It takes some bravado to open a new hospitality business in the middle of a global pandemic. But that’s exactly what five friends have done, bringing Thrive, a plant based cafe, bistro and venue, to Norfolk Street.
They’ve created an informal, relaxing and friendly space which reflects their strong values around sustainability and ethics, particularly in relation to animals and the desire to do no harm. The team completely refurbished the building with the help of volunteers and decorated it in a calming colour palette. Existing tables and chairs were retained and refreshed with a lick of paint while carpenter, Cameron Ford, sourced sustainable timber and used beautifully textured live edged wood to clad the serving counter. Darwin Nurseries planted up bright window boxes with flowers and herbs.
Plans to launch in April were scuppered by lockdown but Thrive finally opened its doors in July, initially for takeaway and eating outdoors in its pretty garden. The cafe is now open all day, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner plus coffee and cake, of course.
Breakfast, available from 8am, includes a vegan full English. The lunch menu offers Light Bites as well as main dishes. I ordered the Provencal battered oyster mushrooms which came with delicious garlic and rosemary potatoes, aioli and a crunchy coleslaw. And the chocolate fudge cake is just luscious! The beer-battered tofish and homemade Jaffa cakes have been hugely praised on social media so that’s what I’ll order on my next visit.
Thrive also loves to collaborate with other small Cambridge businesses who are doing things well and whose ethos chimes with theirs … Oxwash (an eco friendly laundry service on a bike), Full Circle (a zero waste, plastic free shop which is right next door) and Foodstuff, the zero emissions, pedal powered delivery service who will bring lunch and dinner from Thrive to your doorstep.
The Hive is their first floor function space which can be hired by the hour. It’s suitable for a wide range of events and already it hosts a regular Sunday morning yoga class with Tai Chi sessions starting in October.
Jez and the team are delighted with the fantastic community support of Thrive and they’ve been busier than they expected in these early days. But they’re not resting on their laurels … they welcome customer feedback and continue to respond and adapt, developing the menu and offering one main dish each day at half price.
I reckon Thrive is a great addition to the city’s cafe scene. It’s light and spacious so to me it feels very safe eating there, the food is good and the atmosphere is chilled. Most of all, I love that it’s stemmed from a shared vision of five friends who’ve made their dream a successful reality in these weird Covid days. Long may Thrive thrive!!
Thrive, 5-7 Norfolk Street, Cambridge CB1 2LD
Theresa feels compelled to find a way to help the the city’s homeless and people in need. Like many, over the years she had given money to those begging on the streets before switching to buying food for them. She knew of the suspended coffee scheme where people can leave money for a person in need to get a hot drink but she wanted to go beyond that and contacted Cambridge cafes to see what might work. Theresa also particularly likes the concept of people paying forward kindness to others through this scheme.
The Botanic Garden runs a terrific range of events for all ages year round. Children will love the Crazy Cone Caper, a self guided family trail where they become a secret agent and track down six trees in the Garden to solve a mystery, collecting a prize once they’ve successfully concluded their investigation. Crazy Cone Caper has been created by the Garden’s Learning Team and runs until 1 April.
On the shelves when we visited were brioche, apple and raisin brioche buns, white and seeded sourdough breads, prosciutto and cheese croissants, mushroom and onion pastries and the sweetest little raspberry meringue kisses. Vegans are well catered for with vegan cakes and cookies plus lunchtime dishes such as freshly made spiced tofu and avocado sandwiches and butternut squash and avocado salad. The drinks menu offers a range of coffee, tea and soft drinks.
At the heart of Kettle’s Yard is the house, once home to Jim and Helen Ede who created it from four derelict eighteenth century cottages in the late 1950’s. With a lifelong passion for art and having worked as a Curator at The Tate during the 1920’s, Jim became close friends with many artists including Ben and Winifred Nicholson, Christopher Wood and David Jones. Over the years, Jim acquired a significant collection of art and sculpture which he brought to Kettle’s Yard along with furniture, glass and ceramics. But the Edes equally valued natural found objects and artwork by their grandchildren. More than anything, they wanted their art to be enjoyed in an informal domestic setting, holding open house every afternoon of the university term and welcoming undergraduates to their home.
Natural light was crucial to the Edes. The day I visited, the streets were carpeted in snow and the light had a very special ethereal quality to it. I was struck by the tranquillity of the house and by its colour palette with exposed brick, varying tones of wood, natural linens, pebbles, feathers and shells, all harmonising with the Ede’s art collection to create a wonderful serenity. Jim and Helen handed over the building and their collection to the University of Cambridge in 1966 so they knew it was in safe hands but it must have been a wrench for them to leave this peaceful haven when they moved to Edinburgh in 1973.
It wasn’t long before she set up a gift shop, selling Fairtrade goods, at Manor Farm in Bourn, while a friend ran the coffee shop next door. When the friend left, Wendy took over the coffee shop and taught herself to bake. Gradually, that side of the business took over and ten years later, Wendy moved the cafe to Wysing Arts Centre, where it won a “Best Cafe in East Anglia” award.
The Abantu team enjoys working in the open kitchen which Wendy says is run more as a “home” kitchen than an industrial cooking space. They make all their own cakes and like to keep up with the latest baking trends. Abantu’s menu changes every day, with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients used in a variety of dishes for breakfast and lunch. There are always three or four salads on offer and Boboti, a South African meatloaf, is a menu staple.
Vegetarians, vegans and those who eat gluten free are well catered for here and there’s a Bambino menu for kids too, so this really is a destination for the whole family. Staff are welcoming and the cafe has an airy yet cosy vibe with art from Naomi Davies, a Cambridge artist who works in pen and watercolour, on the walls and a couple of outside tables, ideal for watching the world go by on sunnier days.
New in Cambridge 