For my January 'Ask the Foodie' column for Cambridge Edition magazine, I made some foodie predictions for the Cambridge food and drink scene in 2016...
Dedicated Cambridge foodies out there will be pleased to
hear that the trend for local, independent food and drink is set to continue
this year – at pace. There’s an unwaveringly huge appetite and support for the
many new food and drink openings; steadfast new food favourites are still going
strong; and we’re seeing local success stories like Hot Numbers expanding
within the city. In 2016, I want to see firmly established food businesses who
have been serving our communities for years brought to the fore as part of this
trend, too, like Les Ward’s empire of village greengrocers and fantastic Arbury
butchers The Art of Meat.
The local food and drink festival which helps celebrate this
amazing local scene, Eat Cambridge, is back again in May (7-22 May 2016) and
will be a fantastic and thorough showcase of all that’s good, new, and growing
in the local food and drink scene. People’s interest in shopping and eating
truly local products isn’t waning either; this year will see the growth of some
inspiring schemes to handpick and deliver the best local food and drink direct
to your door, such as Cambridge Artisan’s gift hampers. This year, look out for
newbie producer/pop-up ‘allotment’ too, who are intent on turning locally
produced and allotment-grown goodness into the most delicious and beautiful
cakes and savouries possible.
I’m looking forward to the return of the Cambridge supper
club this year. Yep, it did quietly slip off the radar somewhat in recent
months. I’m talking the original, authentic supper club experience of booking
in advance, waiting for the much-anticipated menu release, and then rocking up
at the secret location to sit with strangers and enjoy a proper feast. In my
opinion, the best supper clubs see the cook’s home transformed into a (tiny) pop-up
restaurant for the evening. Rumour has it there are at least two ‘hosted at
home’ supper clubs on the horizon in 2016; one featuring fine dining and one
focused on true Indian home cooking.
Our beloved street food scene is still very much on the up
in Cambridge. My street food venture, foodPark, is growing further this year
with still more new traders setting up and creating innovative street food
menus, new and revamped vans on the way, and new pitches and events coming up
around the city. I’m particularly looking forward to a jam-packed summer of
monthly foodPark NIGHT MARKETs and some intriguing collaborations with other
local independent businesses in 2016. The onset of the street food residency is
on the cards too. Whilst not new – Craig at The Free Press pub has championed a
rotating line-up of street food chefs at the pub’s kitchen for the last year or
so – some great city centre venues are now embracing this trend, like Novi with
its Steak and Honour winter residency.
Enjoy! Look out for my tips on what’s hot in the Cambridge
food scene, every month in Cambridge Edition.
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