February 2024. Soham.
My main “care” duty back in Waterbeach is helping Dad escape from the confines of four walls to explore the Fen Edge and give Mum a few hours to herself. On Tuesday we got to do a pub lunch in a pre-emptive tick as well.
Not at the unexpectedly “closed Tuesday” Five Miles From Anywhere, which always seemed packed, and offered food from 11:30 because gentlefolk need to have food on their plate by noon.
Mrs RM started frantically phoning pubs in nearby villages. Wicken was closed Tuesday, Haddenham was booked but became suddenly inaccessible as the wind brought the barriers down on the Stretham crossing.
In desperation, we phoned Soham’s Cherry Tree, which I remembered as one of those roadhouse Greene King diners with huge play areas from years back.
They seemed incredibly friendly, and would feed us at 12.
“Can I take a name for the booking ?“. A booking ? Surely we’d be the only customers on a Tuesday in February ?
And indeed we were, for about 2 minutes. By the time we left it was COMPLETELY full.
Dad picked the table by the fireplace, near the sepia photo of Soham‘s station which has unexpectedly been re-opened after 56 years.
For gentlefolk familiar with Spoons, the Cherry Tree won’t seem that smart,
but there’s table service, interesting carpet, “Dancing Queen” on the stereo, and a Senior’s Menu offering Fish & Chips for a fiver.
I ask the waitress, seemingly not much younger than the gentlefolk now pouring in, for a recommendation for the two non-diners, and she suggests pie.
She struggles more with Mrs RM’s questions about hop varieties in the guest ales, so I pop to the unmanned bar to take a peek;
Well, that’s OK. Half of each, both NBSS 3 (scored added !), even if they were the only ales pulled in an hour.
Harder to score the grub, an excellent beef casserole (£11.95) hidden under the puff pastry lid of your nightmares,
but Dad enjoyed it, and I was able to phone home to let Mum know her husband was safe and fed.
And if the Cherry Tree gets in the Guide, well, you know…
retiredmartin 