Steak & Honour Restaurant – Cambridge (UK)

Posted on 03/02/2017 by One Two Culinary Stew

I’ve been raving about Steak & Honour for years and have been ~~stalking~~ tracking their burger van since it first hit the streets of Cambridge a few years ago. It was so popular, a second Citroen H van was added to keep up with the demand for their delicious gourmet burgers. In January 2017, Steak & Honour launched the long awaited restaurant on Wheeler Street, next door to the Corn Exchange.

Cambridge is burger heaven with Steak & Honour’s two vans trading at various locations as well as the bricks and mortar site. There is even a handy Steak & Honour app to keep track of their daily schedules and receive restaurant offers and rewards.

The restaurant reflects the street food experience with its open kitchen so you can see the chefs in action while you are queueing or waiting for your meal. There are about 40 seats spread out over three floors, mostly on the first and second floors up the colourful stairs.

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Café@abantu, Wysing Arts Centre – Bourn, Cambridge (UK)

Posted on 30/01/2017 by One Two Culinary Stew

UPDATE: In January 2018, Cafe@abantu moved from Bourn to Cambridge at a city centre location at 42 Hobson Street, CB1 1NL (where Stickybeaks used to be). Read my post on the new location here.

Café@abantu is a popular tearoom in Bourn and I’m relieved they managed to find another location in the same village near Cambridge. I wrote about them here a few years ago. They moved to Wysing Arts Centre in July 2016 and it’s really a perfect fit, with the same cosy seating inside and lots more space outside. They offer the same fantastic homemade cakes and treats as well a menu featuring hearty dishes with fresh ingredients (Fairtrade and locally sourced as much as possible).

Café@abantu isn’t just a run-of-the-mill village tearoom. It’s a destination in itself. You can walk along the trails and admire the outdoor sculptures by the artists at Wysing Arts Centre (ask for a map at the café) but their cakes and treats are definite highlights. Make sure you check out the cake counter at the till for their bakes of the day.

Their menu, which includes vegetarian and vegan options, is varied enough to keep it interesting whilst still offering staples such as toasties and soup.

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White Cottage Bakery’s French Breadmaking Workshop – Kingston, Cambridgeshire (UK)

Posted on 16/11/2016 by One Two Culinary Stew

White Cottage Bakery is located in Mark and Helen Underwood’s home, a charming white cottage in the picturesque village of Kingston, Cambridgeshire. Some of the most amazing bread has come out of that little bakery in Helen’s kitchen. I discovered Helen’s homemade bread last year at my local farm shops and I’ve been a White Cottage Bakery stalker ever since. Getting my hands on a fresh loaf is like winning the lottery! That’s because you can’t just pop into the bakery whenever you feel like it. The bakery isn’t open to the public. You need to follow White Cottage Bakery on social media (Facebook, Twitter or Instagram) to see what Helen will deliver to select farm shops in Cambridgeshire. Helen bakes the amount of bread she can handle; no mass production there! Even so, it’s a testament to Helen’s passion and dedication to baking that she can produce as much as she does.

Helen also runs a series of workshops, which are aimed at groups of 4 to 6 people. I had the privilege of attending one of White Cottage Bakery’s full-day courses: the French Breadmaking Workshop, held in Helen’s lovely farmhouse kitchen.

All of the workshops are taught by Helen, an accomplished (and self-taught!) professional baker with decades of experience. The setting is friendly and cosy, as I was in a home and not a purpose-built cookery school. We were a group of 4 people and we were all made to feel very at home. We were led to the gorgeous dining room for a welcome breakfast featuring tea, coffee, jams and the bakery’s own bread. I especially loved the hazelnut and sour cherry loaf.

Helen ran through the workshop with the group. We would be learning to make a lot of French breads… pain de campagne, baguette, bâtard, pain d’épi, fougasse and pain de mie. C’est magnifique! We received our own folders with the day’s recipes as well as blank sheets and a pencil for making notes.

As tempted as I was to stay in the dining room and admire all of the lovely artwork and curiosities (there’s even a stuffed badger!), it was time to begin the workshop. With my energy replenished with cups of tea and fabulous bread, I was more than ready and put on my White Cottage Bakery apron.

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Ely Markets Food Tour – Ely, Cambridgeshire (UK)

Posted on 30/09/2016 by One Two Culinary Stew

On 24 September 2016, I had the pleasure of attending a “meet and eat” food bloggers tour of Ely Markets, organised by fellow blogger Alex Higgs who is doing some work for the markets. Alex was accompanied by Ely Markets representatives Julia Davis and Lisa Quin and took us on a 3-hour tour, sampling the delights of the food and farmers markets.

Saturdays are real foodie days at Ely Markets, especially every 2nd and 4th Saturday when they hold the Farmers Market in conjunction with the Food, Craft & Collectables Markets. The Market Square has a food aisle every Saturday, which includes excellent street food and other food traders. I was impressed by the quality and variety of food stalls. I will definitely return on a Saturday morning to do some foodie shopping! Paulo drove me to Ely (just over a half hour drive) but the market is also easily accessible by train. Parking was so easy to find, especially in the morning. The short stay car park has free parking for 4 hours, which allows plenty of time to wander the markets. If you want to spend more time in Ely, then the long stay car park is best.

We tasted and nibbled our way through various delicious food and drink stalls and by the end of the tour I was happily stuffed!

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Vera, Drink Up! – Shepreth, Cambridgeshire (UK)

Posted on 13/07/2016 by One Two Culinary Stew

On 9 July 2016 Vera, Drink Up!, a collaboration between Vera’s Gin Club and Cambridge Eat Up!, took place at The Plough in Shepreth, near Cambridge. It was presented by “Vera” (gin expert Lyndsey Spellman) who took us through the history and horticulture of three gins. Lyndsey’s presentation was entertaining and interactive and she had everyone laughing and having fun from the very beginning.

Lyndsey leads a monthly Vera’s Gin Club at The Plough (I wrote about it here). As a member of Cambridge Eat Up!, the Facebook group for foodies, I wanted to include Vera in a foodie event so Lyndsey and I organised Vera, Drink Up!, a food and drink extravaganza featuring 3 premium gins + Fever-Tree tonic, Vera’s fun and informative gin presentation and a plateful of exquisite food by Romano’s.

We held Vera, Drink Up! from 5pm to 7pm so we could include a hearty dinner. The monthly Vera’s Gin Club features more gin (5 gins) and less food (The Plough’s nibbles) but for this special occasion we were fortunate to have a tasty menu created by Romano’s. The Plough were kind enough to lend us the space and have Romano’s as guest kitchen for the event. We also had The Foraging Fox on board, who supplied us with bottles of their delicious beetroot ketchup.

Photo courtesy of The Plough

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The Plough – Shepreth, Cambridgeshire (UK)

Posted on 17/06/2016 by One Two Culinary Stew

UPDATE: This pub no longer has an in-house food offering.

The Plough is located in Shepreth, one of those villages that have a Hertfordshire postal address but are part of South Cambridgeshire. It’s a lot closer than you think – only a 12-minute train ride from Cambridge to the railway station, then a 5-minute walk from there.

This village pub was closed for a long while and after the new owners gave it an extensive transformation, it officially re-opened 2 years ago. Since then, The Plough has been an integral part of the village, not only serving good food and drink, but also hosting a variety of events such as concerts, art exhibitions and Vera’s Gin Club. Check out the What’s On section of their website.

Vera’s Gin Club, presented by vivacious Lyndsey Spellman, has built quite a following, taking place every third Wednesday of the month from 8pm to 10pm. It’s a two-hour fun tasting of 5 gins, featuring nibbles by The Plough’s kitchen and a large G&T of your choice.

Lyndsey, who transforms into funny and witty “Vera”, has quite the extensive gin knowledge and creates a different presentation each month. Her themes are creative and take us through the history and horticulture of the gins she chooses to feature. I have learned so much about gin through Lyndsey, in such a fun and social way too! To attend one of the monthly Vera’s Gin Club events (priced at £20), just ring The Plough to reserve your space. Vera’s Gin Club will be celebrating its one-year anniversary on 20 July and a little birdie told me there will be a gin cake!

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Sunday Best, a fringe event for Eat Cambridge – Swaffham Prior, Cambridge (UK)

Posted on 27/05/2016 by One Two Culinary Stew

Sunday Best, a fringe event for Eat Cambridge, took place on 22 May, 2016 at Church of St Cyriac and St Julitta, a historic church no longer used for regular worship. When the creative minds of organisers Alex Ruczaj and Vicky Fenton of My Little Festival met with talented chef Jay Scrimshaw of Guerrilla Kitchen, the result was a superbly organised event featuring a sumptuous three-course Sunday Lunch in a stunning, communal setting. Plus, the energetic Taffeta Scrimshaw, a fantastic team of helpers and an impressive selection of drinks from revamped horsebox The Spirited Mare all contributed to making Sunday Best a real feasting extravaganza!

Photo courtesy of Guerrilla Kitchen

While lunch was being prepared for this family friendly event, people were seated on bales of hay or spread out on the lawn outside the church, reading the Sunday papers, playing board games or just chilling out with a drink. The Spirited Mare was on hand with a menu featuring Prosecco on tap (frizzante, to be precise), Gin & Tonic, Bloody Mary (including Kimchi Bloody Mary), Aperol Spritz, Ginger & Lemongrass, Brewdog beers, soft drinks and wine (white, red and rosé).

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Fired Up at No.77 – Caxton, Cambridgeshire (UK)

Posted on 10/01/2016 by One Two Culinary Stew

UPDATE: This restaurant is now closed.

Pizza lovers rejoice! Fired Up, run by Nancy and Rory Laffan, make some of the tastiest pizzas and have taken over the kitchen at No.77 for the whole month of January 2016. No.77, located in the village of Caxton just 13 miles from Cambridge, usually serve Thai food but their chefs are taking a break in Thailand this month. This is where Fired Up come in! With their handcrafted mobile pizza oven in tow, they are delighting customers with their authentic wood fired pizzas prepared with homemade dough and topped with fresh ingredients.

The official launch of Fired Up at No.77 was held on Saturday, 9 January 2016. Nibbles and fizz were on hand for the celebration but Paulo and I booked a table for dinner. We were delighted to run into Kelly Molson of Grub Club Cambridge / Rubber Cheese and her fiancé Lee Allison so we shared a table. Good company and good food… what else could you ask for?

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Cambridge Artisan Launch – Cambridge (UK)

Posted on 23/11/2015 by One Two Culinary Stew

On 19 November 2015, I had the pleasure of attending a momentous occasion: the official launch of online gift box and hamper company Cambridge Artisan, held at the Bridge Street branch of Cambridge Wine Merchants. Cambridge Artisan is the brainchild of enterprising 15-year-old Amélise Burr who has been wanting to start her own business for years. Her goal is to not only earn money to fund her university education (she aims to be a naval architect), it’s also to showcase independent local produce right here at our doorstep in Cambridgeshire and East Anglia in general.

Photo courtesy of Cambridge Artisan

With the full support of her father Robert Burr, who runs the popular mobile street food trailer Churros Bar with his wife Charlotte, they set off to source the variety of excellent products from local artisan producers. The result? Some of the very best food and drink the region has to offer… all of it available in a one-stop online shop and delivered right to your door. There are 30 local producers gathered under Cambridge Artisan’s virtual roof and best of all, their products can be accessed even when the markets are closed. There is a choice of several themed gift hampers or boxes and you can also purchase particular products separately, thus ensuring you are stocking your cupboards and “keeping it local”.

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The Chequers – Orwell, Cambridgeshire (UK)

Posted on 05/11/2015 by One Two Culinary Stew

I have been meaning to pop into The Chequers in Orwell for quite a while now as I don’t live too far away. Sometimes when places are practically at your doorstep you put them off thinking you’ll get to them eventually. I’m certainly guilty of doing just that, but fortunately I have remedied the oversight and will be a faithful customer from now on.

The Chequers is located in the beautiful village of Orwell. Don’t let the postal address deceive you. It’s listed as being in Hertfordshire but Orwell is really a South Cambridgeshire village, only 8 miles from the city of Cambridge. Actually, its location is ideal, practically of equal distance between Royston and Cambridge and very close to historic Wimpole Hall.

Owned by David and Tina Cheng, The Chequers is a village pub and restaurant with a nice, cosy bar but it also offers an astounding menu in its small dining room. David Cheng is a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef with an impressive culinary resumé, including a stint at Downing College in Cambridge. Paulo and I visited at dinnertime and the whole team, from the kitchen brigade to service staff, worked really well together. The food and service were flawless. I have to mention our excellent waiter Sean, who was friendly, professional and helpful.

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A Bubbling Cauldron of Food Experiences

Tag Archives: Cambridgeshire

Steak & Honour Restaurant – Cambridge (UK)

Café@abantu, Wysing Arts Centre – Bourn, Cambridge (UK)

White Cottage Bakery’s French Breadmaking Workshop – Kingston, Cambridgeshire (UK)

Ely Markets Food Tour – Ely, Cambridgeshire (UK)

Vera, Drink Up! – Shepreth, Cambridgeshire (UK)

The Plough – Shepreth, Cambridgeshire (UK)

Sunday Best, a fringe event for Eat Cambridge – Swaffham Prior, Cambridge (UK)

Fired Up at No.77 – Caxton, Cambridgeshire (UK)

Cambridge Artisan Launch – Cambridge (UK)

The Chequers – Orwell, Cambridgeshire (UK)