Boathouse, The

Located on the riverside in the centre of the lively cathedral town of Ely, offering quality eating and drinking in perfect surroundings, The Boathouse is steeped in history. King Canute and Hereward the Wake would have been familiar with the Great Ouse upon whose banks it stands, and more recently in 1944 the Boat Race crews launched from the building in 1944 when the Race was staged outside London during the war years.

Nowadays The Boathouse is a leading hotspot of Ely, a town renowned for one of the most outstanding Cathedrals in Britain, with a brilliant programme of events taking place in and around this ancient place of worship throughout the year.

There is an a la carte menu, in which you can be sure the locally caught eels, a great Fenland delicacy, will feature. Sure enough, amongst the starters is locally caught potted eel with fresh anchovy salsa, a pressed ham hock and foie gras terrine with peach compote and lime leaf syrup, baked field mushroom, cheddar cheese and herb gallette with roasted cherry, or smoked salmon with mixed leaves, horseradish, lemon and crème fraiche.

Main courses follow much the same pattern with smoked haddock and chips done in a Boathouse bitter batter, a pea puree and tartare sauce. A tasty risotto made with green peas, cep mushrooms and courgettes is garnished with rocket and herbs, whilst the sirloin steak comes pink unless otherwise requested, with chips, Cambridge sauce (an English substitute for mayonnaise) and watercress salad.

Amongst the desserts lurk some very tempting indulgences, like warm poached figs with port syrup and mascarpone, traditional summer pudding with Chantilly cream, or the ubiquitous hot sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and malted milk ice cream.

At lunchtime a more limited menu is on offer with three starters, which could include calves liver salad with crispy shallots and lemon oil, an open sandwich of smoked salmon and cream cheese with rocket and mango, and a chocolate and berry tart. There can be few pleasanter places in Ely in which to enjoy a leisurely lunch than the sunlit quayside area outside The Boathouse.

A wine list drawn mainly from New World, France and Spain fields six bottles below £15, and several by the glass or carafe. The Boathouse is a valuable addition to the area and on present form looks set to thrive, in order to find out more a visit to their Website is recommended.