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Pub Guide

Opening Times

Issue 137 Winter 2008

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HUNTS FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL

The Oliver Cromwell in St Ives won the CAMRA-sponsored ‘Best Pub’ prize in the Huntingdonshire Food and Drink Awards in September, and Huntingdonshire CAMRA chalked up its own success in its exhibition stand at the main Huntingdonshire Food and Drink Festival event at Wood Green Animal Shelter.

The festival is the second annual event run by Huntingdonshire District Council and sponsored by Anglian Water, Tesco, Waitrose, the Huntingdon Marriott, The Hunts Post and the Old Bridge Hotel. The festival includes the awards, which are arranged by the Hunts Post in association with Huntingdonshire District Council.

The main festival event at the Wood Green Animal Shelter was declared an even bigger success than the first event in 2007; it showcased local producers, suppliers and retailers, demonstrating the quality of local food and drink on offer. Over 2000 visitors were able to sample these products and for the first time this included a CAMRA exhibit with local bottled real ales and three local cask real ales for free tasting, from Cambridge Moonshine brewery, Oakham Ales of Peterborough and the Son of Sid brewery at the Chequers in Little Gransden. The event also featured the judging of a ‘Best Sandwich in Huntingdonshire’ competition and a ‘Ready -Steady-Cook’ event.

Oliver Cromwell licensee Gerry Schoenfeld and chef Carole Wareing were delighted to receive the ‘Best Pub’ award from CAMRA’s Andy Shaw at an awards evening at the Old Bridge in Huntingdon, attended by representatives from the final three shortlisted pubs for the award, Pidley’s Mad Cat and the Cock at Hemingford Grey, as well as the Oliver Cromwell.

The judges were impressed with the well kept and well selected real ales at the Oliver Cromwell - typically six beers are sourced mainly from breweries in East Anglia. Also noted were a wide variety of outstanding food and wine. Lunchtime food options range from snacks to three-course meals, including a broad and imaginative range of vegetarian options, and there is a constantly changing dinner menu. The judges felt that the food is prepared to an exceptional quality.

CAMRA members score pubs in the Huntingdonshire area all the year round for the standards of their cask ales, and all the pubs shortlisted were amongst the top scorers. The final judging looked at the choice of cask ales, the quality and choice of food, the use of locally sourced ingredients, the choice of wines, and value for money.

The Mad Cat offers two real ales, always at least one from a Cambridgeshire brewery. The food menu is varied and interesting, and most ingredients are sourced from a local farm shop. Huntingdonshire CAMRA gave a ‘most improved pub’ award to the Mad Cat in 2008 to acknowledge the efforts of the publicans who took over the pub 12 months earlier.

The Cock offers four real ales, and has a policy of only taking real ales from breweries within a one hour drive of the pub. An outstanding food menu offers quality, variety and originality and the choice of wines is exceptional.

All of these three pubs are expected to be accredited under the new LocAle scheme.