Tag Archives: tiramisu

Courtyard Kitchen, The Fitzwilliam Museum – Cambridge (UK)

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Combining food and culture! The Cambridge Dining Company (CDC Events), who have an established reputation, are now operating Courtyard Kitchen at The Fitzwilliam Museum. This newly refurbished contemporary café is a real gem, offering delicious food, a cheerful ambience and excellent service for brunch, lunch, cake, pastries and drinks. This delightful eatery, located by the museum shop, offers so much more than a simple café.

Courtyard Kitchen cafe Cambridge

Courtyard Kitchen cafe Cambridge

Anyone can pop into the café. It’s not necessary to visit The Fitzwilliam Museum’s exhibitions and galleries to eat at Courtyard Kitchen – although I highly recommend a wander to admire the beautiful art and artefacts in this historic Cambridge landmark – all free entry. Friends of the Fitzwilliam members receive a 10% discount on Courtyard Kitchen’s food and drink.

Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge

Courtyard Kitchen cafe Fitzwilliam museum gift shop Cambridge

I was kindly invited by CDC Events to sample a variety of Courtyard Kitchen’s dishes. For my lunchtime visit, Paulo and I took the opportunity to explore the museum’s current exhibition Islanders: The Making of the Mediterranean (which is also free but needs to be pre-booked).

Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge Islanders exhibition

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Di Rita’s Italian Cuisine – St Ives, Cambridgeshire (UK)

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UPDATE: This restaurant is now closed.

UPDATE: This restaurant has changed location to 2 The Pavement (still in St Ives) and is now known as Di Rita’s at No 2 (The Old Bank).

I was born and raised in Canada but I’m from Italian parents (Lazio and Molise regions). I often miss the old-school Italian food I grew up on. I’m talking comforting plates of pasta, succulent sauces and traditional favourites. As much as I love modern cuisine, sometimes I’m just looking for some no-nonsense linguine. Di Rita’s Italian Cuisine is just the place we needed to be on a Monday evening.

With an enviable location right by St Ives’ historic bridge in Cambridgeshire, Di Rita’s is open Mondays to Saturdays. The family-run restaurant lights up this little corner of Bridge Street with colours of the Italian flag above their sign and soft purple tones inside.

It’s popular with families, children, couples and groups – these customers and the staff give the place its warm ambience. What it lacks in décor, it makes up in charm and friendliness… and Di Rita’s has these in spades. Their video below is a good representation of their food and atmosphere – it tells the story better than my pics. I didn’t want to photograph the other diners (the place was buzzing) and the multi-coloured lighting made it tricky to take proper photos.

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La Cucina Italiana: A Big Friendly Do – Burwell, Cambridgeshire (UK)

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We live in delicious times! Pop ups and supper clubs have been keeping the foodie scene in Cambridgeshire fresh and La Cucina Italiana is a relatively recent contributor. Sally Bycroft, a hugely talented cook inspired by the flavours of Italy, launched La Cucina Italiana last year to cater private dinners and events. Sally has taken her culinary journey a step further by hosting A Big Friendly Do, an Italian style lunch where her guests gather around a table on a Sunday afternoon and sample the recipes she has collected on her travels. This immensely popular pop up (it sells out fast!) takes place every month or so at the Elk café in Burwell, the perfect cosy spot for a group of 20 to relax and enjoy an afternoon of wonderful food. I almost expected to look out the window and see the Tuscan slopes!

We were impressed by the whole experience. I attended with Paulo and our friends Peter and Jenni, who travel to Italy very often to visit family and explore the country. I’m from Italian parents so I knew the 4-course menu was a reflection of what Italian cuisine should be – simple, honest food expertly prepared with quality ingredients. Sally is not a formally trained chef but started helping out her mum with frequent dinner parties at an early age. Although Sally’s background is in PR and marketing, her travels ignited her love of cooking. Italy is Sally’s spiritual home and she lived in Tuscany for a while, giving her the opportunity to hone her Italian culinary skills. It’s clear she understands the flavours and traditions, not to mention the organisation and timing required to host such an event. There was also a great team in place and the venue was just lovely –we’ll definitely be going back to Elk café.

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