February’s Five Foodie Must-Haves

This is February’s five foodie must-haves, brought to you by Velvet magazine

Do It

Cambridge Chocolate Festival

Big news: Cambridge Chocolate Festival, the city’s first festival dedicated to the sweet stuff, takes place this month! Hosted by Histon Smokehouse, sponsored by Click It Local and curated by Bumble & Oak boutique batch chocolatier Riadh Falvo, it will run right through Valentine’s weekend.

The festival opens with Date Night on the Friday, featuring a themed cocktail menu, followed by Brunch, Touring & Shopping on both Saturday and Sunday: brunch on a Smokehouse savoury chocolate or molé breakfast plate; tour the ‘chocolate factory’ and watch the bean-to-bar process; and shop in the garden market, where you’ll be able to meet and buy from some of the best local chocolate makers and bakers.

Find out more Bumble & Oak

Shop It

Sage & Saffron

From bakes, cakes, fruit and vegetables to wines and more than 90 types of cheese, many of which are made in Britain, deli Sage and Saffron has brought its signature mix of freshly harvested and artisan-made groceries to Cambridge’s Mill Road.

Having launched in Saffron Walden last April, Sage and Saffron proved a swift hit with shoppers, prompting owner Karen Oakley to open her second store in the city last month.

Says Karen: “Mass food production is something we’ve all become used to. But it’s a trend that sees farmers and other artisan food producers often missing out. By working with independent suppliers, we’re looking to change that.”

Shop at Sage & Saffron

Order It

Foodamour

With signature dishes ranging from freshest fish platters to home-baked Beef Wellington and Tartiflette – a melting Reblochon cheese and potato dish hailing from chef Pauline Milbank’s native France – when bespoke catering company Foodamour pivoted to direct delivery during the Covid lockdowns, its menu was an instant draw for diners across the area.

“Weddings and parties have always been the Newmarket company’s “bread and butter”, explains Phil, Pauline’s husband and business partner, “so when Covid happened we panicked a bit at first, but we’ve built something of a cult following for our drop-off menus.”

Find out more Foodamour

Drink It

Saffron Grange

If doing Veganuary has inspired you to consume more plant-based products, you can put Saffron Grange’s award-winning sparkling wines on your list.

The boutique vineyard made a conscious decision at the outset to avoid bringing animal products into its wine-making process: instead of using traditional fining agents like milk protein, egg whites, gelatine or isinglass, the team use a cross-flow filter system to remove ‘haze’, a naturally occurring cloudiness, from their wines.

Which means all four of Saffron Grange’s sparklers are vegan-friendly – thumbs up.

Order at Saffron Grange

Eat It

Gastrono-me

As anyone who’s eaten the signature pain perdu can attest – a pile of puffy golden toast layered with bacon and berries, drizzled with maple syrup and topped with clotted cream, it is heaven on a plate – Gastrono-me in Bury St Edmunds is one of our area’s most delicious dining destinations.

And now owners Mike and Gemma Simmonite are bringing their “beautiful and craveworthy” breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and drinks menu to Cambridge, opening a second restaurant on the city’s Bridge Street in March.

Along with Gastrono-me staples like the pain perdu, new dishes are coming to Cambridge – think organic dark chocolate porridge and lox deluxe bagel tower – while cocktails include Candyfloss and Mermaid Me-mosas.

Eat at Grastrono-me 

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