Advertise on podcast: Flavour

Restaurants are suffering financially. Mark Poynton of the Ancient Shepherds talks about which ones are likely to survive and how the situation compares with recent years. Scott's All Day's new community offer and how the restaurant came to be. Ideas for cheap, warming, vegetarian meals. A report from the Community Garden. Lots of local food and drink news too.

A look back at the food and drink scene in 2025. The new places, the new beginnings, the oldies but goodies, plus up to the minute news about what's happening now.

Celebration time! Bee Wilson's MBE, Mark Poynton's 30 years as a chef, last weekend's Mill Road Winter Fair, Christmas food and wines. All celebrated in this edition of Flavour. With Matt Bentman and Alan Alder.    

If you like pepper on your Paprikash and your nuts distinctly organic then join Flavour who are in deep conversation with local chef’s talking about their favourite ingredients. A new eco-café waxes lyrical over seaweed salad. A bake-off winner discusses their winning dish, and a Hungarian restaurant dares you to make it through its serving platter. With Matt Bentman and Alan Alder.

If you’ve ever fancied a pie at the gates of dawn (or a mean potato & leek soup), then set your bike to interstellar overdrive and head up to the recently opened Artyst on Chesterton Road, a vibrant cafe with a gastronomy dominé menu, Flavour discovers its food this week. A visit to The Cherry Branch, a community café embracing a multicultural menu in Cherry Hinton. And wine and food tastings for Christmas and beyond.  

Alice Ryan, editor of Velvet magazine, talks about Cambridge's changing food scene. A new bar is about to open in Kings Street. Jack Baron, co-owner of The Handsome Prince explains what will be on offer from its 20 taps. Further along King Street, Elis, who owns The Cherry Pit, runs through her plans for new, seasonal pie flavours. A top Cambridge chef reveals his guilty food secret. There's a catchup with Chocolat Chocolat owner. Kirstan Horn runs through the menu for the nexyt Gwydir Street Supper Club. Kobir Ahmed on Prana's most recent award.

What the new head chef at Market House is cooking up. A new refill station, in a van, with impressive quality foodstuffs, some from local independents. Camms Meals on Wheels, what they offer and their focus on nutritional quality and flexibility.  Breckland Orchard and Hill Farm Oils, how these successful local companies started and what they offer. Presented by Matt Bentman and Alan Alder.

A new home bakery specialising in a wide variety of Basque Cheesecakes, including macha, pistachio and Taiwanese sesame. An award winning vegan pastry chef's Halloween tea at Thrive. Vanderlyle morphs into the Pink Rabbit cocktail bar, for one night only. Wonky Kitchens' pub residence with brunches, mains and smash burgers, Belgian beer pickles and Cowboy butter. Thomas Ridley's forthcoming food and drink trade show.

Michelin chefs join forces at Mark Poynton's Ancient Shepherds to create an extraordinary menu. The Regenerative Food Fair on Parker's Piece. Cambridge Market's proposed redevelopment: a stall holder speaks. A clear and concise guide to food and wine pairing from the Dovecote Cellar. A visit to the child- and food-friendly Orchard Farm.    

The new-ish owners of the highly regarded Pear and Olive on the pleasures and pains of running a small restaurant. The hidden cake shop. Fin Boys' plan for moving to seven days a week, their forthcoming tuna night and the appeal of small plates. The Edge Cafe's cheap Wednesday lunch deal and a catch-up. A new series of wine tastings, for the beginner, at Cambridge Wine Merchants. With Matt Bentman, Alan Alder and Sue Bailey.

We meet with the owners of new coffee shop Florey. off West Road, discuss sourdough Neapolitan pizzas with the mother & daughter team of La Biga Pizza, relax a little with a GongFu Cha Chinese tea ceremony, and go foraging for fruit with chef Steve Thompson. Presented by Matt Bentman and Dr Sue Bailey.    

The charity lunches raising funds for volunteer paramedics on the Ukrainian border. How Grantchester's Rupert Brooke pub is faring one year after Pascky Benedetto reopened it. And a new organisation aiming to bring a greater variety of food trucks to a pitch near you and offer opportunities for new start-ups.  

Mark Poynton talks about his new restaurant Ancient Shepherds by Mark Poynton, the food and the drinks. Bee Wilson on her new book. News of the likely opening date of The Artyst, the cafe/bar dedicated to Syd Barrett. Jenny Jeffrey's award-winning new book. How the hot weather will affect future English wine vintages. Lots of local food news too.

A visit to Frederic's on the River, which searches out and sells the very highest quality produce. Lee Clarke of Parker's Tavern on his approach to food, and the best dish he has ever eaten. A new home cooking business from Cat Insana, who previously ran a restaurant in northern China: noodles, steamed buns, dumplings, meats, spices and chilli oil.

In this edition of Flavour, a celebration of the life of allotmenteer Dave Fox who provided so much entertaining advice to Flavour listeners over the years. Dave died last week. Daily Bread faces 'a crisis'; what caused it and what can be done to help this ethical supermarket? And summer foods: the new menu at Market House and advice on salad making from Alex Rushmer of Vanderlyle.