INDEPENDENT OF THE MONTH T h e Geograp h er
ONLY A SHORT HOP FROM CENTRAL CAMBRIDGE IS THE PRETTY VILLAGE OF IMPINGTON. THERE YOU’LL FIND THE UNIQUE CAFE, DELI AND SHOP, THE GEOGRAPHER. SIOBHAN GODWOOD FINDS OUT MORE
he people of Cambridgeshire are extremely blessed to have a city bursting with character and culture – but we are also very fortunate in the county’s many picturesque and vibrant villages. A lot are within very short distance of the city and often feature fantastic pubs, restaurants, delis or cafes. Impington is one such village and is home to The Geographer: a cafe, deli and shop run by husband-and-wife team, Caroline and David Child. “We have been here for just over five years,” says Caroline, “and prior to that we ran Norfolk Street Deli in Cambridge. We made the move to Impington because we lived in the village, our children went to school here and, at the time, we felt that a cafe would fit in really well with the community”. T
Caroline and David kept their eyes open for a suitable venue and, luckily, a building became available that had been a travel agent previously. “David and I did a round-the-world trip about 15 years ago, and when we were in Malaysia we visited a cafe we really loved called The Geographer. David also studied Geography at university and loves everything to do with maps and travel, so that was the main inspiration behind the name and the theme. But then when we found this location and it was full of old maps, it seemed a bit like it was meant to be!” The theme of the cafe has been quite useful for deciding on decor and stock, as Caroline has used lots of maps on the tables and the walls of the cafe – and they sell travel-related gifts and cards, too. “Even if people don’t like geography,” says Caroline, “we’ve discovered everyone likes maps – so it’s been really fun to base our business around that idea, and it gives The Geographer its own unique character.” The cafe offers a range of snacks, breakfasts, lunches and sweet treats, including sandwiches, baked potatoes, hot meals, salads – and, of course, lots of cakes. “One thing we’ve noticed in the last couple of years is the rise in the number of customers looking for dairy-free, gluten- free or vegan cakes,” explains Caroline. “When we first opened, we never had anyone asking for vegan food, although we always had one vegan cake. Now we have at least three vegan cakes every day and
three different non-dairy milks for tea and coffee. That change happened really fast, and it’s good that people are more health conscious – although, luckily for us, they still eat a lot of cake!” As The Geographer is family run, it’s easy for David and Caroline to adapt what they do, change the menus and run specials in response to what their customers want, or to reflect changing food trends. They make about half the cakes themselves, and half are more specialised items they buy in from local suppliers. “We use a lot of local suppliers, including Calverley’s Brewery, Cobs Bakery, owned by Fitzbillies, for some of our bread, and Cambridge Wine Merchants,” says Caroline. “We also sell local honey, jams and pickles, as well as apple juice from Cambridge Juice Company. Our coffee comes from a fantastic ethical roastery called Nude, which is based in London.” As well as the fantastic food offering, The Geographer is a deli and shop, with a range of meals which can be bought from the freezer pre-prepared and served at home, and a wide selection of gifts, wine, stationery, cards, toiletries, ceramics and pottery. As people become aware of their plastic consumption, a recent initiative that has proven popular is The Geographer ’ s ethical refills: customers can bring their own container and purchase toiletries and cleaning products at a discounted price. Caroline and David have always liked the idea of a business that fulfils more than
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