Catch up on the latest happenings in the Cambridge culinary scene from sustainable dining to exclusive discounts
Everything but the oink
Parker’s Tavern
Parker’s Tavern on Regent Street has launched a new Nose to Tail series of dining experiences – banquets where chef Lee Clarke cooks up a sustainable menu that uses an entire animal and minimises waste. This demonstrates how every part can be turned into a delicious dish.
The pork event in February demonstrated terrines, sausages, braised pork belly cassoulet, slow-cooked collar and brawn on toast, all served on sharing platters with locally sourced vegetables. The next events in the series will focus on beef (5 March), venison (2 April) and lamb (7 May); all £39.50 per person.
Half-price pizza for students
Tradizioni
Tradizioni restaurant at 18 The Broadway, Mill Road is offering students 50% off any pizza until the end of March. “The offer is simple: every Monday and Tuesday from 5 to 10pm, any student who shows their student ID will receive a 50% discount on any pizza we offer,” says general manager Andrea Scaramuccia. “I understand how challenging it can be for students to be away from home and manage living effectively. I wanted to do something special that would help them financially.”
The chef has also created a special-edition pizza just for this event, using unique flavours you won’t want to miss.
Canapes with bite!
Organic Garden at The Wine Rooms
Sustainable start-up restaurant Organic Garden is hosting a pop-up dinner at The Wine Rooms on Hills Road on 5 March, offering a set menu for £45 per head. Based in Ely, founder and chef Ryan Craig (pictured below) has been doing pop-up dining experiences for about a year now. “Customers can expect relaxed fine dining with an emphasis on big flavours and things you wouldn’t expect to see on every menu,” he says. “Every dish is created bespoke – they’re things I want to try or dishes that champion fresh, in-season ingredients.”
Ryan says his canapes best reflect his signature style: braised beef cheek sesame toast, with seaweed and black garlic emulsion. “It’s about taking something familiar – like prawn sesame toast – and making it more interesting, with British ingredients and influences from other countries. This makes for a really exciting bite!”
Ryan uses Cambridge Food Hub for most of his fruit and veg and The Organic Butchery for meat. “We started cooking organic food for our child when he was born and after a while thought: ‘Why aren’t we cooking organic food for ourselves as well?’ Once we did, it completely changed our lives from a health point of view. For us, it’s all about minimising the pesticides and hormones in our food, while also supporting an industry that’s better for the environment.”
Yorkshire puds made gluten-free
Provenance Kitchen
Provenance Kitchen in Whittlesford is launching a new menu aimed at vegans and customers with special dietary needs. Inspired by his own coeliac condition, head chef Joshua Fulcher has evolved the menu over the last 18 months to include a range of gluten-free options, including a Sunday lunch with Yorkshire puddings, cauliflower cheese, gravy, flatbreads, sauces and desserts.
“Although I eat fish now, I was vegetarian for many years,” says co-founder and restaurant owner Kate Holden. “So I know what it’s like to have restricted menu options and be treated as an afterthought. It’s important for menus to be accessible to everybody. Because we cook everything from scratch, it’s easy to modify a dish to be vegan or gluten-free. You can now order everything from our starters through to the desserts to be made as a gluten-free or vegan version.”
Shacking up?
Shake Shack. Image ManuPadilla, Adobe Stock
Fast-food chain restaurant Shake Shack is coming to Lion Yard in 2025. This will be the 19th branch of the US chain to open in the UK, replacing Yo! Sushi. Besides the classic, eponymous milkshakes and ice cream floats, there is a selection of cheeseburgers, including the Smoke Shack burger with applewood-smoked bacon. The restaurant is also licensed to sell wine and its Shack Meister ale and lager.
