Sunday Lunch at The Hole in the Wall Cambridge

I have known for some time that the Hole in the Wall does a brilliant Sunday Lunch, it is one of,  our favourite restaurants, possibly even our most favourite, and never disappoints. It has even been voted the best Sunday Lunch in East Anglia by the Observer Food Monthly Awards.

Anticipating a large roast dinner we skipped the starters (pudding is compulsory) and went straight to mains. I ordered the roast pork with (deep breath) crackling, duck fat roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, carrot, green vegetables and apple sauce. It was everything a Sunday roast should be - homely and generous but with the finesse you expect from the Hole in the Wall. The potatoes were amazingly crispy, I love the chargrilled top on the cauliflower cheese and the crackling was perfect. I also love the carrot, odd as that sounds, I think it was a confit carrot, or else slow cooked in someway - lovely. The whole thing was topped off with a cider and mustard sauce, a nice change from gravy.

Mr had the mushroom and leek rarebit with potato rosti and a fried egg. It was a lot smaller than the roast I had, which felt a little odd, but around the same size as their usual main courses. The cheesy leek topping on the mushroom was excellent with the crispy rosti and runny yolk. Another great veggie dish from these guys, they always come up with something a bit different.

Before our mains arrived we were given some bread - beetroot & treacle bread and sourdough. Both excellent, I need to figure out how to make that beetroot bread.

We both went for the, now legendary, doughnuts for pudding - and they've made them bigger! Three airy sugary doughnuts with a rich chocolate dipping sauce and a scoop of ice cream. The pudding menu was very impressive - 5 choices including black pepper & strawberry panna cotta, sticky toffee pudding and salted caramel pot plus more. I could have had a small portion of all of them really, but I understand that isn't something they offer (!)

So, if you're stuck for somewhere to go for Sunday Lunch in Cambridge, and are bored with the usual overcooked pub offerings, head to the Hole in the Wall. It is a little pricier than the usual but you will not be disappointed. We spent £55 for 2 courses each plus a couple of soft drinks each.

The Hole in the Wall
Little Wilbraham, Cambs
holeinthewallcambridge.com

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The Hole in the Wall, Little Wilbraham, Cambridge

I think Cambridge maybe in danger of becoming a good place to find good food. Slowly, very slowly new places are opening up which are inventive, yummy and good value. The opening of The Hole in the Wall Cambridge by Masterchef finalist Alex Rushmer has been much anticipated by foodies in Cambridge, especially me!

We went along for Sunday lunch on the most beautiful sunny day. The pub is set in a very pretty Cambridgeshire village, lots of cute cottages, well-kept gardens and scenic countryside.
The pub itself is also very nice-  a 16th century building with beams and low ceilings. Inside it still has quite a pub feel, I don't think a great deal has been done to the decor since they moved in, maybe something they are working on? Some of the fixtures are a little dated and the carpet is the extremely 1970s, but it doesn't really matter once you start reading the menu.

The menu comprises of 3 starters, 3 mains and much to my glee FOUR puddings. This is a good start. Often so many restaurants stick a couple of puds on, ice cream and cheese. Ice cream is not pudding! Vegetarians are catered for here too, only one dish on the starters and mains but both were fantastic and well thought out.

For starters I had the pea & ham soup which came with toasted brown bread. It was sweet and fresh with lovely smokey pieces of ham in the soup, I could have done with a bit more bread though, only one small piece for a large bowl of soup. My husband had the tomato and mozzarella salad which combined at least 4 different kinds of tomatoes in an olive oil and basil dressing with creamy mozzarella. The green tomatoes were my favourite, crisp on the outside and very soft in the middle, perfect.

For main I had the confit duck with pork cassoulet and very creamy mash. The duck was done to perfection, fall off the bone and the cassoulet had huge chunks of slow cooked pork inside. My only complaint would be that it was quite under seasoned, though salt and pepper were provided.

The vegetarian main which my husband had was really really well thought out. The peppers had been pre roasted til smokey and soft then stuffed with cous cous studded with aubergine, courgette and deep fried cheese, yes deep fried. It was then covered with goats cheese and cooked til bubbly.

The choice of puds was, as already mentioned, excellent. On the menu was a honeycomb cheesecake (my choice), lemon tart with blackberry sorbet, mirabelle plum charlotte and chocolate peppermint pots. My cheesecake was fluffy and rich at the same time, with a gingery based and a creamy top with chunks of honeycomb inside and on top.

My husband had the plum charlotte, we’d previously had the excellent apple charlotte at Le Gavroche so it had a lot to live up to. Whilst it wasn’t as good as Le Gav it was brilliant, the bread was so crispy and the inside very soft and full of plummy goodness.

We will definitely be going again soon, the food was excellent and the menu varied. The service was a little shakey but they’ve only been open for 2 weeks. I think now is an excellent time to go because so much seasonal produce is on show.

The Hole in the Wall Cambridge
Primrose Farm Road,
Little Wilbraham,
Cambridge,
CB21 5JY

http://holeinthewallcambridge.co.uk/

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