The Cambridge Foodies

About us

Welcome to the Cambridge Foodies

The Cambridge Foodies is an award-winning regional foodie community helping you discover the very best independent restaurants and hidden culinary gems across Cambridgeshire.

Recognised at the Ely Hero Awards, our mission is to champion the vibrant local food scene while bringing together tens of thousands of local food lovers.

Celebrating Cambridgeshire Independents

We are dedicated to highlighting the incredible independent food and drink venues across our county. Ranging from Cambridge all the way across to Peterborough, Newmarket, and St Ives, this platform is built to highlight everything our region has to offer and more.

A Community-Driven Platform

What started as a personal passion project has grown into a major regional media network with a combined monthly reach of millions. We believe in honest, accessible content free from intrusive pop-up banners and spammy ads. By partnering directly with local businesses and restaurants, we generate sustainable support that keeps the platform running while driving custom straight back into our local economy.

Our Initiatives & Community

Our dedicated team of volunteer moderators works around the clock to keep our online groups friendly, positive, and free from snobbery. We cultivate a space where members can share honest recommendations while protecting local independent businesses from unfair criticism. Negative reviews are allowed as long as they are fair and constructive.

Guest Contributors & Local Voices

We are a true community blog. We regularly publish guest reviews and feature pieces from local writers, foodies, and enthusiasts across Cambridgeshire. Everyone is welcome – if you have a passion for food and want to contribute a piece to the site, we would love to hear from you.

About Me

Hello! My name is Simon Tompkins. I have been writing about the Cambridgeshire food scene for over 17 years.

I was born in Cambridge but spent most of my childhood in Waterbeach. Growing up, my mum cooked a huge variety of international dishes. While it might have been tame by modern foodie standards, it gave me a really open mind about food from a young age.

My father was a regular on the Cambridge curry circuit throughout the 70s and 80s, and that passion definitely rubbed off on me. As I got older, I was out several times a week sampling every Indian and Bangladeshi restaurant I could find. It started with the usual rite of passage – trying to eat the spiciest thing on the menu – but the more I explored, the more I realised how much depth this cuisine has to offer. That was where my foodie journey began.

I eventually moved to the Ely area, where I have happily resided for the past 15 years. I have always used writing as a way to decompress; I actually struggled with English at school, so I started this blog specifically to improve my skills. I knew I would work harder at it if I knew that others were reading along.