Take a Culinary Tour of Huntingdonshire
Try Rolling Cheese, Dining on the Ouse and Milling in This County
The old traditional county of Huntingdonshire is now an administrative district of Cambridgeshire but that’s no reason not to treat it as a culinary area in its own right. From visiting the last working water mill on the Great Ouse, to rolling and eating cheese at Stilton and romantic candlelit dining on a narrow boat on the Ouse, it is a great bit of England’s countryside to visit.
Visit a Working Watermill at Houghton
The National Trust owned watermill at Houghton in the old county of Huntingdonshire is a timbered mill set on an island in the Great Ouse River. It is hailed as being the last working watermill on that waterway and its picturesque setting has provided inspiration for many artists over the years. It has been carefully restored and is still used to grind flour today.
Open to the public at weekends between, roughly, Easter and the end of October at weekends and on other days as well between the end of April and the end of September, it boasts a tea room and a bookshop. Milling demonstrations take place on Sunday afternoons and flour is often available for sale. A local photography exhibition is also arranged in July and August. Further details are available from the National Trust website.
Canal Boat Dining Whilst Cruising on the Ouse
For a novel way of eating a romantic dinner in Huntingdonshire, why not book a place on a narrow boat and cruise on the Ouse at the same time? The Captains Table is a floating restaurant which sets sail from Hartford Marina at Huntingdon. It offers a romantic candlelit dining experience every Friday and Saturday night at 7.30pm.
On Sundays, The Captains Table sets sail at 12.30pm and offers a traditional English Sunday roast meal whilst cruising up and down the Ouse. Booking in advance is essential and can be arranged by phoning or emailing the hosts. The boat can also be chartered for private parties and corporate events with a themed hot buffet included in the price.
Eat and Roll Blue Cheese at Stilton
It is at Stilton where, according to legend, the landlord of the Bell Inn, one Cooper Thornhill, in the early to mid 18th century, first started selling the blue veined cheese produced in Leicestershire to his guests at the busy coaching inn marketing it as Stilton cheese. It is also where the curious annual May Day cheese rolling contest takes place.
Believed to have been invented in the mid twentieth century by a local publican as a way to drum up trade, the sport has been fully embraced by the local residents. In 2009, Stilton celebrated the golden anniversary of rolling cheese in the town. With several hotels, inns and guest houses offering accommodation in the area, it’s well worth a spring visit to indulge not just in eating the cheese, but rolling it too.
If the above culinary tour including rolling Stilton cheese, dining on the Ouse, or visiting a working water mill do not appeal, there are other culinary events to tempt the traveller such as beer festivals and farmers markets. Or, why not take a tour of the nearby county of Lincolnshire?
Stilton Cheese Rolling World Championships in May
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Narrow Boat Dining on the Great Ouse at Huntingdon
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