The Petersfield, Cambridge

This wasn’t on the running list for the day but as we were amazingly running ahead of schedule before the Geldart opened at 5.00pm we popped in here. I couldn’t understand how I had missed this pub so close to The Cambridge Blue and The Geldart on previous visits but fortunately WhatPub clarified the reason. This ceased being a pub in 2004 when the original White Hart closed to become a restaurant. But it was converted back to a pub in 2017 by the City Pub Company who are also responsible for the Cambridge Brew House. Very much targeted at those that want to drink and dine rather than just quaff and aimed at a different demographic to your normal CAMRA card carrying bloke. Although as we found out it does cater for those after an ale with five hand pumps which were dispensing the list given by Steve below and my Nene Valley Brewery Release the Chimps IPA was extremely good. But the food menu is a bigger attraction here and the enticing food aroma hits you as you enter. However, those of us who visited the toilets upstairs and discovered that is where the kitchen is were suspicious that the aroma may be pumped into the pub below, as supermarkets do with their in house bakeries. Standard gastro pub decor with lots of shades of blue utilised on the half timbered walls. And then a pleasant Astro turfed garden area beyond the addition dining room section at the back. A peek in the local estate agents window will confirm that a bit of money is now required to live in this part of Cambridge, which makes you realise the logic behind the City Pub Company strategy to bring a bit of Islington to this part of town. I thought they had done it quite well and hit the brief as far as the target demographic goes. But there are clearly those that won’t feel comfortable here, especially those that have a phobia about being in a pub where women drink Prosecco ( you can seek professional help for this). But as I have to frequently travel with one I now have an option in the area that would be acceptable to the other half. Obviously I would try and get her in the Geldart first, but if unsuccessful I know there will be no refusal with this one.

The Petersfield has a central island bar counter that supports premium and craft keg alongside five hand pumps that were drawing Cambridge Brewhouse’s Little Thunder, Nene Valley Brewery’s Release the Chimps and Manhattan Project and Barsham’s Eastern Gold and Norfolk Topper. Mixed seating runs around the exterior walls, many people were tucking into fish and chips during a recent Friday afternoon visit. The smell was actually quite strong. The service was polite and the background music was unobtrusive, but this place is too food led for me to want to return just for beer. And yes, the wine bottles in the ceiling are tacky.