Tasty Tapas at Old Bridge Hotel Restaurant, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire and Cromwell Museum

Problem
Where to eat In Cambridgeshire?

Answer
First the bad news then the good news. Sorry to say although we looked for somewhere new, we went back to our favourite, the place I have reviewed before, The Old Bridge Hotel restaurant at Huntingdon. The decor no longer strikes us as new and exciting.

But it still has eye-catching features.

However, the food and drink still provides non-stop pleasure.

Story

First the bread, with salted butter, came up fast. I like salted butter. I kept the wrapper. It says: Netherend Farm. Est 1936.

Traditionally churned in Gloucesshire.

The richest dairy pastures lie

Betwixt the Severn and the Wye

The menu had Prosecco by the glass for me. This week there's a huge fuss in the papers because a British dentist has said Prosecco rots your teeth and naturally the Italians are cross. (The same could be said for Coca-cola and ice cream, both of which are still selling like, the cliche is 'selling like hot cakes', but one might say selling fast like Coca cola and ice cream.)

Sorry, I want to keep my teeth but the argument against Prosecco is not going to sway me. I don't drink it every day. My husband is going to order dry red wine or dry white wine whatever anybody says; and I am going to order sweet white wine (or medium sweet), my current favourite being Prosecco, and that is that.

The glasses for serving wines are a lovely shape.

We were not desperately hungry because on the way to Huntingdon, driving up from London, we had stopped for coffee and a sandwich for elevenses.

Tapas

We opted for the tapas menu and chose four dishes. The waiter pointed out that we could have three dishes each for their reduced inclusive price for three dishes.

We decided to stick to the four, not being as hungry as usual (last time - see my previous revue of The Old Bridge hotel restaurant), we had three tapas plates each). We asked: "Since we are ordering four dishes, could we have the discount on the three tapas plates and just pay the full price for the extra one?"

"Yes."

I liked three of the four tapas plates, the ones I would have chosen. I liked the chicken kebab, the potato tart, and the rissole containing ham and peas. I would not have chosen anchovies. I managed one anchovy, in what to my taste is sharp pickle or vinegar, and mixed it with the bland potato.


Dessert - Bread and Butter Pudding
I had decided that since I had apparently exceeded my ration of sugar with the Prosecco, I would forego the dessert. However, when offered the chance to share, to have half a dessert, I promptly and enthusiastically agreed.

The debate was between the summer pudding and the bread and butter pudding. Summer pudding has fruit, is seasonal, a stronger flavour, a bridghter colour (red fruits). However, we buy a very good summer pudding from the supermarket. So our choice was bread and butter pudding.

What a great choice. It is flavoured with orange. Divine. Add ice cream and a teeny jug of creme fraische. Every mouthful lip-smacking good.

"Perfect, just perfect."

Coffee And Biscuit

Espresso coffee for one comes with a biscuit. Seeing us dividing the biscuit, our server suggested I should have a biscuit all to myself.

My first thought was, "Ooh - I'm going to get a free biscuit without ordering coffee. My second thoguht was, that's a quick way of getting a customer to order a biscuit because they charge for biscuits.

I don't know what the bill said. Only that the person paying thought that under fifty pounds for two people, in effect alcholic glass of wine for two, main course for two, shared dessert, coffee for one, in a restaurant of that class was very reasonable.

We came away with the Christmas menu. We don't have a reason to drive all that way from London. But you never know. We might find a reason.

Wine
Look around the wine shop in the Old Bridge Hotel.
At weekends visit the winery and café, New Lodge Vineyard, Earls Barton.

Anybody famous and historic around here?
Samuel Pepys (1673-1703) the diarest who recorded the Great Fire of London went to the local grammar school in Huntingdon which is now the Cromwell Museum.

CROMWELL MUSEUM
The museum is small, one room, free, donation of £2 suggested. You might buy a book about Cromwell.

Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) won battles in England's Civil War and was one of the people who signed the death warrant for the execution of Charles I. Cromwell was asked to be king but refused.

Xmas banned
From 1645 and during Cromwell's reign Christmas was banned and the feast replaced by a fast. The restoration of the monarch in 1660 reulted in the restoration of Christmas as a celebration.

What else to do and see?
1 Statue of the Thinking Soldier, war memorial on Huntingdon Market Square.
2 Cromwell Museum.
3 Houghton Mill, National Trust.
3 Visit: Cambridge; Ely.
Drive through small villages with yellow brick houses and thatch rooftops.

Tips
The Old Bridge Hotel Restaurant
1 High Street, Huntingdon
PE29 3QT
Tel: 01480 424300
email:oldbridge@huntsbridge.co.uk
www.huntsbridge.com/index

www.netherendfarmbutter.co.uk
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g209939-d213736-Reviews-Houghton_Mill_National_Trust-Huntingdon_Cambridgeshire_England.html
www.visitbritain.com
www.cromwellmuseum.org
http://www.historyextra.com/feature/no-christmas-under-cromwell-puritan-assault-christmas-during-1640s-and-1650s
http://metro.co.uk/2017/09/01/italy-hits-back-over-claims-prosecco-will-rot-your-teeth-6896469/
www.newlodgevineyard.co.uk

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
Please see my previous posts on this restaurant and others around the world and destinations. Share links to your favourite posts. You can read more about me and by me on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and books on Amazon and Lulu.com