Cambridge Travel Guide
With its cobbled streets, twisting river and ancient colleges, Cambridge is without doubt one of the UK’s prettiest towns. Dominated by the 31 colleges of one of Britain’s most prestigious universities, it is, at heart, a student town – even if those students are more likely to go on to discover a cure for cancer rather than raise hell on the cobbles.
Indeed, the city’s collection of memorials, plaques and benches are dominated by famous alumni, among them Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and no fewer than 15 British Prime Ministers. The architecture of the colleges is mostly grand, although a guided punting trip past the famous King’s College Chapel will give you a glimpse of the University’s more human side.
Further along the Cam, you’ll find the rickety-looking, wooden Mathematical Bridge, the Wren Library at Trinity College and pretty riverside gardens and parks known collectively as The Backs.
You could always make the experience extra authentic by trying punting yourself (it’s far more challenging than it appears), though if you really want to do it properly, take along a punnet of strawberries and a bottle of champagne.
Beyond the city’s academic assets, Cambridge is a vibrant spot replete with pubs and restaurants and crammed with museums to boot. Drink at the RAF bar of The Eagle pub, which still has it ceiling decorated with messages left by the airmen who drank there 70 years ago, or plunge into quaint passages set around the historic market place and colleges, where a unique blend of independent shops can be found along familiar high street brands. Catch a student theatrical production, or a show at the Arts Theatre; otherwise see live music or comedy at the Corn Exchange.
When you want to explore beyond Cambridge, there’s plenty to choose from: head for the market town of Ely or Wisbech, explore the wonderfully unique Fens, or enjoy a sport of horse racing at Newmarket.
England’s foremost seat of learning alongside Oxford, Cambridge’s history is inextricably linked with its university. The first college, Peterhouse, was founded in 1284 by the Bishop of Ely, with royal patronage leading to the building of the renowned King’s College Chapel between 1441 and 1515.
Yet the history of this hallowed city dates back well before the creation of one of the world’s finest universities. The Romans settled north of the current city centre at Castle Hill and the city developed as a key trading post during Anglo–Saxon and Viking rule. It was during this time that Cambridge’s oldest building, St Bene’t’s Church, was constructed.
The original site of the Roman settlement at Castle Hill became the basis for a Norman castle built by William the Conqueror in 1068. Today, you can still see the mound on which this once imperious building would have stood, as well as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, known as the Round Church, a classic example of Norman architecture.
It was in the late medieval period, however, that Cambridge’s modern status was assured, thanks to the arrival of Oxford scholars looking to set up colleges in the 13th century. The heavily fortified town played a major role in the English Civil War too, when one time Sidney Sussex College student Oliver Cromwell was granted control of Cambridge by Parliament.
Royalist armies never penetrated the city’s walls and Cambridge remained loyal to the man who would become Lord Protector of England.
Cambridge’s population boomed in the 19th century thanks to the arrival of the railways in 1845, bringing people to the city and helping the distribution of crops across the country from the surrounding farm fields. Today the university still dominates the city’s skyline and owns much of the centre, its influence also felt on the edge of town in the growing science parks. Cambridge today is the UK’s leading research centre, its students and their skills clamoured over by the world’s biggest tech companies.
No new colleges were opened in Cambridge between 1596 and 1800.
Over 40% of Cambridge’s workforce have a higher education qualification, twice the UK national average.
Cambridge was only granted city status in 1951 as it does not have a cathedral, a traditional prerequisite.
The weather in Cambridge is fairly mild year round. During May, June, July, August and September, Cambridge has often very sunny, warm days but is an unpredictable as elsewhere in the UK (/united-kingdom). Average temperatures in July are around 19.6°C (70°F). A popular time to visit is during the spring from March to May when trees begin to flower and Cambridge’s parks and gardens blossom with snowdrops and daffodils. Average January temperatures are around 6.9°C (13°F) and annual rainfall is 358mm (28.5 inches).
Getting around Cambridge
The city’s main sites are within easy walking distance from the centre, so most visitors to Cambridge are able to explore the city on foot.
Stagecoach
Address: 100 Cowley Rd, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 433 250
Website: www.stagecoachbus.com operates regular buses throughout the city, several of which pass the railway station (a 20-minute walk from the centre).
There are several taxi ranks across Cambridge, including at the railway and bus stations. You can also hail taxis anywhere on the street. To pre-book a taxi, try
Atlas Cars Of London
Telephone: +44 2073 833 333
CamCab
Telephone: +44 1223 704 704
Do not attempt to drive into the city centre unless it is absolutely essential. Signposting is poor, the road layout is disorienting, and car parking spaces are hard to find, except for the two large shopping centre car parks where the daily charges are among the most expensive in the UK. Much of the historic centre is also prohibited to private cars. Instead use one of the five Park & Ride sites that are well signposted as you approach the city. Parking is free though each adult is charged to use the bus.
Cambridge is one of the best cycling cities in the UK, with over 130km (80 miles) of cycle lanes and routes. Beware however that if you are not an experienced cyclist you may wish to avoid the rush hours during term time when many hundreds of student cyclists take to the streets en masse. There are plenty of cycle hire shops, many of which are located in the heart of the city. Try
THE BIKE STATION
Address: Six trees. Off, Brookgate, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 7840 510 482
City Cycle Hire
Address: 61 Newnham Rd, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 365 629
Website: www.citycyclehire.com
In partnership with Get Your Guide
Book popular activities in Cambridge
Things to see in Cambridge
Attractions
This atmospheric Norman survivor, albeit extensively renovated, is one of only four round churches in the country. It dates back to 1130AD, making it one of the oldest buildings in Cambridge, and hosts an excellent permanent exhibition on the impact of Christianity in England.
Address: Round Church Vestry, Bridge St, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 311 602
Opening times: Tue-Sat 10:00-17:00.
Website: www.roundchurchcambridge.org
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: No
UNESCO: No
- Cambridge University colleges
Cambridge University is the second oldest university in England, and shares an unrivalled reputation for excellence and tradition with Oxford University. The university’s various colleges, many of them architectural masterpieces, are scattered throughout the city. Many are partially open to visitors at certain times. A board at the entrance lists opening times; otherwise ask at the tourist office.
Address: The Old Schools, Trinity Ln, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 337 733
Opening times: Various.
Website:
www.cam.ac.uk
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
- Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology
This world-class collection of Oceanic, Asian, African and Native American artefacts includes many full-sized extremely colourful items (canoes, sculptures, masks, totem pole) and is an exotic feast of images and well-presented ideas. Highlights include the largest collections of objects from the voyages of Captain James Cook and an impressive collection of Anglo Saxon material from Britain.
Address: Downing Street, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 333 516
Opening times: Tue-Sun 10:00-16:30.
Website: www.maa.cam.ac.uk
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
The fine old university church overlooks the market square and boasts a tower with a narrow vertiginous staircase that opens to look down on the heart of the medieval city. Its physical foundations date from around 1010 and a church has stood in this very spot since 1205.
Address: The University Church, Senate House Hill, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 747 273
Opening times: Daily 10:00-17:00.
Website: www.greatstmarys.org
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: No
UNESCO: No
The university’s art collection provides the basis for one of the finest small museum-galleries in Europe, with art and antiquities spanning centuries and civilisations. Among the highlights are paintings from the 14th century to the present day, drawings and prints, sculpture and oriental art.
Address: Trumpington Street, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 332 900
Opening times: Tues-Sun 10:00-17:00.
Website: www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
- Cambridge & County Folk Museum
This charming and comprehensive museum, focusing on local social history and folklore, is housed in the former 16th-century White Horse Inn. Items in its collection include a wonderful mix of everything from the mundane to the bizarre, such as courting tokens made of corn, to moles’ paws carried to prevent rheumatism and an old-fashioned vacuum cleaner.
Address: 2/3 Castle Street, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 355 159
Opening times: Wed-Mon 10:00-17:00.
Website: www.museumofcambridge.org.uk
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
- Cambridge University Botanic Garden
The university’s botanic garden is a beautifully landscaped 40-acre (16-hectare) garden a mile south of the city centre. The collection numbers more than 8,000 labelled plant species, featuring many different kinds of landscapes, from the alpine to woodlands, as well as several glasshouses, a lake, a winter garden and a rock garden.
Address: 1 Brookside, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 336 265
Opening times: Daily 10:00-18:00.
Website: www.botanic.cam.ac.uk
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
- Whipple Museum of the History of Science
This collection is renowned for its early scientific instruments, dating from the 14th century. The museum is named after its founder, Robert Stewart Whipple (1871-1953), who presented his collection of 1,000 scientific instruments, and a similar number of rare books, to Cambridge University in 1944.
Address: Free School Lane, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 330 906
Opening times: Mon-Fri 12:30-16:30.
Website: www.whipplemuseum.cam.ac.uk
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
- Scott Polar Research Institute
Cambridge is home to both the British Antarctic Survey and the Scott Polar Research Institute, putting the city at the cutting edge of polar exploration. Learn more about the history of our quest to conquer the planet’s coldest places in the Institute’s small but fascinating museum.
Address: Lensfield Road, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 336 540
Opening times: Tues-Sat 10:00-16:00.
Website: www.spri.cam.ac.uk
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
- Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences
An old fashioned but atmospheric museum with impressive dinosaur skeletons and specimens collected by Darwin on his 1831 voyage aboard The Beagle. In total, the museum is responsible for at least 2 million fossil, rock and mineral specimens from around the world, and a stroll around its ancient corridors will take you on a 4.5 billion year journey through time.
Address: University Of, Downing Pl, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 333 456
Opening times: Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00.
Website: www.sedgwickmuseum.cam.ac.uk
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Tourist Offices
Address: The Guildhall, 11 Peas Hill, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 921 800
Opening times: Daily 10:00-16:00.
Website: www.infocambridge.com
The Visit Cambridge team can help with arranging accommodation and booking attraction as well as providing maps, souvenirs, tickets for King’s College Chapel, guided punt tours and more.
Things to do in Cambridge
- Cast your rod into local rivers
Cambridge’s nearby fenland rivers are a mecca for anglers. With 322km (200 miles) of waterways and a number of purpose-built lakes, fishing can be enjoyed year round; try and hook roach,
bream, rudd,
pike and
zander.
Go Fish have info on the best sites
Website: www.cambridge-fpas.co.uk
- Discover Cambridgeshire’s famous countryside on foot
There are endless walking and cycling trails around Cambridgeshire, with the land gratifyingly flat for the hiking beginner. You can get a map of the cycle routes in Cambridge and the surrounding villages from the all knowing ones at the
Tourist Information Centre
Address: The Guildhall, 11 Peas Hill, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 921 800
Website: www.infocambridge.com
Punting is an essential part of any Cambridge visit, and
Scudamore’s Mill Lane Punting Station
Address: Mill Ln, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 359 750
Website: www.scudamores.com will let you either take a boat out yourself, or hire one with a chauffeur.
They’re renowned for the aesthetic quality of their chauffeurs, so sit back and enjoy all the views.
- Sink some ales at the famous Six Bells pub
It takes a pub of some standing to attract nearly 5,000 signatures for a petition against its closing, but
The Six Bells
Website: www.sixbellspub.co.uk is a true Cambridge institution.
Its clientele is more bearded biker than red-cheeked student, and you’ll find a righteous selection of ales to keep you entertained if the vintage 60s theatre posters aren’t doing it for you.
- Soak up the ambience at the university colleges
Most of the 31 colleges that compose Cambridge’s world famous university are open to visitors. Among the most well known is
Trinity College
Address: KingdomMill Ln, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 338 400
Website: www.trin.cam.ac.uk which was opened back in 1546 by that well-fed doyen of education, Henry VIII.
Cambridge tours and excursions
Cambridge tours
Red, open-topped, double-decker bus tours from City Sightseeing include a hop-on, hop-off service at 20 stops all over the city. However, as much of the city centre is off limits to large vehicles, the bus cannot get close to many of the sights, therefore much reducing its appeal. Tickets for the tour are valid for 24 hours and can be purchased through the tourist office.
Cambridge Tour Guides
Telephone: +44 7503 291 862
Website: www.cambridgetourguide.co.uk
The most iconic way of seeing Cambridge is on a punt on the river Cam. Scudamore’s offer chauffeured punting as well as self-hire, taking in sights such as the Mathematical Bridge at Queen’s College and the Bridge of Sighs at St John’s College. A guided tour is recommended and includes an entertaining commentary. Alternatively, Camboats offers river trips in an open-sided narrowboat.
Telephone:
+44 1223 359 750 ,
+44 7706 734 763
Website: www.scudamores.com
Cambridge excursions
Located in Duxford, 8km (5 miles) south of Cambridge, this is not only Europe’s premier aviation museum, but it also boasts one of the finest collections of tanks, military vehicles and naval exhibits in the UK. It was first used as an airfield in WWI and later played an important role in WWII as an RAF fighter station and American fighter base.
Telephone:
+44 1223 835 000
Website: www.iwm.org.uk
Cambridge is within easy distance of a number of pretty riverside towns. Ely is steeped in history and is renowned for Ely Cathedral, with its unique Octagon Tower and the River Great Ouse. St Ives features a 15th century bridge and chapel over the river, while St Neots dates back 1,000 years and centres on a 12th-century market square.
Cambridge Riverside
Address: Kingsley Walk, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 356 301Shopping in Cambridge
Shopping in Cambridge is great, with everything from department stores and designer shops, to small food stores and some of the country’s best new and second-hand bookshops.
The best places to find independent shops are on and around Benet Street (known as the Art Quarter), Magdalene Street for high-end independent fashion boutiques, cobbled Green Street (connecting Sidney Street with Trinity Street) for independent shops, King’s Parade featuring college-wear, fashion, arts and crafts, King Street, St John’s Street, Sussex Street offering specialist stores and Trinity Street.
There’s a giant open-air market from Monday to Saturday at Market Square in the bustling city centre featuring clothes, food, fruit, veg, books, clothes, sweets, crafts and more. There has been a market on the site for 700 years. St John’s Street is home to an arts and craft market on Saturdays. All Saints Garden, opposite Trinity College, sells everything from fine jewellery, pottery and sculpture, to photography, paintings, prints and clothing. The Market is held on Saturdays all year round, plus Fridays in June, July and August.
The Grand Arcade, on Corn Exchange Street, offers over 50 shops and restaurants, including well-know High Street brands and designer brands such as Hugo Boss and Ted Baker and is open daily. The nearby Lion Yard shopping centre with over 30 stores and The Grafton with over 60 stores are also popular.
Most stores are open weekdays from 9am until 530, with one evening late night opening until 8pm. Sunday openings tend to be between 11am and 5pm.
College-related items, particulary scarves, t-shirts and tops emblazed with the word Cambridge or one of the college names, are popular. Art, antiques, jewellery, fashion, hand-made soaps, pottery and fudge are among the souvenirs bought in the city.
Restaurants in Cambridge
Cosy little bistros, grungy student cafes, cheerful chains and classy Michelin star establishments – Cambridge covers every shade of the gourmet spectrum. Head away from the tourist traps of Market Square to discover a more authentic side to the city’s dining scene.
Restaurants in Cambridge have been grouped into three different pricing categories:
Expensive (over £40)
Moderate (£25 to £40)
Cheap (up to £25)
These prices are for a three course meal for one, including half a bottle of house wine or equivalent. If service is not included, 10% tipping is customary.
Expensive
Cuisine: Fine dining
Victorian-era, riverside cottage serving elegant French meals at smart tables in a conservatory. This Midsummer House restaurant concentrates on using slow cooking techniques to accentuate flavour and texture. The menus are dictated by the seasons with the majority of the ingredients sourced locally.
Address: Midsummer Common, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 369 299
Website: www.midsummerhouse.co.uk
Cuisine: French/Country club
Daily breakfasts, lunches & afternoon tea, plus 3 course Sunday lunches & early dinners at The Cambridge Country Club. This delightful little brasserie is all bright, modern stripped pine interiors and understated sophistication. The menu is haute cuisine, with specialities including duck liver parfait, slow-roasted beef cheeks and venison wellington in juniper berry sauce. It’s immensely popular, particularly in the evenings, so book a table well in advance.
Address: Country Club, Toft Rd, Bourn, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 953 469
Website: www.cambridgecountryclub.com
Cuisine: Fine dining/Modern European
Elegant Victorian fine dining room with a fixed-price monthly menu of contemporary British dishes. Set in a pretty Victorian villa by the River Cam near the centre of Cambridge, Restaurant Twenty Two boasts two Michelin stars and offers classic French Mediterranean cuisine with plenty of modern twists.it serves up consistently excellent food.
Address: 22 Chesterton Rd, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 351 880
Website: www.restaurant22.co.uk
Moderate
Cuisine: Modern British
A Cambridge institution since it was established in 1987, Browns is a spacious colonial-style eatery offering mostly English food and a bustling atmosphere, popular with students, tourists and locals alike. It is housed in a converted wing of the old Addenbrooke’s Hospital, which originally opened in 1766.
Address: 23 Trumpington Street, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 461 655
Website: www.browns-restaurants.co.uk
Cuisine: British
This charming bistro is simply decorated with pastel shades, wooden floors and art deco fittings, and serves European and modern British favourites. It’s also famed for its cake shop (specifically their Chelsea buns) next door. Leave room for its speciality: the chocolate ice cream.
Address: 51-52 Trumpington Street, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 352 500
Website: www.fitzbillies.com
Cuisine: Fusion
A large, airy brasserie-style restaurant located by Magdalene Bridge on the banks of the river Cam and with two spacious riverside balconies, Galleria is one of the busier restaurants in Cambridge. This is not only down to the location, though – the food is fabulous too.
Address: 33 Bridge Street, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 362 054
Website: www.galleriacambridge.co.uk
Cheap
Cuisine: Pizza
This Franco Manca offers fresh ingredients and strictly Pizza including its cheeses, wines, beers and ciders, options and organic baby food. The menu is eclectic and ranges from favourites such as spinach lasagne to exotic Jamaican roti cups, tacos and tagines. The cakes are also to-die-for.
Address: 15 Market Hill, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 901 160
Website: www.francomanca.co.uk
Cuisine: Kerala /Indian
Enjoy the mouth-tingling flavours of India at The Rice Boat, where Kerala inspired cuisine comes with a whole host of lightly spiced dishes. Dine on chilli-fried whitebait, lamb cutlets, sambar (lentil-based vegetable stew) or pumpkin and red bean curry. A real gem.
Address: 37 Newnham Road, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 302 800
Website: www.riceboat.co.uk
Cuisine: Mexican
The Nanna Mexico is an award-winning Vegetarian options restaurant that puts a sustainable twist on traditional Mexican Small plates. Dishes are homemade, cooked to order and based around what’s in season at the time.
Address: 29 Petty Cury, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 665 589
Website: www.nannamexico.comCambridge Nightlife
The diversity of nightlife in Cambridge is down to its eclectic population of students, academics, tourists and locals. Browse the hundreds of flyers and mini-posters, which are attached to the railings along King’s Parade and elsewhere, giving details of student productions and activities. Else the;
Tourist Information Centre
Website: www.visitcambridge.org has a list of the events going on in the city.
Bars in Cambridge
Of the many excellent pubs in the city, perhaps the most famous is the historic Eagle, featuring a ceiling scrawled with signatures of WWII pilots (many of them Americans stationed nearby during the conflict). Local lore claims this is also where university professors Crick and Watson famously drank, discussed and discovered the secrets of DNA.
Address: Benet Street, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 505 020
Website: www.greeneking.co.uk
Cosy pub and garden for snacks and simple British dishes plus a huge menu of international beers. This Cambridge Blue bar offers a daily two-for-one offer on cocktails, plus a mouth-watering snacking menu, makes this a great place to start your night.
Address: 85-87 Gwydir St, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 471 680
Website: www.cambridge.pub
The Cambridge Tap is a cosy cocktail bar that’s a favourite with students and townsfolk alike. On top of a great selection of cocktails, ciders and beers, and plenty of squishy sofas.
Address: 32 St Andrew’s St, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 679 349
Website: www.mcmullens.co.uk
Clubs in Cambridge
Dance club with themed parties 5 nights a week, decked out in hand-carved wood with Tiki booths. There is no shortage of clubs aiming for the student market. It claims to have the best DJs many more from the circuit too.
Address: Chambers, Guildhall Place, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 7793 778 160
Website: www.beacons.ai
This is an elegant styled nightclub that draws mainly student crowds. It’s famous for attracting world class DJs and performers that range from Joey Negro and Jazzy Jeff to DJ Yoda and Fun Lovin’ Criminals. Another highlight is the unique cocktail list, which is packed with creative surprises.
Address: 15 Market Passage, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 364 056
Website: www.mashcambridge.com
Modern club with boutique styling and a large dance floor, plus VIP booths and a cocktail bar. It may be part of a nationwide chain, but this fun club still manages to channel a boutique feel. It attracts a young crowd of revellers with its large dance floor, cocktail bar and 9 VIP booths with table service if you’re not quite ready to boogie yet.
Address: 22 Sidney St, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 324 600
Website: www.vinylclub.co.uk
Live music in Cambridge
This is the city’s centre for performing arts and entertainment. The largest venue in Cambridge, it stages a wide variety of shows and performances, from cutting-edge European jazz, rock and pop, opera, comedy, classical music and kids’ shows through to dance shows, new music, comedy and West End productions.
Address: 2Wheeler Street, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 357 851
Website: www.cornex.co.uk
This is an all-round performing arts venue embracing live music and club nights as well as theatre, comedy, children’s shows and community events. It can hold up to 1,000 people in its main auditorium.
Address: Clifton Way, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 511 511
Website: www.junction.co.uk
This intimate venue hosts local and international bands from across all genres. Its performance space was recently expanded too, so it now squeezes in 200 people and is kitted out with a high-tech sound system and lighting rig.
Address: 129 Chesterton Road, Cambridge.
Telephone: +44 1223 357 268
Website: www.theportlandarms.co.ukCambridge food And Drink
Food In Cambridge
Believed to have originated from a greengage seedling found in the Cambridgeshire county, the plum fruit has a sweet, honey flavor and an excellent fruit quality. The Cambridge Gage is great for desserts or jam making this greengage a perfect option to grow in your garden. Greengages are a delicious fruit that have an excellent flavor. The Cambridge Gage can be found in late summer when they’re at their best.
Cambridge pudding is a delicious dessert that you won’t want to miss out on during your trip to the city. This pudding is made with cream, eggs, yeast, sugar and raisins, and is usually served with a sweet sauce. The pudding is light and airy, and the flavor of the raisins really comes through. The sauce is the perfect finishing touch, making this pudding even more irresistible. Sometimes known as ‘College Pudding’, the dish is associated with the student halls at Cambridge University.
A Duke of Cambridge Tart is a delicious pastry that is perfect for any occasion. The tart is made up of a pastry case that is filled with a custard mix of egg yolks, sugar and candied fruit. The tart is then baked to perfection and served with a dollop of fresh cream. Pre-dating the famous Bakewell Tart, the Duke of Cambridge Tart is said to be the oldest tart in England! After a mini revival recently, you may well find the tart somewhere on your trip.
No trip to Cambridge would be complete without trying some traditional sausages associated with the area. Cambridge sausages are made with a blend of ground lean and fatty pork, and they are seasoned with a variety of herbs and spices such as ginger and nutmeg. This gives them a unique flavor that is sure to please any palate but may be hard to find these days.
If you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings whilst in Cambridge, make sure to try the local specialty: Cambridge Burnt Cream. Known as the English version of the famous Crème Brûlée, this rich and creamy dessert is made by heating milk and cream until it forms a thick custard, then adding sugar and vanilla extract. The mixture is then spooned into a pastry shell and baked until the top is browned and bubbly. Cambridge burnt cream is the perfect sweet treat to enjoy after a long day of sightseeing. So next time you’re in the city, don’t miss out on this delicious dessert!
One food item that should not be missing from your dinner plate is the famous Maris Piper potatoes. These ‘most grown’ variety of potatoes in the United Kingdom is the Maris Pipers, and these potatoes are still grown in the Cambridgeshire region where they originated from. They have a light, fluffy texture that is perfect for boiling or roasting making them a country-wide favourite at Christmas time. You’ll find the potatoes in supermarkets throughout the country.
This savory dish is made with bacon or ham and apples wrapped in a flaky pastry crust. The pie originates from the town of Huntingdon, which is located just a few miles from Cambridge. While the exact ingredients vary depending on the baker, the pies can also be found to be made with cider and onions to add to the flavour. Huntingdon Fidget Pie is best served hot out of the oven, so be sure to order it while you’re visiting one of Cambridge’s many pubs or restaurants.
Newmarket sausages are made with high quality pork cuts with a unique blend of spices including thyme, parsley, nutmeg and black pepper. While most sausage lovers simply enjoy them grilled or fried, Newmarket sausages can also be used in a variety of recipes. So whether you’re looking for a traditional English breakfast or a new twist on an old favorite, be sure to try Newmarket sausages during your next visit to Cambridge or if you decide to attend the horse racing at the famous Newmarket Race Course.
Drink in Cambridge
It can be served on the rocks (with ice) or frozen. Margaritas can also be made with different flavors, such as strawberry, raspberry, or mango. The alcohol content of a margarita can vary from 0% (a virgin margarita) to 55% (a super-sized margarita). But the average alcohol content of a margarita is around 18-25%.
The cosmopolitan cocktail, typically referred to as the “cosmo,” gained popularity during the 1990s when it was frequently mentioned on the television show Sex and the City. The combination of vodka, orange liqueur, lime juice, and cranberry juice have made it a timeless classic.
In its purest form, the Daiquiri is a delicate balance of rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar. This trinity of ingredients form the basis of the sour category of drinks, which includes other iconic drinks like the Whiskey Sour, Margarita, Sidecar, Gimlet, and countless more.
A drink consisting of sweetened lime juice and gin or vodka and sometimes carbonated or plain water.
The Manhattan has managed to remain one of the most popular cocktails in the world for well over a century. A combination of whiskey, sweet vermouth, bitters, and a maraschino cherry garnish, this drink embodies the classic, spirit-forward, and aromatic school of cocktails.
A classic negroni is the original 1:1:1 cocktail (equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari).
“The Old-Fashioned was an evolution of the Whiskey Cocktail which was simply whiskey, sugar, bitters, and water, and was served as early as 1800 or so.” It wasn’t until the 1870s and 1880s that when bartenders “began adding embellishments to their Whiskey Cocktails.