It’s slightly annoying that you can’t book a table at Jamie’s latest offering on George Street. Feted for weeks as a student loan-friendly gateway to decent restaurant food, the steady trickle of twenty-something media types who wish they were still at university has dwindled to almost nothing.

This, however, does not stop the Jamie-accented waiters welcoming you into a small bar area where you are invited to buy wine decanted in perfect 175ml stainless steel measures. Never has so little drink been wasted. “Can I interest you in a luvely jubbley glass of this fruity Spanish red! How about a smashing Argentinian white with a hint of pukka gaucho!”

At £5 a glass, no you can’t! After forming a patter-proof circle in the corner of the bar, my three dinner mates are grudgingly ushered to a table near the back of the place, the walls covered by about 40 dark, empty photo frames. One of the girls worries she might have an existential crisis, and I look around desperately for the menu.

Thankfully, the staff at Jamie’s are eager to help. “I think the penne’s amazing!” says one of them happily. I look through the list – a pretty safe collection of Italian favourites, including spaghetti Bolognese, lasagne and canelloni – and feel a warm glow from the smattering of Jamie phrases. “Loadsa herbs… amazing chilli jam… old school tomato salad.” Sometimes exclamation marks even happen in the middle of phrases – “Turbo! Penne Arrabiata”.

It strikes the girls that there’s quite a lot of English food in this Italian restaurant. There’s steak, burgers, ‘half a chicken’, and lamb chops. Welsh lamb chops. “They might be cooked in Italian sauce,” one of us says doubtfully, but even so we all end up sticking to the pasta section.
After a rapidly eaten selection of breads, Italianised with rosemary gremolata, I get started on a parmesan-heavy slice of lasagne. There’s a bit too much cheese in it, and I’m sensing that English influences weigh heavy in the Jamie recipe book. I lean over the table and steal a bit of sausage parpadelle. It tastes very similar to my lasagne. In fact, now that I think about it, my lasagne tastes rather porky. I wonder if they used the right seasoning. I wonder if they used the right meat.

Our other mains are truffle tagliatelle and a mushroom-heavy canelloni, which seem like much better choices, thanks to a little less salt and a little subtler flavouring. All through this meal, by the way, I’ve been drinking. And it tastes pretty good – but since I don’t know anything about wine, I won’t try to review it.

As we move inexorably towards puddings, I take a break to look around the restaurant. The interior’s pretty impressive, and certainly a cut above most affordable places to eat in Oxford. If you end up going, it might be worth paying a visit to the loos, if only to gaze appreciatively at the giant steam-punk levers that flush them.

Hopefully, though, you will far too engrossed with your puddings to bother. These are genuinely great (apart from a slightly dry ‘Amalfi’ orange tart) and I’d recommend that all aspiring fresher chefs take a bite of Jamie’s brownies before starting out on their college cake sale baking. Charity will benefit.
In fact, for all my whining about the main courses, the food at Jamie’s Italian is pretty good, if a little overpriced. So long as you’re prepared to pay for the ambience and exclamation marks, it’s an enjoyable night out. As the girls agreed, it would be a pretty perfect place for a first date. The music is relaxed, the staff are friendly, and a lot of the food is great. My only complaint? Cheap meat.

PRICE: £20 for two courses and wine

IN A WORD: Decent!

How did you choose which bank to open a student account with? The largest overdraft? The catchiest advert? Perhaps not. However, I expect that a bank’s environmental performance is not much of a factor to most people when deciding where to put their cash. But it should be, because our cash is funding damaging fossil fuel extraction projects worldwide and thereby accelerating climate change at an alarming rate.

The Royal Bank of Scotland, the company behind Natwest, Direct Line and Churchill, calls itself the “oil and gas bank”; it is the second largest bank in Europe and one of the most competitive in the oil and gas industry. RBS prides itself on its role as financial adviser, money lender and all-round hands-on partner, having lent $10 billion dollars and provided advice on $30 billion worth of projects worldwide between 2001 and 2006.

Such investment commits the worldwide energy framework to unsustainable and damaging fuel supplies, since oil and gas projects usually last 20 to 40 years. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has declared that the largest cause of climate change is the combustion of fossil fuels and that reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is the most direct way to reducing climate change. RBS is now investing in previously inaccessible, ‘dirty’ fuel found in oil sands and coal bed methane, which produce higher levels of CO2 and push the carbon frontier to the limit.

RBS puts money into developing sustainable energy too, but the amount is tiny in comparison. Unlike other British banks, it takes no responsibility for the climate impact of its investment in fossil fuels; it even claims to be “financing the transition to a low carbon economy.” RBS could easily take a leading role in this important transition by capping and reducing involvement in fossil fuels, ceasing investment in “dirty” fuel and committing to a complete move toward financing renewable energy development.

RBS will only take such steps if they look profitable; it is a company, not an environmental group. What can you do about that? Close your account with your bank if you feel that they are environmentally unfriendly and get involved in a campaign which tackles one of the biggest players in climate chaos.

For more information on the issue and what you can do, contact [email protected] or see www.peopleandplanet.org/ditchdirtydevelopment. Sources: ‘The Oil and Gas Bank’, published by PLATFORM, People and Planet, Friends of the Earth Scotland, BankTrack and New Economics Foundation; www.royalbankofscotland.com

While you’ll bump into people around college during freshers’ week, why not branch out and join some of Oxford’s many societies devoted to socialising? They vary in cost, friendliness and how likely you are to bump into hacks, so use our guide to find out which one you’ll most enjoy

Law Soc
President’s Drinks, 8.30pm, Town Hall, 1st October

Possibly the most popular of all the Oxford societies, although no one joins it for the lectures and the majority of members don’t study law. Membership is £30 for the duration of your course, or £15 for a year, yet many students will swear that they made that money back in one evening through drink alone. As its primary function is social, it’s a great place for networking, as well as playing “spot the hack”. The highlight of the term is the champagne and chocolate evening – don’t miss it.

OU Investment Finance Society
Drinks at Raoul’s, Monday 13th October, 7.30pm

With over 850 members in the University, OUIFS provides a platform for students to reach key firms in the investment world. However, the main reason many attend is both the sheer amount of free food and drink offered and the social opportunities, although some may find the hackery intimidating. But with the credit crunch and the collapse of some of their main sponsors, the future for OUIFS is uncertain. Move quickly to take advantage of their impressive social events.

Med Soc
Dissection Drinks, 8pm, Brasenose, 16th October

Whilst its primary function is still social, Med Soc’s socials are not nearly as impressive as those offered by Law Soc. Make sure you join if you’re a medic, and go to the dissection drinks where you’ll be able to meet other medically minded freshers. If you’re not then just get a ticket for their halloween party. It’s held annually in the town hall and is always sold out.

LGBT Soc
Freshers Drinks, 7pm, Teddy Hall, 16th October

A friendly and unintimidating atmosphere and regular socials make this a great place for meeting new people. Tuesday night drinks are extremely cheap and well attended, and they finish the night at Pop Tarts, the weekly gay night at the popular Babylove bar. But there is no pressure to drink if you don’t want to and pizza nights are organised a few times a term for a more relaxed evening if that’s what you’re after.

Varsity Ski Trip

The varsity ski trip guarantees a week of great skiing and the opportunity to socialise with tabs. The destination this year is Val Thorens, which, as the highest resort and largest club in the Alps, means that not only will the snow be good, but the nightlife will be too. But even if skiing’s not your thing, make sure you go along to the various socials and club nights, where you’re guaranteed friendly faces and plenty of cheap drinks.

College Bars
Super Tuesdays, 7.30pm, Baliol, Tuesday

Obviously the first place to get to know those in your college, but it’s worth sampling the other colleges as well. Drinks will always be among the cheapest in Oxford, and often entertainment is offered such as open mic nights and pub quizzes. The informal atmosphere makes the college bar a guaranteed good night. Head to Balliol bar for Super Tuesdays and also to Hertford bar for a dark pango, but be warned, it’s an absolutely lethal drink…

Union Presidential drinks
The Union, Thursday, arrive fashionably late, 9.30pm

Has, in previous years, been the place where a select few, the elite of Oxford, can retreat after debates to carelessly drink away both theirs, and everyone else’s, membership fee. But this year, the powers that be at the Union have promised a change; pressie drinks will be for everyone, and not just for the president’s friends… we’ll see, but one thing is certain; this will still be the best place in Oxford for networking, and making the right sort of contacts…

Pulse club nights
www.new.facebook.com/pages/PULSE/25462694583

OUSU’s new project, but don’t let that put you off. They aim to “revolutionise” student clubbing in Oxford by making it more affordable, and more exciting, so nothing that new or exciting. But, with the amount of publicity it’s being given, a large turn out is almost guaranteed, and drinks are promised to be cheap. With 18 events organised during freshers week, it’s worth getting to at least one of them.