CAMBRIDGE CATALYST Issue 06 Web

SPACE EXPLORATION

We explore Cambridgeshire’s top business spaces, from co-working hubs and start-up incubators to conference venues and meeting rooms CAMBRIDGE COOKERY

doesn’t charge a hire fee, making it more cost effective than other venues in the city. As a zero waste enterprise, it’s got Grade A eco credentials too. Another big draw for corporate clients is the post-meeting activities that the team can lay on, once tools have been downed for the day. “A popular one at the moment is the three-hour Bake Off, with groups working in teams of four or five,” explains owner Tine Roche. “It works well because they’ve sat all morning, they’ve had some lunch usually and then they’ll be tasked with making breads, scones, cakes, brownies – something not too difficult – which they can enjoy at the end. There can be a competitive element, which we certainly recommend, when our chefs come out and give tongue-in-cheek feedback, giving a prize to the winners. It’s a hugely positive way to end the day – it’s cooperative and it’s fun.” If Bake Off isn’t up your street, you and your team can choose a cocktail and canape-making session instead,

finishing your day with a mingling session for which you’ve made your own drinks and snacks. It’s an ideal way to round-off a day and leaves everyone in a great mood. But when it comes to the venue’s real USP, Tine says it has to be the next-level catering. “The quality of food is in a different league to usual conference centre food; it’s exquisite,” she says. “For lunch, we offer open sandwiches on handmade rye bread, served Scandi style with smoked salmon and dill cream, or with a pile of prawns. We also do handmade focaccia filled with burrata and roasted vegetables, or soups and handmade pasta dishes. I have a team of cordon bleu chefs – so we won’t do dry, triangular sandwiches here!” She concludes: “We’re also

Add a slice of sleek Scandi cool to your meetings, off-site days and team-building activities at Cambridge Cookery, a spacious venue just off Hills Road. There are numerous strings to this bright and modern facility’s bow: first and foremost it’s a cookery school, where you can become a master of everything from sushi to sourdough; it’s also a bustling cafe that’s famed for its homemade brunches and lunches (and now weekend dinners courtesy of Michelin-starred chef Mark Poynton); and it’s a business venue for hire, offering meeting space and food and drink-based team-building activities. The latter has emerged simply due to companies approaching Cambridge Cookery because they liked the space and wanted to host something there – and that’s no wonder; it’s filled with light, sparklingly clean and modern, and the perfect place to mentally declutter for a day of focus. As an added bonus, the venue, which can comfortably accommodate around 30 at a time,

unique in that there’s no venue hire fee, and the fact that we’re in a very informal and slightly cooler environment. We offer

BELOW The bright and modern space offers a laidback alternative to typical corporate venues

something different.” cambridgecookery.com

ISSUE 06 42

cambridgecatalyst.co.uk

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