Review: The Red Lion at Whittlesford Bridge

The newly refurbished Red Lion at Whittlesford Bridge

I like to think I keep up-to-date with the comings and goings on the local food scene, but when I saw various Twitter mentions of a new and improved restaurant just a mile from my front door, I realised I might have fallen behind a tad. The Red Lion at Whittlesford Bridge has been around for quite sometime (since the 13^th century in fact), but it's one of those places I've never thought to visit. It might have something to do with the fact that I stared at it every morning for two years when commuting to London from Whittlesford station next door. But now the pub, hotel and restaurant has undergone a major refurbishment and boasts a large conference room, a cosy bar and restaurant, and most importantly, a tempting new menu. The words 'home-cooked' 'hearty' and 'traditional favourites' had me booking a table in no time.

We popped along quite early on a Thursday evening and the bar area was already bustling and had a lovely, welcoming atmosphere. The pub is right next door to a large new Holiday Inn Express but far from competing with the budget hotel, they warmly welcome residents for dinner and a drink in the evening. This means the pub has a nice mix of business types sitting down to dinner, locals in need of a pint and families after a homemade bite to eat. There are lots of cosy little alcoves to hide away in and the pub plans to have a roaring inglenook fireplace in the snug area very soon. 

Homemade pork cracklings

We decided to indulge in some homemade pork crackling while we decided what to eat. It was very good indeed, crispy but not teeth-breakingly so, chewy but not in that undercooked, limp way. It came with a nice pot of sweet apple sauce, and the sweet and salty appetiser was a great start to our meal.

I've gone from being a 'leave-room-for-sweet girl' to one who much prefers a starter. I always find starters the most tempting dishes on the menu. And in this case it was an easy choice for me. I can't get enough beetroot at this time of year and so I tucked into a starter of beetroot carpaccio. Carpaccio is perhaps a little too grand an explanation for the dish but it was a lovely salad nonetheless, with walnuts and slivers of Grana Padano to compliment the earthy beetroot.

Beetroot carpaccio

I am a real retro lover and the mere whiff of the past attracts me, so obviously I had to go for the 1970s style homemade chicken kiev. It was perfect – oozing garlic butter and served with creamy mash and a deep fried leek. I should have ordered some fresh veg as could have done with some crisp freshness to go with it but that was my oversight. My ever-predictable husband tested the bangers and mash. It’s the marker he tests every cook by and he certain wolfed this one down quickly.

1970s style chicken kiev

The lovely general manager, Ross from Edinburgh, showed us around the renovated hotel. There are 18 unique guest rooms, we had a peak in what would be the bridal suite (the hotel does weddings too) and it was very luxurious. It had a bath in the bedroom and was beautifully decked out in cosy looking fabrics and vintage furniture. As a hotel, The Red Lion is the perfect option for visiting family or those who fancy a trip to the war museum nearby. Ross also filled us in on some interesting facts about the historic building - for example the alcohol license dates back to a visit from James I in 1619, and the large oak table in the new atrium area in made from an old beam that used to run the length of the hotel.  

We enjoyed our visit and will certainly be returning for more hearty food soon. And once that inglenook fireplace goes in you'll have to get there early to beat us to the sofas in front of it!

The best bit The pub and restaurant is a cosy cuddle of a place. Everything about The Red Lion is welcoming - from the staff to the traditional food on offer. 

Something to work on As a local girl I would love to see the pub on Twitter and tweeting regular offers and incentives – but then I would say that!

Station Road East, Whittlesford, Cambridge CB22 4NL

01223 832047, trlh.co.uk (new look website coming soon)

Writing for Cambridge Edition

I have recently been lucky enough to be asked by the lovely editor of Cambridge Edition magazine, Nicola Foley, to write a series of 'five of the best' features for them. My first two have been on fine dining and roast dinners and it's been great fun researching them and meeting even more lovely, local foodie types. The November issue is out now (with my top five roasts and a review of Zara Indian Cuisine) and you should be able to pick up a copy on your travels. If you missed the October issue then you can read my fine dining piece here (on pages 26 and 27). 

You can read more from Cambridge Edition at cambsedition.co.uk and by following them on Twitter @CambsEdition.

Fitzbillies and those buns

I couldn't let another day go by without blogging about finally tasting the, infamous-all-over-again, Fitzbillies Chelsea bun. It was a gooey, sticky, curranty triumph. I can't think of an occasion when it wouldn't be afternoon treat perfection, washed down with a nice cup of Earl Grey, one sugar please. 

A gooey, glorious Fitzbillies Chelsea bun

And as if that wasn't praise enough, my Nan, a fan from childhood, said they were exactly as they used to be when she was little. She ate hers with relish and then called everyone she knew to tell them just how good they were.

More sweet treats

We took our Chelsea buns away to devour but next time we will definitely eat in. The Cambridge blue tiles set the place off a treat and it all felt very decadent and civilised. I might even try a carrot cake cupcake next time, after my Chelsea bun of course.

Fitzbillies cafe

Fitzbillies, 52 Trumpington Street, CB2 1RG
01223 352500, fitzbillies.com

Recipe: Cherry and Nectarine Clafoutis

After a few long, hard weeks of eating out and sunning myself in Spain, I was desperate to get back in the kitchen and actually cook. And as I am up north for a few days I had even more of a treat in store -  my mother-in-law's red Aga, just sat there all warm and cosy and waiting to be used. I decided to make a pudding that has long intrigued me but that I'd never attempted - a cherry clafoutis.


I took the basic recipe from trusty Waitrose (you can find the orginal here) but I made a few adaptations. I didn't have enough cherries left after nibbling my way through a few handfuls, and so I made a cherry and nectarine concoction, and whereas Waitrose recommended six drops of vanilla extract I only used four as I find it overpowering.

Ingredients

300g cherries, halved and stoned
2 nectarines, stoned and finely chopped, skin on
10 tbsp caster sugar
75g butter
100g plain flour (could use 50g flour and 50g ground almonds for a denser finish)
1 egg, plus 3 egg yolks
4 drops of vanilla essence
Zest of one lemon
160ml milk
160ml whipping cream (or double, some upermarkets seem to have taken away the whipping option for some odd reason)

Mix the cherries and nectarines and sprinkle with 1 tbsp of sugar and leave to stand for a few hours.

I cooked mine in the baking oven of the Aga (which needed a slightly longer cooking time) but if you don't have that luxury (as I normally don't), then preheat oven to 190c/gas mark 5, once you are ready to start and the fruit is nice and juicey.

Heat the butter until golden and then leave to cool. Brush your dish - whatever one you fancy but around 20cm for circular, and then sprinkle over 3 tbsp of caster sugar. This will add a crust to the finished pud.

Mix the flour with a pinch of salt and make a well in the middle. Pour the eggs, the last 6 tbsps of sugar, the lemon zest and vanilla extract in the middle and whisk slowly to a smooth paste. Once smooth incorporate the milk and cream, and then the browned butter.

Combine the mixture with the cherries and pour into your waiting dish. Bake for 35-45 minutes (I found it needed closer to 50 mins in the Aga). I toasted a few flaked almonds while it cooked and these looked pretty sprinkled over the top.

The clafoutis is best eaten warm from the oven with a sprinkle of sugar and a large dollop of clotted cream ice cream. We found it was the perfect dessert after our hearty beef roast.

I was pleased with the final result but next time I might try it the purest's way - with whole cherries. Obviously this will result in the rather unlady like gesture of removing stones while eating, but apprently the flavour and juiciness that the whole cherries produce is more than worth it.  

Review: Nanna Mexico

Of all the food cravings I have, the one for spicy, fill-your-mouth-full-of-flavour is the strongest. Sometimes only a steak will do, sometimes I just need the delicate, freshness of fish, but when I need some spice I just have to have a hearty, mouth-tingling Mexican.


Luckily for my cravings, Cambridge has its very own spicy gem. In my book Nanna Mexico on Regent Street is Mexican street food at its best. I love the way it has such an easy-going vibe - you could be en route to a big night out, popping in for a lunchtime bite or grabbing a burrito before going to the Arts Picturehouse. I have been on all these occasions and I have had a great experience everytime.


My most recent visit was the best so far. Unsurprisingly this is linked to the fact that I finally tried their frozen margarita. And it was a tangy, limey, tequilla-fueled treat which hit the stress spot within two sips. They had another new drink on the menu since I'd been last - an aqua de horchata, a cold rice milk with vanilla and cinnamon that is perfect for taking away the heat of their spicier options.

My tinga quesadilla

We tucked in to a tinga quesadilla and a cubana torta on this occasion, as recommended by the charming restaurant manager, Mane. I usually go for the chicken but I have now recognised the error of my ways and it's tinga for me from now on. The winning filling is a spicy mix of chicken and chorizo marinaded in a chilli chipotle - it packs a spice punch and along with the stringy cheese, a fresh guacamole and a smidge of sour cream it would quench my Mexican craving every time. My burger-loving other half went for a torta - a Mexican take on the meat in a bun, with ham, pork, chicken and pineapple. It was his kind of meaty feast. Unusually I was allowed to try some too and for me the pineapple was the clincher - just like the Hawaiian pizza it cut through the salt of the meat and made the Mexican burger a must-try.

Pete's cubana torta

Nanna Mexico is one of those Cambridge gems - we are lucky to have them. It's tasty food, it gets your juices going and it fills you up and leaves you satisfied. Plus if you're really lucky you might catch a glimpse of Mane's dancing! And unless it's lunchtime, or perhaps even because it's lunchtime, always have the frozen margarita.


The best bit: The fact that all of this came in at well under £20. And if that wasn't good enough they also do Twitter Tuesday offers (they are on Facebook too but the alliteration isn't quite there) - just follow @NannaMexico. Plus they offer a great BOGOF offer on their best seller, the Big Ass burrito - just join their mailing list for the offer.


Something to work on: I wasn't a huge fan of the stainless steel plates, something more rustic might be nice. 


Nanna Mexico, 33a Regent Street, Cambridge CB2 1AB. 01223 363439, nannamexico.com.

Stonkingly good

Walden Local Food market and some of my Stonking produce

As part of my new foodie working life I spend one day a week making up jams, preserves and chutneys for Walden Local Food. They are a weekly produce market based on Butcher Row in Saffron Walden and everything they stock is sourced within 40 miles of Saffron Walden. Every week the lovely market manager, Liz, drops off any produce that they haven't sold and I devise a recipe to use up the glut. It means that whatever I make also uses ingredients within 40 miles (even the jam sugar comes from the British Sugar factory in Bury St Edmunds) It's great fun not knowing what I am going to get and looking through recipes for inspiration. So far I have made jams and curds from rhubarbs, gooseberries and summer fruits, as well as elderflower cordial and some piccalli. There should be a tomato chutney on the way soon.

So far my jams seem to have been the bestsellers and so I thought I would share the recipe for the chunky strawberry jam that I made for the market this weekend.

Chunky Strawberry Jam 

2kg strawberries, hulled but left whole

600g jam sugar

Juice and zest of one organic lemon


Gentle heat 3 tablespoons of water with the sugar and lemon zest and juice until the sugar melts and then add the strawberries. Bring to the boil and leave at a rolling boil for 10 minutes. If you have a thermometer then get the temperature up to 105c. Bear in mind that this is a runny jam to allow the fruit to remain whole so don't worry too much about checking for setting, it won't fully set.

As you can see the final result is a beautiful scarlet see-through jam laden with whole strawberries. Perfect on toast, dolloped over ice cream, or my new personal favourite - served with some warm-from-the-oven shortbread. The most delicious afternoon treat. And if you have some creme fraiche handy then a double dip, creme fraiche followed by strawberry jam is messy but quite superb in my book.


You can buy my Stonking jams, preserves, cordials and more at Walden Local Food market, every Saturday 8.30am - 3.30pm on Butcher Row, Saffron Walden.

A mid-week treat: 12a club and Bill's Cafe, Restaurant and Bar

Mid-week cocktails always taste better than weekend ones. There's something about drinking on a school night that goes to your head. It feels naughty and you know you'll regret it, but it still brings out the 'I know I shouldn't, but go on, just one more then' in all of us. 


I couldn't have picked a better drinking partner for cocktails last Wednesday night. I headed out to meet Briony Whitehouse, a Cambridge-based fashion blogger who is a bit of a big deal, not that she'd ever say it. Earlier this year she was one of Red magazine's top 20 under 30s and she gets over 50,000 hits to her blog, agirlastyle.com every month. But aside from all that she had a lovely twinkle in her eye, the most beautiful shoes on and was game for a drink or two.


We met at 12a club, the new-ish (it opened last November) member's only bar in Cambridge. Managed by the charming Mark Pope, the bar oozes sophistication. You can imagine a secret daliance or two playing out here. The decor reminds me of what I imagine an old don's office might look like - plush with lots of leather and a wealth of antiques and collected treasures. 

Butterfly Boston absinthe

A Cambridge Butterfly

They have a range of obscure and exciting spirits behind the bar. Each one has a story and Mark knows them all. Pick a bottle, any bottle and he will regale you with its history and flavour profile. I was attracted to the Butterfly Boston, a vintage looking little bottle containing an absinthe that Mark informed me started life in Boston in 1902, hence the name, slipped away after prohibition and was revived just last year. As you can imagine, it's not your bog standard absinthe, this one is smoother and the aniseed punch is really quite subtle. Mixed with grapefruit and a splatter of violet syrup, it tasted superb in my Cambridge Butterfly. 

Our second cocktail came with nibbles

Briony was rather flattered that Mark had read all about her penchant for pears and had some of the conference variety in specially for her. She had two pear concoctions and enthusiastically sipped each one, letting us know just how good they were. Most cocktails cost around £8 and when you consider that they are made to your specific tastes by a mixologist who really knows his stuff, that is a great price. You would need to factor in the membership fee though.  

Cocktails make you hungry and we heard that Bill's Cafe, Restaurant and Store had opened that night and was just round the corner. For Cambridge dwellers, it's where the Slug and Lettuce used to be. It's the fourth restaurant in Bill's small chain, they started off in Lewes and have now popped up in Covent Garden and Reading too. It prides itself on a great breakfast menu - and they'd be right too, bubble and squeak with mustard mash and fried eggs will definitely draw me back again. 

Bill's Cafe, Restaurant and Store, Green Street

Now I'm not a standard burger kind of girl, I hate them at a barbeque and rarely order one in a pub. It's not that I don't like burgers as a whole, it's just that they can so often be the hardest thing to get right. But for some reason, when it comes to a lamb burger I have to order it. I think it has something to do with a particular lamb burger with goat's cheese and the most perfect crispy chips that I enjoyed on an almost weekly basis throughout university.


The lamb burger at Bill's was a good one as they go. The meat was juicy and surrounded by a nice thick layer of white cabbage and red onion. The bun had a shiny top that hinted at a brushing of syrup or such like and insinuated it must have been made on the premise. One or two chips were a bit soggy and the wooden board was a little on the small side for a knife and fork burger-eater like me, but it was really very good overall.


Briony went for a lighter goat's cheese tart that was laden with pesto and rocket and she declared it a great option. We indulged in a last drink of the evening in the form of a hedgerow fizz; a small glass of Asti or similar with blackberries in the bottom. At just £3.75 it was a nice refresher.

Lamb burger with yogurt and mint

The walls were stocked from skirting to ceiling with Bill's produce - preserves, dressings, oils, chocolates and more. I bought some of Bill's apple juice (£3.45), which came wrapped up like a present and has since brightened my breakfast with its sweetness.

The walls stocked high with produce

Bill's is a welcome addition to the Cambridge restaurant scene, I will be going back for a brunch soon, most probably after a night of cocktails the evening before.

The best bit: 
12a Club What else, the cocktails of course. Everyone in Cambridge should sample one. Get in touch with Mark through Twitter (@12aClub) to pop along for a drink and a show round.


Bill's The restaurant is open fronted to allow you to sit and people-watch along the lovely Green Street. Plus a bursting brunch menu and some nice soft drinks options - a pink lemonade float would have be a definite had we not just guzzled cocktails.


Something to work on: 
12a Club With nibbles, events and daytime opening on the way, there's truly not any obvious flaws. Membership deals might lead to a buzzier feel but then I am told weekends are busy and of course a deal would not really be in the spirit of things.


Bill's So far so good. As long as opening standards are maintained, i.e. sticky tables and tatty menu syndrome doesn't set in, then I will certainly be back.


12a Club, Market Square, Cambridge 01223 350106; 12aclub.com


Bill's Cafe, Restaurant and Store, 34-35 Green Street, Cambridge CB2 3JX. 01223 329638; bills-website.co.uk