George and Davis, George and Danver and, most recently, George and Delila, collectively known as G&D′s, are three ice cream cafés in Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

History

G&D’s was founded in 1992 by two Oxford students, George Stroup and Davis Roberts, who gave their names to the original café in Little Clarendon Street. Their motivation for opening an “Ice-cream Café”, as it is now known, stemmed from a lack of real ice-cream in Oxford as well as the need for bright, friendly spaces for residents to meet. George and Davis’ filled a niche in Oxford’s day and night life as it opened from 8am-midnight every day of the week and sourced fresh, local ingredients for its ice-cream, which continues to be made on site today.

Having gone from strength to strength, G&D’s (as the company is affectionately known) opened a second branch, George and Danver, on the corner of St. Aldates and Pembroke Street in 2001. A second production room was created in this shop, to make daily a selection of baked goods which the shops now offer. The well-known G&D’s ice-cream bikes became a common feature around Oxford as both ice-cream and bakery items are cycled from shop to shop.

In 2007 a third shop, George and Delila, was opened on the Cowley Road. It has become a popular venue for music events and informal concerts.

Competition

The only other ice cream-themed shops in Oxford in recent years have been two outlets of the multi-national Häagen-Dazs

Häagen-Dazs

Häagen-Dazs is a brand of ice cream, established by Jewish-Polish immigrants Reuben and Rose Mattus in the Bronx, New York, in 1961. Starting with only three flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and coffee, the company opened its first retail store in Brooklyn, New York, on November 15, 1976...

 chain: one opened in Cornmarket Street

Cornmarket Street

Cornmarket Street is a major shopping street and pedestrian precinct in Oxford, England that runs north-south between Carfax Tower and Magdalen Street.Retailers in Cornmarket include:* Austin Reed...

 (c.a. 1993), the other opened in George Street

George Street, Oxford

George Street is a street in central Oxford, England. It is a shopping street running east-west. Its eastern end meets Broad Street at a crossroads with Cornmarket Street to the south and Magdalen Street to the north...

 (c.a. 1998); both shops closed within a few years of opening. Oxford's town and gown

Town and gown

Town and gown are two distinct communities of a university town; "town" being the non-academic population and "gown" metonymically being the university community, especially in ancient seats of learning such as Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and St Andrews, although the term is also used to describe...

 feel a strong loyalty towards G&D′s which they view as Oxford's Own; this phrase is now incorporated in the company's logo. The flow of scholars and tourists from all nations through Oxford has given G&D′s a worldwide reputation, evident in the coverage in various international travel books including the Lonely Planet Guide. All three shops also have a "Knowledge is Good" chalk board where the staff post different questions regularly. If a customer answers the question correctly he/she will win a free scoop of ice cream.

Flavours

The shops are known for their wide variety of ice cream flavours, including:

• After Eight Mint
• Baileys Irish Cream
• Bananarama
• Belgium Chocolate
• Blackberry and Blueberry ('Black and Blue')
• Blueberry ('Oxford Blue')
• Christmas pudding
• Creamy Caramel
• Creme Egg
• Crunchie Bar ('Golden Secret')
• Dime bar crunch
• Double Decker
• Gin and Tonic Sorbet
• Grand Marnier
• Greek Yoghurt and Honey
• Green tea
• Hamlet (white chocolate & raspberry)
• InLight Delight (white chocolate with chocolate cookie dough), named after local band InLight
• Lover's Tiff (Rose water & chocolate chip)
• Kenyan Coffee ('Kenya AA')
• Lavender and Honey ('Smelly Bee')
• Malibu and Pineapple Pieces ('Caribbean Dream')
• Mango Sorbet (also known as 'Cory's Fix'; this apparently refers to former G&D's volunteer and now Mayor of Newark, NJ Cory Booker
  Cory Booker
  Cory Anthony Booker is the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Booker is a former Newark City Councilman...
  
  )
• Mars Bar
• Mint Aero
• Passion fruit sorbet
• Raspberry Pavlova
• Pistachio
• Purity and Danger (vanilla & chocolate brownie pieces)
• Raspberry
• Strawberry
• Turkish Delight
• White Chocolate
• White Gold (white chocolate, butterscotch and cookie dough)

G&Ds has also produced experimental flavors such as:

• Chocolate and Chili. (The Devil's Chocolate)
• Guinness
• Port and Stilton
• Brown Bread
• Bacon and Brie

External links

• G&D's Official Website