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 in 1944 the Boat Race crews launched from the building 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 à 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 smoked eel and carrot salad, a baked duck parcel with sweet and sour cucumber; mushrooms on toast with chives and poached egg, or chicken liver pâté with red onion jam.

Main courses follow much the same pattern with roasted cod fillet, potato dumplings, spinach, fried mushrooms and green herb sauce. Denham Estate lamb cutlets are served with balsamic roasted red onions, tomatoes, new potatoes and port sauce, whilst sirloin steak comes with hand cut chips and a choice of sauce from the board.

Amongst the desserts there are some very tempting indulgences, like black cherry and kirsch crème brûlée, chocolate and hazelnut parfait, or the ubiquitous hot sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream.

At lunchtime a more limited menu is on offer with three starters, which could include warm honey and thyme goats’ cheese; chicken chasseur with plain mash and greens, and rhubarb and pear crumble. 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 five bottles at £20 or below, 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.