Invite – click here

It has been a long wait for overly enthusiastic people like myself but Ben’s Yard is finally due to open tomorrow (Friday 30th June). I was lucky enough to be invited the day before to take a look around and sample some of the food and experience what was on offer.

For those of you unaware, Ben’s Yard is a brand new purpose built retail village located just east of Ely, near the village of Stuntney. This is a truly unique experience offered nowhere else in the Ely area and aims to be casual, family friendly, and have something for everyone.

The first thing which struck me was how hassle free it is. Getting anywhere these days is a faff, especially if you are looking to go anywhere like Cambridge but with Ben’s Yard you can simply roll up in your car and get out. Parking is free and plentiful, with dozens of disabled bays and (soon to be installed) electric car charging points.

The Ben’s Yard restaurant is a fresh, modern, and truly unique venue. As it is purpose-built, there is a lot of light with high ceilings making it a very nice place to relax and spend your time. It is also incredibly spacious, which is great for people in wheelchairs or pushchairs. I also noticed a high ratio of staff, meaning that the service was impeccable from start to finish. It’s a very pleasant place which pulls off the trick of being casual casual and comfortable, while still looking formal and stylish.

I noticed a lovely outdoor seating area which is also roofed, meaning you are protected from the elements no matter the season. There is also a giant cathedral-themed play park viewable from the window, so older children can go off and play while you enjoy a drink but still keep an eye on them.

The menu had a selection of international and British classics ranging from smash burgers to seabass. The wine menu had a list of red, white and rosé wine from all over the world. I was pleased to see a bottle of house wine going for a very reasonable £20 which my wife and I both decided to take advantage of. The house white is a versatile, easy going organic Italian wine which pairs with almost anything.

We both ordered a starter each to explore as much of the menu as we could. My wife picked a lovely looking ‘Stuntney Estate Soup’ which consisted of cream of caramelised onion, Stuntney Estate potato soup, and a bread roll. This was presented on a wooden board giving a rustic charm.

I ordered the ham hock which consisted of pulled ham, a pea and herb salad, an egg, vegetable crisps, and piccalilli puree.

On first appearance, the Ham Hock portion looks quite small, even for a starter, but it was a deceptively filling dish. This can mostly be credited to the egg but also a generous portion of peas. The vegetable crisp paired really well with the ham hock giving it a lightly salted crunchy texture. Being in season, the peas were also particularly flavorful.

The smash burger craze is taking Cambridgeshire by storm and I am completely fine with that. I decided to see what the team at Ben’s Yard could do with one so picked it as my mains.

Smash burgers are burgers made from a ball of mince that is quite literally smashed into a hot frying surface. This gives a larger surface area in contact with the pan, making it crisper. It was accompanied with a side of chips and a slice of watermelon which worked really well together. It was absolutely delicious.

My wife went for the much healthier seabass. This was seared seabass, with warm pea, bacon and Stuntney Estate potato salad, and a rocket, pea and herb sauce.

The pea and herb sauce really made this dish stand out and gave it a visually vivid pop that made it jump right off the plate, complementing the delicate flavour of the sea bass well. The bacon in with the peas also turned something that could have been very mundane into an exciting dish.

As we were both having a great time we decided to relax a little and investigate the dessert menu.  I had the tiramisu which consisted of mascarpone, sponge fingers coffee, dark chocolate sauce and coffee ice-cream.

This was a sublime take on the iconic dessert and was arguably one of the nicest examples of tiramisu I have ever had. The crunchy yet soft creamy texture and the cocktail of flavour between the coffee and dark chocolate really made this a special dish which was one of the highlights of my visit.

The rhubarb and peach consisted of roasted peach, toasted oats, clotted cream and maple syrup. The dish was a delightful, light dessert that gave the comforting vibes of a rhubarb crumble with a twist that made it perfect for summer.

As mentioned earlier, the staff were very attentive. They couldn’t do enough for us and were always around when we needed them. They picked up on our photo heavy attitude towards food and took the initiative to offer a photo of us together – one of them even offered to hold the baby so my wife could eat her dessert! It’s things like this that turn a regular dining experience into a memory which was really appreciated by us. The staff were one of my stand out favourite parts of the Ben’s Yard experience.

Ben’s Yard is a very family friendly place, which includes babies. Speaking with one of the owners of Ben’s Yard, Victoria, she explained how she wanted to put a large emphasis on making it as painless as possible to visit with little ones. I put this to the test with my very own newborn and can safely say that the facilities were fantastic. There were baby changing facilities everywhere, including in the men’s toilets, which is great for hands on dads like myself who often get limited by changing stations only being located in the ladies.

We didn’t get a chance to try the cafe located across the path but did manage to pop in and take a look. Just like the restaurant, the cafe is purpose built, so had lots of lovely large windows that let in a lot of light, it also had the same high ceilings and was accompanied by a stunning pink cherry blossom tree in the middle. If anyone is traveling between London and Norfolk then this would be well worth popping 5 minutes out your way over, say, a Costa Coffee.

Ben’s Yard is so much more than just food and drink and boasts a selection of independent shops on site. This is a food blog so will not go into as much details here but there were a few exciting shops which particularly interested me.

Our first visit was ‘Thatch & Roses’ which is a florist that sells a selection of plants and household items.

What first struck me about this shop was the lovely smell which hits you as you enter. The place is beautifully presented and is a pleasant place to be. They put a huge emphasis on locally sourced products and personally pointed out items for sale from neighbouring villages of Sutton-In-The-Isle, Cottenham, and Ely.

A selection of workshops are also offered which are due to start from the 9th of September and will also cater for children. For more information on the work shoes then visit here.

Next was ‘Freda & Burt’. A shop specialising in curated goods and gifts. This was one of the more practical shops that offers something for everyone, ranging from toys for children, ladies, and the gentleman in your life.

There is also a hairdressers, a pop up shop which will change throughout the year, an electric bike shop, and a clothing shop called ‘Something About Rose’.

The pop up shop currently has a lovely independent children’s clothing shop set up called ‘Simply So Lovely’. They offer ethical and organic children’s clothing. In fact, we loved their stuff so much we even picked up a few things for our son while there. Click here for more information.

It would be easy to assume that the boutique style shops here only offer the sort of expensive items many of us can’t afford. While there is a definite emphasis on quality throughout Ben’s Yard, it was refreshing to hear from the owner of ladies clothing store ‘Something About Rose’ that they prioritise being accessible to everyone – and that includes affordability as well as style.

There is also a craft butchery called ‘Malloy’s’. We unfortunately missed this due to having to leave early. This was previously located in Cambridge but has since closed. It will be great to have them back and in a location significantly more accessible to regular people. Watch this space as I think one of our Cambridge Foodies will be visiting to do a full review of this soon.

I am very excited about the opening of Ben’s Yard as it brings something different to an already thriving Ely food scene. Not only does it offer great food and drink in a modern and comfortable surrounding but it has a variety of small independent shops. I can really see myself popping by often with the kids and watching them play while I enjoy a beer. Perhaps I will pick up some meat for dinner from Malloys on the way home and grab my wife some flowers from Thatch & Roses? Either way, I’ll be back!

Thanks for reading.