Abbots Restaurant and Bar

Abbots has been created to provide a warm family-friendly restaurant in the Cambridge area, to serve as a focal point for members of the Cambridge Golf and Conference Centre as well as a place for those who wish to drop in for a meal at a restaurant where reliability and quality are the watchwords. The result is a comfortable mingling of sport, pleasure, relaxation and, when you want it, peace and quiet.

Head Chef Simon Pollendine is renowned for his search in pursuit of the best local ingredients, with the aid of which he launches a modern British menu, with occasional assistance from France and Italy.

Kent used to be called the garden of England, and possibly still is, but there is no doubt that Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire between them are amongst the most productive market gardeners/adaptive farmers in the country.

On the restaurant menu North Norfolk crab leads the way, in tian format and graced with vine tomato and lambs lettuce. Following the banishment of most of our more turgid attitudes towards the making of soup expect to find pleasant surprises amongst the home made soup of the day. Chicken liver with black truffle parfait is served with nettle dressing, as a result of which I was slightly taken aback not to see that East Anglian favourite alexanders in at least one of the dishes.

Spring lamb from Saxcombe Farm has a smoked garlic sauce to bring out the flavour and is pleasantly pink, but for a truly rich dish try the Hertfordshire ox liver with shallot mash. Sea bass, now largely farmed, continues to retain its popularity with those who appreciate their white fish and the fresh clam linguine which accompanies it is of just the right consistency.

Chickens nowadays are a source of controversy, but the British by and large continue their love affair with this dish without which no restaurant dare open its doors. True it comes in many manifestations of which pan roasted breast is popular, especially when a blue cheese mousse is on hand to give essential flavour.

Sea trout is in the view of many one of the most underrated of our game fish dishes. Served oven baked with sour cream and chive mash it makes a fine addition to any menu. Desserts can be a variable feast, with much repetition that has no logical basis in the many wonderful recipes available. Here I would go for the vanilla pod pannacotta with poached rhubarb or raspberry and champagne jelly with vanilla bean ice cream and shortbread biscuits. The cheese selection is a great joy, with familiar but respected names amongst them, of which as a loyal man of Lincolnshire I will mention but one, the oak smoked Lincolnshire Poacher, with its wonderful tangy aroma.

Round off your meal with Segafredo Italian coffee, which is also available in the bar area where a whole range of tasty snacks are designed to stop the gap. A relatively short but well chosen wine list includes nine by the glass.

Take advantage of their free eight seater local courtesy coach, which operates within a ten mile radius. Simply request it when booking, then they will then pick you up and take you home after your meal. Now everyone can enjoy their evening out without worrying about booking a taxi or having one too many glasses of wine.

Their menus change with the seasons - do check on their well presented Website for up to date information.