Lifestyle and Dog Friendly Living
Lifestyle and Dog Friendly Living
If you are searching for yoga classes in Cambridgeshire RNG Yoga is really hard to beat. After an injury, I thought my yoga days were sadly over but this class got me back (no pun intended) in the game of yoga and made a huge […]
If you are looking for a great massage in Cambridgeshire look no further than The Beauty Lounge in St Ives. I stumbled upon the salon recently, seeking relief for my restlessly tight shoulders and was recommended Senior Therapist Kayley. A 30 minute massage here is […]
There is something extremely luxurious about catching up over an afternoon tea: the sense of endless time and food I think. My favourite places for afternoon tea in Cambridgeshire are collected here. One of the featured being the food of the home-cooked, locally produced Willingham Auctions Cafe.
Based north of Cambridge in the village of Willingham, this cafe is a great coupled with a wander through the auction rooms. This visit, we opted for the afternoon tea- one traditional and one savoury.
We start with the sandwiches, though its hard to resist the varying tasty savoury bakes. These bakes include a delicious slice of cheesy quiche, a sausage and pickle roll, a wedge of brie, a scotch egg and freshly baked cheese scones. All served with homemade pickles.
Next to the cakes. A range of home-baked treats here including a cream meringue, blueberry and lemon drizzle cake, chocolate brownie and our favourite the Biscotti cake. Fresh fruit is arranged around the cake and offers balance to the indulgence I like to think!
After more chatting and resting time we move on to the scones. These fruit and cinnamon scones are really delicious and force us to eat through the fullness, determined not to waste a bit. I should add here that we were offered a doggy bag to take leftovers home but were clearly enjoying ourselves too much.
All of this washed down with copious amounts of tea; peppermint for both of us this time. It’s worth noting here that the loo is outside but we found that this offered us the chance for a stretch and some fresh air between stages.
This is a very generous and relaxed experience. The cafe is dog friendly too so inclusive for our furry family. Great service and a great place to catch up and over indulge- we will be back!
Willingham Auctions Cafe invited us to review their afternoon tea, but as ever, all opinions expressed are my own.
For our other local recommendations click here.
Looking for thoughtful mother day gift experiences? How about an quality afternoon tea? A chance to catch up and relax together whilst sharing some delicious food. The perfect way to say thank you and I love you. Carriages: Step back in time and board the […]
What better way to show you care than by sending a quality food gift straight to a food lover’s door? These online gifts for are tried and tested and will most definitely please the most discerning recipient. Bluebasil Gourmet Brownies: Decadent, handmade brownies, delivered in […]
Roots York is the latest venture from talented chef Tommy Banks (of the family run and Michelin starred) restaurant The Black Swan)who has put Yorkshire food well and truly on the map.
Roots is a sharing plates restaurant and the menu changes around three seasons; The Preservation Season, The Time of Abundance, and on our visit The Hunger Gap. Dishes range from £5 – £22 but we opt for the ‘feast menu’ at £55 which is a selection of the chefs favourites from the menu- this was a great choice. The pictures featured show portions for 2 sharing.
We begin with a stunning basket of breads which included slices of sour dough and crisp seed crackers. Served with a cultured butter and a delightful Lincolnshire Poacher custard, dredging a wedge of bread through this custard is such a pleasure.
Eel has become a favourite with us. Served inside a little doughnut with a apple jelly this worked perfectly. A great start.
Dressed in sheep’s yogurt, pickled walnuts and cured egg yolk, this kale dish is very well balanced. Packed with flavour, it certainly had us coming back for more.
Tartare, heavy with pepper flavours and a funky fermented mushroom ketchup. Topped with a crispy buckwheat cracker. Tasty stuff.
Crispy falafel are next up. Filled with a sour crown squash and served with chestnuts. The falafel are topped with sprouts and some home cured charcuterie. This is a lovely dish that disappears in no time at all.
We had been looking forward to this one! Beetroot cooked slowly in beef fat topped with light and airy goats cheese. A stunning looking plate of food and a rich but sweet flavour. It certainly hits the spot.
An outstanding menu so its hard to pick a favourite dish but under force, this would be the one. Perfectly cooked halibut with a silky broccoli puree arrived topped crispy with pieces of smoked bacon. Finished with a beautiful mussel sauce, a serious plate scraper.
Generously topped with Old Winchester cheese, enter the salt beef. On the side is a medley of mustard and gherkin gels and purees which is very rich but extremely moorish at the same time.
Not on the menu but a surprise from the chef, a slowly braised cabbage rich in butter. This is topped with crispy onions and miso flavours. Once again the plate is quickly devoured by all.
Moving on to the sweet offerings. Firstly a meadowsweet toast which is crunchy and delicious. Accompanied by a smooth honey sweet ice cream and poached rhubarb, this is a brilliant combination of textures and flavours.
Finally we have a refreshing carrot and chicory root tiramisu which sits very well alongside the rhubarb. A great ending to a great meal.
Roots is a fantastic place to eat with friends and we loved doing just that. It has a cosy upstairs bar to have a drink before you begin your meal and the small plates menu allows for sociable sharing and certainly prompts discussion.
The cooking is inventive and imaginative and extremely skilful throughout and the feast menu is extremely generous. Yorkshire food at it best. I can’t wait to visit again.
For our other reviews please click here.
There are many brilliant cruelty free brands available online and in our high street shops and supermarkets. Cruelty Free Kitty have a very comprehensive online list. If, like me, you are passionate about using cruelty free cosmetics and household products you may fancy trying some […]
Nestling on the banks of the Humber estuary is Winteringham Fields, a superb Michelin star restaurant with rooms. We opt for the couples retreat package (a Christmas present to ourselves), which includes an eight course surprise tasting menu, an overnight stay, and continental breakfast. The room: […]
Warm dog coats are essential kit for our fair-weather whippets. We have been huge fans of our Equafleece Slim Jumpers for a few years now (see our review here) but after years of hard wearing and regular washing we needed new ones. Our heads were turned by the beautiful Redhound for Dogs fleece jumpers we had seen pictured on Instagram and thought we would give them a try for two main reasons.
Firstly, the high neck are excellent for those really chilly days- Jarvis does love a neck covering. The neck can be pulled right up to cover the ears for extra warmth. The fabric is really soft and cosy.
Secondly after many years and many washes, the fleeces we were using had become a bit saggy on our boys and so they had started to have the odd ‘pee on my fleece problem.’ Not pleasant! Redhound fleeces have an elasticated facing so can be stretched over a hounds deep chests but then fit snugly into their tummies. Extra warm and no peeing accidents. Perfect.
The fleece jumper also keeps the dogs dry in drizzle, light rain or light snow, although is not fully waterproof. We use the blizzard coats for those really wet days. The fabric is designed to be washed frequently as Redhound are hound owners who are used to the smelly rolling antics.
Ordering with Redhound was easy and we received a 10% discount for ordering two fleeces at the same time. Measuring guidelines on the website are thorough so it was very straightforward and they arrived in literally a couple of days. Perfect timing as the plummeting temperatures have called for constant fleece wearing since we received them. In sub-zero conditions we have layered the fleece up under the blizzard coats from Pointy faces which has made the whippets really snug.
A few weeks on and we are loving our fleeces. They fit snugly and are a huge hit with our boys. And don’t they look gorgeous!
*Top tip: To get the fleece on insert head then one leg carefully at a time. I pop the paw in and let the whippets guide the rest of the leg down. To remove fleece, gently encourage head down, slide fleece over head first, then roll down to feet- et voila!
To see our other recommendations for dog products click here.
Those Long Noses: I was forever looking for teeth cleaning treatments for dogs until I found the amazing service offered by The FairyDogmother. Keeping the teeth of our long nosed hounds clean is an ongoing battle and one I was losing despite regular brushing with […]