From thick-shelled eggs to Greek street eats, here’s what’s cooking in Cambridge this April
Thicker shells spell decadence
Hotel Chocolat 2025 Easter collection
Hotel Chocolat has unveiled its 2025 Easter collection, which includes Extra-Thick Eggs – lavishly thick-shelled eggs piled high with filled chocolates. From Serious Dark Fix to Exuberantly Fruity, the range includes eight eggs, each tailored to a Hotel Chocolat Love Match flavour profile. This year, the brand-new packaging is made entirely from paper pulp, inspired by the shape of a cacao pod.
Returning fan favourites include Ostrich Eggs in Classic, Patisserie and Vegan options, Splat Eggs (simple eggs with a splat design) and The Nice Slice (Easter Edition) – hazelnut and almond praline topped with caramel-milk bunnies. Also returning are Nibbly Eggs, with their satisfying textured crunch, from granola to delicate caramel éclat and cacao nibs.
Look out for Tom’s vintage horsebox
Young Cambridge entrepreneur Tom Kiernan is embarking on a new venture – selling artisan coffee from a vintage horsebox. “I started at 19; it’s been a huge learning curve, but also very rewarding,” he says. “It’s not just about great coffee, it’s about proving that, with hard work and determination, you can make things happen. I’m keen to show others that it’s possible to turn business ideas into reality.”
Tom launched Kiernan’s Coffee in December 2023, after leaving his animation course at university in Manchester. “I had no real direction when I left school, so I just enrolled into university,” he says. “But after three months, I knew it wasn’t right for me. I wanted a customer-facing job where I could make money and travel – I loved the idea of selling coffee from a horsebox.”
Tom’s advice for young entrepreneurs is: “Keep at it and enjoy every step of the journey. You will always face setbacks, but you’ll learn as you go and become stronger and better for it.”
Chelsea buns reinvented
Fitzbillies’ Chelsea buns
Delicious new sticky bun flavours are being launched at Fitzbillies in Cambridge, joining the iconic Chelsea bun for which the iconic restaurant has become famous. “We’re bringing our famous buns into the 21st century,” explains owner Alison Wright. “Alongside the iconic sticky Chelsea buns, we are now offering four other flavours – blueberry cheesecake, cheese and Marmite, American cinnamon with cream cheese icing and Nutella for chocolate lovers.”
Back in the 20th century, Cambridge shoppers would queue to stock up on Fitzbillies’ famous Chelsea buns. “Now you can buy them part-baked and heat them up at home,” says Alison. “We also sell the bun as a brunch option – French toast with bacon and syrup.”
After a record-breaking Christmas 2024, the cafe is offering a range of new services in 2025, including Uber Eats delivery, pre-ordered punt picnics and takeaway cream teas.
Italian wines in the spotlight
Transport yourself to Italy with Cambridgeshire Wine School this month, as it embarks on a series of tasting sessions that explore the country’s wine-producing heartlands. The series starts on 1 April with Piedmont (the Noble North). Veneto’s Treasures is on 8 April, Tuscany and Abruzzo at the Clayton Hotel on 15 April and Southern Renaissance on 22 April for the Puglia, Campania and Basilicata regions, as well as the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. All at the Cambridge Tap on St Andrew’s Street unless stated, starting at 7pm and costing £35 each.
Holkham venison served nose to tail
Venison event at Parker’s Tavern
Hot on the heels of its pork and beef Nose to Tail events, Parker’s Tavern at the University Arms Hotel hosted a venison event on Wednesday 2 April. Chef Lee Clarke butchered a whole deer to create a special menu showcasing various cuts, all served alongside locally sourced vegetables. Each priced at £39.50 per person, these monthly feasts feature a menu of every primal cut from a single animal.
Chef Lee Clarke has transformed the culinary landscape of Parker’s Tavern since his arrival last year, championing exceptional, seasonal produce from family-owned Burton’s Butchers in Saffron Walden, Kale & Damson, Bee & Bird, as well as the acclaimed English sparkling wines of Saffron Grange vineyard in Little Walden.
Cheese and gin tasting is a sellout
Tickets have already sold out for a guided cheese and gin tasting event on 16 April, hosted by The Cambridge Cheese Company at Cambridge Distillery’s Green Street gin lab. The sellout event, featuring six cheeses paired with four locally made gins, reveals the growing popularity of pairing cheese with alcoholic drinks other than wine. At time of writing, tickets are still available for a tasting on 20 August (cambridgeginlab.co.uk/blogs/news/gin-and-cheese).
“Successful pairing is simply about putting the right flavours together,” says director Jacky Sutton-Adam, who’s been pairing for the last 40 years. “There’s a science behind it, but rule of thumb is: look for complementary notes – sweet and sour for instance. Cheese’s lactic, milky flavour goes well with umami. Finding partners with a wow factor is rare, but we have some fabulous partnership suggestions on our website.” Guided tastings are a fun way to celebrate special occasions, but Jacky also suggests: “If going out seems too much effort, you can get one of our DIY tasting packs delivered. It’s a lovely idea to have a tasting in the comfort of your own home.”
Bottomless Brunch in Grantchester
Bottomless brunch at The Rupert Brooke
The Rupert Brooke in Grantchester is hosting a series of bottomless brunches with DJ Ian Brown. The next one, on 7 June at 2.30 to 6.30pm, will offer free refills on selected drinks from 2.30 to 4.30pm. The event promises a lively atmosphere combined with a three-course set menu featuring Moroccan spiced hummus and cheese straws, steak frites served pink with béarnaise sauce, wild mushroom and truffle tortellini with creamy pesto sauce and wilted spinach, chicken Caesar salad with croutons, crispy bacon and anchovies, plus a trio of desserts. This menu comes with unlimited prosecco, Aperol spritz, house wine or lager at £65pp, or Billecart-Salmon champagne for £95pp. The DJ and dancing will have a 90s and 00s theme. See therupertbrooke.com
Greek cuisine at Trumpington ale house
Greek street food kitchen Tzatziki, originally at The Royal Standard on Mill Road, is setting up a third branch at Hudson’s Ale House in Trumpington, to serve Greek cuisine while the pub kitchen undergoes refurbishment. Expect creamy hummus, feta phyllo pies and more. Hudson’s is getting a new, warm and inviting look with increased seating capacity. There are also plans to extend the patio, creating one of the largest pub gardens in the area. Steve and Hayley Pellegrini, who also run The Portland Arms, The Alex and The Castle Inn, are bringing their 20 years of industry expertise to this exciting venture.
