We had the pleasure of being served by Raff, who not only has a very impressive hairstyle but also guided us through our evening expertly.
He gave fantastic recommendations, speedy service, attentiveness, and an easy-going yet also incredibly hard-working attitude.
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The perfect mix of welcoming while not being overbearing, he made us feel like real people, and not just a task to tick off during a busy evening.
To kick off our evening, we began with cocktails.
I had the Gentleman Ice-T, which was a spin on a classic American peach iced tea, containing Gentleman Jack and Peach Liquor, Rooibos and orange tea syrup.
The best way to describe this drink is what I imagine to be a late afternoon on a Tennessee ranch, watching the sunset with your family- not too sweet and the perfect accompaniment to a warm summer’s day.
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My boyfriend had the Cherry On Top, which was a perfect addition to the evening ahead, with JD No.7 shaken with banana, cherry amaretto, ice cream with whipped cream and of course, a cherry on top.
It wasn’t as sickly as we feared, which was a bit of a relief, but it added an extra spot of fun to the experience.
For starters, we had the Jack Daniel’s BBQ chicken wings, which were tender as well as sticky and sweet in perfect balance.
We felt it was more than enough to share between two, but we had also ordered the cheeseburger gyozas, which had a lot to boast about in their own way.
READ MORE: Landlord ‘delighted’ as Rolling Stones rock legend pops into Oxford pub
The beef was Wagyu, which certainly added an air of luxury, along with melted cheese, which added even more moisture to an already succulent dish.
These gyozas went well with the cheese and sriracha sauce, and the spring onions introduced a lovely lift to the indulgent starter.
For mains, I opted for the decadent Wagyu-Tang double beef burger, with American-style cheese and truffle mayo on a brioche bun.
I was very impressed with the portion size and (almost) regretted ordering crispy lamb loaded fries as a side.
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The beef was juicy and tender, and perfectly seasoned and well-respected by the chefs.
It was absolutely jam-packed full of flavour and felt like a one-million-pound bite.
The loaded fries were crispy, and garnished with perfectly braised lamb pieces, miso, jalapeno and chilli dressing, which balanced the richness of the meat out well.
My partner had the Koji Chicken and freshly baked waffles, served with maple syrup and cool ranch sauce.
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The chicken was audibly crispy and was cooked well on the inside, making it both wonderfully tender and moist.
It worked well with the waffle, which soaked up the hot maple, allowing each bite to sing with a sweet and savoury flavour.
The meal was a melt-in-the-mouth experience and felt like a perfect blend of all good things in the world.
For dessert, we had the delightful chocolate and salted caramel doughnut, which again was a more than generous portion.
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It consisted of an airy and delicate doughnut, with a scoop of salted caramel ice cream and proper chocolate sauce.
The ice cream slowly melted into the middle of the freshly made ringed doughnut, which in itself carried memories of seaside stalls.
Thankfully, unlike Brighton or Scarborough, there were no insistent seagulls trying to pinch the food, so we got to enjoy every last bite.
This was the best meal I’ve had in a very long time, in an establishment that clearly takes great pride in all aspects.
Dirty Dones has taken the time to hire a fantastic team of staff who I say deserve all the credit for what was a wonderful midweek treat.
For some, it might have seemed like history repeating itself – Botley was part of Berkshire until its switch to Oxfordshire in 1974.
But before and after this date, it has always been part of the Oxford Mail’s ‘territory’, with photographers regularly covering events ‘over the county border’.
Picture 1 dates from 1986 when pupils at Botley Primary School got an important message – building sites were not adventure playgrounds.
They were taken on a tour of a construction site at Seacourt Tower to see how accidents can occur.
Site manager David Dibben told them: “There are all sorts of things on a building site which can harm young children. Playing on scaffolding and with plant machinery is especially dangerous.”
Botley housewives in Picture 2 carried out an all-day traffic count on a dual carriageway they called ‘death road’.
Sitting on both sides of West Way, they counted every car, lorry and cycle that passed and every pedestrian who crossed the road.
The traffic count was the latest move in a campaign to get an underpass.
Service with a smile earned staff at Bishop’s store in Picture 3 a silver cup and prizes worth more than £3,000 in 1983.
The good manners of the 45 workers put the supermarket in the top six in a competition between the company’s 63 stores.
There was great excitement among youngsters when it was announced that a discotheque would be opening at Elms Court in 1969.
Disc jockey Mick Murphy is seen in Picture 4 with some of the girls who enjoyed the first evening.
There was more excitement in Picture 5 when young footballers – boys and girls – celebrated the opening of their new pavilion in 1998.
They are seen with two football managers, Malcolm Shotton and Malcolm Crosby, who both had spells at Oxford United.
Picture 6 was taken in 2000 when Botley joined thousands of other communities to celebrate the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday. Lena Tyrrell, 86, is seen with seven-month-old Frances Shearan in the shopping precinct.
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