The restaurant and art gallery are situated in a charming Georgian house, built in the 18th-century
If you're looking for a unique restaurant to explore and add to your list of go-to spots, one restaurant in a Cambridgeshire city has been described as a place "you'd be foolish not to try". The Old Fire Engine House is situated just west of Ely Cathedral in a charming Georgian house, built in the mid 18th-century.
Built on the site of a farm house, the now restaurant once kept Ely's horse-drawn fire engine at the turn of the century. The family-run restaurant, situated on St Mary's Street, was opened in 1968 and focuses on traditional English cuisine. The team pride themselves on using "local, seasonal ingredients and recipes".
Described on its website, The Old Fire Engine House has "maintained the feeling of a family home rather than that of a commercial business", and has seen four generations of a family work there.
Within the property, the beautifully designed three-storey house, features a gallery exhibiting established and emerging artists. The gallery has large windows with stunning views of Ely Cathedral and Palace Green.
The restaurant says that everything is prepared and cooked in their kitchen, including relishes and jams. As such, its A La Carte and set menus change regularly.
To get a feel for what new diners will be in for, the business has shared a sample menu of dishes comprising of starters, main courses and puddings. Some items on the sample A La Carte menu include a roast leg of English lamb served with a fresh herb stuffing, sea bass with prawn and dill sauce and a roast vegetable roulade with stuffed mushroom.
As for sweet treats, it showcases a range of traditionally crowd-pleasing desserts from an apple and blackberry crumble to meringues with cream and fruit.
With an average of 4.6 stars out of five on Google amongst more than 600 reviews, it is no wonder this restaurant is so highly sought-after. One reviewer wrote: "There aren't enough positive superlatives to describe how incredible our lunch as The Old Fire Engine House was. The service, the food, the environment, the garden - all of it was exceptional."
They said the "home-cooked" meal was made with "care, love and attention", adding that if anyone visits Ely, "you'd be foolish not to add this charming restaurant to your itinerary".
In another review, a diner shared how their "whole experience was excellent" and that the "comfortable environment, helpful, knowledgeable and friendly team and relaxed atmosphere is just the precursor for the food".
Other reviews praised the business for its "outstanding home-cooked British food" where "flavours shone through".

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