Going off the Beaten Food Track in Cambridge

We have recently had the pleasure of speaking to Gerla from Cambridge Food Tours and we didn’t waste the opportunity to ask her a few questions about the foodie scene in Cambridge. Gerla provides award-winning food tours of Cambridge and she enjoys going ‘off the beaten track’ to showcase Cambridge’s finest foodie spots.

Gerla De Boer | Cambridge Food Tours

Are you seeing an increase in non-UK tourists on your tours in Cambridge?

Actually, we see an increase in local people joining our food walking tours. They hear from family and friends that it is fun to explore the local food scene either as a couple or as a group of friends and join us. Some of our regulars have even come back 6 times. Many locals tend to stick to the area around Kings Parade and there is so much more on offer in Cambridge. Once we have taken them ‘off the beaten track’ they will revisit this area and the places we have visited.

What are your top 3 Cambridge tours?

My favourites Cambridge Tours are (apart from our own of course!) Punting with Scudamores, Cambridge Bike Tours and the Ghost tour.

What is your perfect foodie day in Cambridge?

I am an off the beaten track girl, so it would mean a nice brunch at Novi, then grab a bottle of bubbly from Cambridge Wine Merchants and sit back in a punt with friends followed by drinks at the beer garden of Thirsty Cambridge in the summer and then head off for a nice meal at one of the local restaurants, such as one of the nice Indian restaurants; Navadhanya, Prana or Athini or North African at Bedouin or Tapas at Tu Casa.

Sundays I like to work in the allotment and take a stroll along the river and end up at our local, the Petersfield for a late Sunday lunch.

How has the foodie scene changed in recent years?

The local food scene has changed a lot. When I started the food tours, the only Artisan baker was Adelia in Norfolk Street. Now there are quite a few. People are more interested in the provenance of the food and now shop a lot more at local independent shops. Something we highly recommend. There are quite a few deli’s and Artisan bakers now. We also have seen an increase in the variety of restaurants, which is very important, but there is still room for more variety.

Casual dining has increased too, so there are a lot more street food traders in the city centre, but also at the FoodPark, who pop up in quite a few places. Due to social media and cookery programmes, people are hungry for more variety and you can see this back in the local food scene. Quality is very important. So if a business offers a good product, then it will be successful.

There has also been a shift from the historic centre to the areas around it, mainly due to the pressure of high rents, but also as businesses like to be where people live.

Thank you Gerla.

To find out more about Cambridge Food Tours, please follow this link.

About the Author: Cassie Hind

Over the past couple of months, I have had the pleasure of working with Vhari and her team at The Food Marketing Experts. After much frustration and stress from completing my A Levels, Vhari took me on and offered me some work experience. Working with the team has given me an insight into the wonderful world of business and marketing, shedding light on the career path that I hope to follow once my exams are over. I am now coming towards the end of my work experience and have been given the opportunity to write a series of blogs for Grub Club Cambridge, so I wrote to a few fellow foodies to find out more about the ins and outs of the food and drink industry. I hope you enjoy this series of blogs.

Photo Credit:  Cambridge Food Tour