Harden's survey result
Summary
“Lovely home-cooked food without any frills” ensures a continued army of supporters for this “quaint” restaurant and art gallery in a Georgian house just west of the cathedral. Ann Jarman launched the venture in 1968 and it was doing the local, seasonal thing (venison comes from the Denham Estate and dishes feature Norfolk samphire) decades before it was hip; in keeping with her winning ethos, it retains the feel of a family home, being “old-fashioned but in a great way”.
Summary
“A place very much in keeping with its proprietor”, Ann Jarman, who founded the restaurant and art gallery in 1968, in Georgian premises near the cathedral. Its personal approach and “old-school ambience” is very much part of its charm, and, combined with the “good” home cooking, wins it a “very loyal following” indeed.
Summary
“Great food and service” have been the order of the day since 1968 at the restaurant and art gallery Ann Jarman founded in 1968 in a Georgian house near the cathedral (her husband Michael passed away two years ago). More like a private home than a commercial business, it is “very old-fashioned – but that’s its charm”. “First visit for over 40 (yes, over 40) and still doing proper home cooking so well. And our server was working there when I last went!”
Summary
Ann Jarman continues to run this veteran restaurant and art gallery located in a well-positioned Georgian house, just by the cathedral, which she founded with her husband Michael in 1968 (he sadly passed away in March 2021). Honest food from a kitchen whose staff have spanned several generations of the same family.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Old Fire Engine House?
25 St Mary’s St, Ely, CB7 4ER
Restaurant details
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £21.00 | £26.50 |  |
|
|
Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Pudding |
|---|---|---|
| £7.00 | £20.00 | £8.50 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £30.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 12.50% |
25 St Mary’s St, Ely, CB7 4ER
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 10:30 am‑2 pm, 3:45 pm‑8:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 10:30 am‑2 pm, 3:45 pm‑8:30 pm |
| Thursday | 10:30 am‑2 pm, 3:45 pm‑8:30 pm |
| Friday | 10:30 am‑2 pm, 3:45 pm‑8:30 pm |
| Saturday | 10:30 am‑2 pm, 3:45 pm‑8:30 pm |
| Sunday | 12:15 pm‑5:15 pm |
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