I was joined by our very own “travelling lunch man”, Ben, for a spot of lunch in Somersham.

I love venturing out and discovering little gems like this. I say, venturing out, but the cafe is only a short drive from my house. Somersham is between Chatteris and St Ives and is a beautiful little village, well worth the visit, if you are looking for a cafe experience.

Olive’s is your fairly standard village cafe. Clean, pleasant, with lots of light, which was perfect for a sunny spring afternoon. Both Ben and I were sat by the window soaking in the sun like lizards. It was lovely! The place was also packed, a reassuring sign of quality!

The menu is fairly linked with a selection of classics, ranging from your jacket potato to lasagne, chicken caesar, soup of the day, and bangers and mash. You can also get cakes and coffees.

Ben opted for the jacket potato with pulled pork. This came presented with a side salad with lettuce, carrots, onions, and sweet corn. This was £11, including a coffee. Ben eats out at a lot of cafes and said that this was more competitive than similar cafes, most notably the one he visited recently in Willingham.

The coffee had over heated milk but it was still ok. The baked potato was soft and the pulled pork was good.

Will definitely come back as the pastries look good.

The Travelling Lunch Man

I decided to opt for the true British classic, the bangers and mash. This came with garden peas and was presented in a bowl, so they could really fill it with gravy! That’s the spirit!

What attracted me to this dish was that it came with three Oakington made sausages. It turns out that the mash was the highlight of the meal which can be credited to its rich creaminess that really jumped out. It was some of the creamiest mash I have had in a long time and it was delicious! The sausages were fairly standard in the end, almost like something you’d cook at home. It had a familiar taste but served that important purpose of being good food for great value.

Conclusion

Both Ben and I enjoyed our lunch at Olives Coffee Shop. It was a pleasant place to be, bustling, and clearly very popular with the locals. I can really see why too, as it’s fairly priced and fills a gap with the classic dishes we all know and love. The menu was a little bare, so I’d like to see more options in future. Cafes in neighbouring villages offer a significantly wider range (Joy Bistro in Sutton springs to mind).

Thanks for reading!