This is my first foray into non-London food on this blog so I hope it goes well! You may be wondering how qualified am I to talk about food in Cambridge – well I spent 3 years of my life at uni there, so I would say quite qualified (although I was on a student budget back then). I was lucky enough to get to go back recently for a reunion dinner and graduation ceremony. The weekend included a 3 course formal meal in my old college with wine pairings & port, and then a VERY hungover and sleep deprived graduation ceremony the next morning. I then spent the rest of that day consuming all the foodie bits I remembered from my time there and laying in the sun, because what else can you do on a hangover? So I thought I’d share with you some of my must-see foodie spots for a day in Cambridge. This is by no means exhaustive, but this is what I got round to on my day there.

First, I started off the day with an absolute Cambridge staple – the Fitzbillies Chelsea bun. I headed here pre-graduation for some very necessary coffee and carbs to get me through. I picked up an oat milk iced latte, which was absolutely delicious and brought life back to my hungover self, and a Chelsea bun. These Chelsea buns are an absolute must if you’re in Cambridge. They are famous for a reason! Think tender dough, rolled with currants, sugar and spices, and DRENCHED in syrup. They’re really special, as you’d hope given they’ve had over 100 years of practice to perfect them! You can also order these online for nationwide delivery which is a new & dangerous discovery for me…

Next up I was in desperate need of some heavy carbs for lunch after graduation. I went to Bread & Meat to get their award winning honey soy chicken sandwich. I visited bread & meat a few times, but I actually hadn’t had the soy chicken sandwich before! A friend of mine told me I really needed to try it while I was there, and I trust his opinion. Let me tell you, this sandwich was really incredible. The chicken was so tender and juicy, with a beautiful sweet, fragrant & salty flavour. It paired perfectly with the creamy Siracha mayo, crunchy pickled mooli, all cut through with a dash of lime and served in a chewy ciabatta. I can definitely see why this sandwich is award winning! I’ve had the porchetta and Philly cheesesteak before – both of which were also pretty special. You can get any of their amazing roast meats in a sandwich, as a poutine or in a bowl. They even have a veggie option too! To give me a bit of a pep, I also picked up one of their iced teas. This was super refreshing and delicious.

Just in case a whole sandwich wasn’t enough, I also stopped by Aromi to grab an arancino. I got the ragu aracini – this had a core of ragu and mozzarella. This was carby, cheesy and rich from the ragu. Aromi are most famous for their pizzas – I ate countless slices from Aromi in my time at uni here. I was definitely sad not to get one this time, but I thought a sandwich and a huge pizza slice was too much, even for me. That being said, their arancini are really great too!

To round it all off, I obviously needed a little something sweet. For this, we went to Jack’s Gelato, which is easily some of the best gelato I’ve had. I spent many a sunny library break running to Jack’s to grab a couple of scoops. Their flavours change pretty regularly. I got 2 scoops in a cup; dulce de leche and salted Oreo, and they were both fantastic. The texture of the ice cream is so smooth and creamy. The dulce de leche was caramelly and almost bitter in flavour – a classic done very well. But the salted Oreo was reaaally special – I can’t describe the flavour in any other way than salty Oreo which might sound horrible but trust me it was inspired. The saltiness perfectly balanced and enhanced the Oreo flavour, it’s something you have to try. I noticed they’ve started doing specialty hot chocolates too, so it’s even worth a trip to Jack’s during the winter!

I also wanted to give special mention to the best post-night-out food place – the Trailer of Life. You’ll find this in market square. You need to try the cheesy chips (the perfect crisp/soft/stretchy cheese ratio) and the quesadillas. You won’t be disappointed!

It’s highly likely that all these places will have queues outside but please don’t let this put you off. This should confirm that I’m really not lying to you – all these places are amazing and really worth the trip. Like I said, this is not an exhaustive list – there are so many other amazing foodie spots to hit up in Cambridge. I highly recommend a day trip or weekend trip to Cambridge – it’s such a beautiful city. There’s incredible architecture literally around every corner in the centre, and quite a few colleges are open for tourists (although avoid exam season as most colleges shut their doors to the public then). I think you can see how beautiful the scenery is just in the background of these pics. And clearly it ticks the most important criteria for day trip destination: food!

Find Fitzbillies at 51-52 Trumpington St, Cambridge CB2 1RG

Find Bread + Meat at 4 Bene’t St, Cambridge CB2 3QN

Find Aromi at 1 Bene’t St, Cambridge CB2 3QN

Find Jack’s Gelato at 6 Bene’t St, Cambridge CB2 3QN