Author: Madhuri Vuggina

We all know that the British people love their food very much. They tend to cook with their heart out using healthy meat and vegetables. Though they are not into many spices before they tend to change with time and incorporate some spices of their own changing the dish from bland to much more. Meat is mostly eaten in Britain when compared to vegetables as they have the finest of produce in the market. There are many popular dishes like Fish and Chips, Yorkshire Pudding, English Breakfast, Roast Chicken, Mashed Potatoes etc. One vegetable that is much used in cooking along with the meat is the potatoes. They tend to roast or boil the potatoes and then mash them.

The name Roasted Chicken itself tells us that it is prepared on hot fire. In old times the chicken was marinated with spices and herbs before it was attached to a spit and hand-turned. Most of us don’t follow that method anymore and cook in a more convenient way, that is in the Oven. So technically we can call it baked meat rather than roasted ones. Most of them choose the male chicks over the females as they are required to lay eggs. The original recipe was from France during the Medieval period during the 12th century. It was first made as a stew and later started to roast the meat using spit skewers.

Let’s check out how to cook some of the Best Selling British Dishes:

Roasted Chicken:

A roasted chicken is everyone’s favourite and can be enjoyed any time of the day. To pair it with a glass of wine or chilled beer saves the day. The ingredients that we need for this recipe are roughly chopped onion, roughly chopped carrots, 1 chicken about 1.5 kg/3lb 5oz, lemon sliced, a small bunch of thyme and soft butter. For making the gravy we need chicken stock and 1 tbsp plain flour. Preheat the oven to 190C/fan, 170C/gas. Make a shelf ready and do not place any shelves above it. Take a roasting tin, scatter the onions and carrots over the base. Place the whole chicken and season the cavity with salt and pepper, stuff it with two lemon halves, and a small bunch of thyme. Apply butter on the outer skin and season it with salt and pepper. Place it in the oven for 1 hr 20 mins till a perfectly roasted chicken is done. 

Once it is cooked take out the chicken leaving all the juices in the roasting tin to prepare the gravy. While the chicken is resting we can prepare the gravy by placing the roasting tin on low flame, then stir in 1 tbsp of flour until lightly brown, then add the chicken stock, a little salt, stirring all the time until the sauce is thickened. Once the gravy is cooked remove it into a serving dish which can be poured on the chicken for some extra juices.

Chicken Caesar Salad:

A salad that is most loved by people all over the world as comfort food. The salad was named Caesar as it was invented by an Italian man named Caesar Cardini. It was invented in the late 1920s which is loved even till today. The original recipe has only six elements and they are full stalks of lettuce, raw egg, olive oil, croutons, parmesan cheese and Worcestershire sauce.

 Many changes have been made to this recipe adding some extra ingredients. The ingredients needed for this salad are 4 thick slices of white bread, olive oil, skinless, boneless chicken breasts and lettuce. For the dressing, we need 1 garlic clove, 2 anchovies from a tin, medium block parmesan cheese, mayonnaise and white wine vinegar. Cut the bread into pieces and add salt and fry them in a pan or bake them for 8-10 mins turning till they are brown. Take the chicken breast and rub it with salt and olive oil. Fry the chicken in a pan for 4 mins on each side. For the sauce, crush one garlic clove, mix the mash of 1 anchovy, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar and salt for taste. Place the lettuce in a large bowl, pull the chicken into bite-size strips and scatter over the leaves, then add the croutons. Now pour the dressing as much as you like and toss it with your fingers. Then sprinkle the parmesan on top and all set to eat.

Traditional British Sunday Roast:

A Sunday Roast is often cooked and served on Sunday’s. It first originated in Britain as a meal that was eaten after Church. People such as  Roman Catholics and Anglicans would fast on Sunday’s before the services and later break the fast with a large meal. The other reason is most of them ate meat only on Sundays and the other days ate vegetables and fish. It is made from meat and potatoes served with accompaniments such as stuffing, gravy, Yorkshire pudding and condiments like apple sauce, mint sauce, redcurrant jelly etc. Potatoes are most commonly used when one thinks of roasted meat but we can use many more vegetables such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, peas and parsnips. These can be steamed or boiled or roasted along with the meat and potatoes.

Sunday Roast holds a special place in the British culture and the meal is compared to that of Christmas dinner. There are other names for this dish such as Sunday Lunch, Sunday Dinner, Roast dinner and Full roast. The type of meat used for cooking a Sunday Roast are the chickens, lamb, pork or beef. During the season duck meat, turkey and other birds may be used. The potatoes can be cooked along with the meat to absorb all the juices and the flavours or it can be cooked separately with the Yorkshire pudding in a hotter oven. 

No matter what meat you use and the vegetables, the flavour of the dish is always spectacular. Even today in most of the pubs in Britain a special Sunday menu that features a Sunday roast will be there. 

So many dishes to taste when you’re in Britain and what more than visiting our Brook pub where you can choose the best dishes and enjoy. This place is even loved by kids and the younger generation as they have their own menu to choose from. We know what kids want and tend to prepare the dishes accordingly. Apart from the above dishes we also serve Italian and Indian according to the spice levels of the customer. Our opening hours are from Sunday – Thursday: 12 – 11 pm and Friday – Saturday: 12 pm to Midnight. Kitchen hours are from Monday – Saturday: 12 pm to 10 pm and Sunday: 12 pm to 9 pm. 

We also serve various drinks starting from Beers to Wines, Whisky, Gin, Rum and Cask Ales. Local customers like to hang out here to enjoy the Euro football match in our wide T.V screens placed all over the premises. This gives them more joy to shout out and support their teams. Those who are not much into T.V can play games and we are also planning to incorporate many more events in the coming months. Just check out our social media account for more updates.

Our staff understands what our customers need and their food is prepared according to their spice levels like less hot, medium hot or spicy. Our spices are prepared at home and all the sauces too. We use fresh local ingredients and produce every day to place the best dish on the table. So, if you love to try out some of our awesome food and drinks do come into the Brook Pub in Cambridge and give us the chance to serve you.

Deserts are something that everyone craves to eat all the time. Each country has their own unique desserts and method of making them. The most colourful platter that we see in a restaurant is always the Deserts. One can be so playful with the ingredients, flavour and colour. We always dream that deserts are soft texted cakes soaked in syrup, covered with fruits, dry fruits and edible flowers.

Most of them follow the old school process while making desserts even if it involves more time. Let’s see some of the best British Desserts:

• Chocolate Fudge Cake: 

The name itself allows us to get indulged in chocolate. This cake was first originated in 1764 by James Baker. He ground the cocoa beans in millstones to create this delicious cake to fulfil people’s sweet tooth, which is now one of the best-sold desserts in the U.K.

The name Fudge cake means moist cake which is a single layer covered with dense chocolate. It can be served with or without icing as per the taste. The ingredients for preparing are butter or margarine, sugar, vanilla essence, egg’s, flour, soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa and hot water. Mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and dry ingredients in another. Then add cocoa, hot water and beat into a batter. Bake it at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 30 and 35 minutes. The best chocolate fudge cake is ready.

• Sticky Toffee Pudding:

A pudding that can steal your hearts. It’s always listed in every British menu as a top seller dessert. It’s easy to bake and quite impressive with the sweet sticky texture. Pudding is a type of cake made with dates, flour, water, baking powder, soda, a pinch of salt, unsalted butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, vanilla ice cream or sweet whipped cream. The sticky toffee sauce is made with heavy cream, unsalted butter, corn syrup and granulated sugar.

The dessert is served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. It may have originated from the lake district or from Aberdeenshire but still, it’s the most loved dessert by all. It’s popular in Australia, Ireland and Scotland.

• Raspberry and White Chocolate Cheesecake:

Who doesn’t like cheesecake? It’s one of the most loved desserts around the world. Now enjoy a creamy slice of cheesecake and know about it’s story. Cheesecake has made its name from the ancient Greek time during the 15th century. In the early days, cheesecakes were made with fresh cheese pounded smooth along with flour and honey. The patties were then cooked in an earthenware griddle. At the beginning of the 18th Century British started to make changes to the original recipe, they used beaten eggs instead of yeast and emerged in tart form with a pastry base.

In Raspberry and White Chocolate Cheesecake we use digestive biscuits, freeze-dried raspberries and melted butter. For the filling, we use frozen raspberries, lemon juice, caster sugar, full-fat soft cheese, eggs, double cream, vanilla bean paste and white chocolate. Grind the biscuits then add butter and mix well, pour the mixture into a tart tin bowl and level the base. Add all the other ingredients to a bowl and pour it into the bowl and level it. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C and place the bowl into a roasting tin covered with 2 ½ cm hot water on the sides of the tin. Bake it for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes until the edges are set.

Each Country in the World has their own way to create the Desert. Italians use more Ricotta cheese, the Greeks use Feta cheese, Germans prefer Cottage cheese and coming to the Japanese, they use a unique combination of cornstarch and egg whites. We can use other ingredients like Blue cheese, Seafood, Spicy chillies and Tofu. One thing that is important in cheesecake is wheat, cheese and sweetener, they are the base ingredients for any cheesecake.

• Ice Cream Sundae:

 What better way to end a meal than by enjoying an Ice cream. There isn’t anyone in the world who would say no to an ice cream especially during hot summers. Some people love to eat even in the cold winters and rainy days but summer is the right time for ice cream.

The name Sundae came from an owner of a soda fountain who created this dish with various flavours of ice creams topped with chocolate sauce and cherry. It was sold for nickel during the initial days. This ice cream was sold only on Sunday’s because of its popularity. Now, we love to create Sundae ice cream with different flavours topped with sprinkles, whipped cream, marshmallows, peanuts, cherries or fruits.

To enjoy the above desserts, you need to visit our Brook Pub. We prepare the desserts fresh every day from local ingredients. Our kitchen is open from Monday to Saturday from 12 pm to 10 pm and on Sunday it’s open from 12 pm-9 pm. You can place an order at any point after selecting the item and don’t forget to note your table number. Now sit back while our chefs prepare your dishes back in the kitchen. 

Apart from food, you can enjoy sports on our big T.V screens. As the Euro football fever has already started from June among the people, many of them seem to enjoy it at our pub. This allows them to cheer for their favourite teams, meet new people and start a conversation on random topics.

During this pandemic, we are adhering to all Government rules by maintaining social distance, sanitizing the place and regularly monitoring the staff’s health. We want to bring a family atmosphere into our community pub through our food, drinks and good service. Those who love games can play the new Dart game that we have just updated in our Pub. In the coming months, we are planning to add a few more things to our pub and to know more about it just check our Facebook page. Do come in to enjoy our service of food and drinks.

• Draft Beers:

• Cask Ales:

• Beers:

Who doesn’t like sandwiches? We love short eats whenever we are out with family and friends, especially when we’re travelling. All of us like to taste the cuisine and street food when we visit new places. Street food is quite popular in all parts of the world as it’s an easy meal for everyone. No one needs to sit in a restaurant and wait for their order.

Let’s talk about the British’s most consumed food, which is Sandwiches. Of course, there are many varieties of sandwiches one can enjoy in the U.K, but the top-listed 6 sandwiches are given below.

• BLT Sandwiches:

The five ingredients that we need here are toasted bread, crispy and salty bacon, 

acidic tomatoes, chilled lettuce and mayonnaise. While preparing this sandwich, we have certain rules to follow, such as bacon must be hot, crisp, and freshly fried, the tomatoes must be good, ripe, and thinly sliced, the lettuce should be fresh and packed with flavor toast the bread till it’s golden brown. All these ingredients must be fresh to make a delicious sandwich.

 Most of them say that the origin of this sandwich came from basic bacon Sandwich that used to be prepared as a tea-time snack in the English countryside since Victorian times. No one knows its origin, but it became popular in America among housewives working outside their homes.

• Egg Sandwich:

The second-best British sandwich is made with eggs. The main ingredients are bread, eggs, cheese and sausages. It’s quite a popular breakfast as it’s eaten worldwide made of eggs placed between two slices of bread. To add some flavor, we can use cheese and meat sausages or cold cuts.

People prepared the first Egg sandwich during the early 19th century in East London. A street vendor wanted to feed the factory workers and also earn some money for himself. We have so many variations on this sandwich that everyone can incorporate their favorite ingredients and create one delicious bite.

Cucumber Sandwich:

The world feels so refreshing, making it a staple food enjoyed as a British afternoon tea snack. It’s made with simple ingredients like white bread, cucumber, salt and lemon. We need to take crustless white bread, cut it into a triangle shape and apply little butter. We must cut the cucumber into slices that are as thin as paper. To this, we add a bit of salt and a dash of lemon juice for more flavor.

Much of the sandwiches were invented during the Victorian period as women started to work outside and needed to carry lunch that is easy to make and yet delicious and healthy. It was the upper-middle class who enjoyed this sandwich. Today, many of them add eggs, cream cheese, tuna, and mayonnaise as variations in taste.

• Pie-Barm:

 It’s also known as Wigan Kebab as it hails from Wigan. It’s made of meat pie sandwiched between a barm cake. A barm cake is a buttered roll that’s leavened with barm which is a beer foam. So this pie is similar to that of meat and potatoes. 

As eating pie is more common in Wigan, the pie barm has emerged as a popular sandwich. Even today, many of them prepare it in the original style without adding anything extra.

• Egg and Cress Sandwich:

This delicious sandwich is made from bread, eggs, watercress and mayonnaise. This sandwich is filled with chopped or mashed boiled eggs, mayonnaise & garden cress. Once these ingredients are sandwiched between the bread slices, cut them into perfect triangles and place them on a platter. Place the remaining cress on the platter as a side and serve them with an evening cup of tea.

• Egg Banjo:

During the war, it’s not easy to cook a full meal for all the soldiers. So cooks use to come up with various ideas to easily prepare food that is healthy and can be carried easily. It was during WWII; the Egg Banjo British sandwich became popular among the soldiers. It’s made with three simple ingredients such as bread, eggs and ketchup. First, take two slices of white bread, apply margarine, add fried eggs, and top it up with some yummy ketchup. The eggs and the ketchup are filled more in the sandwich, so when one tries to eat, the yolk and the ketchup dribble’s down on the chest.

The way one holds the sandwich with one hand and the other to wipe the sauce, it looks like one is playing an air Banjo and hence it has got the name Egg Banjo. We can find this sandwich sold in commonwealth countries such as Malaysia.

We know that the British people love to taste different food from around the world. We at the Brook pub serve the best sandwiches and also panini’s as some prefer grill style. Our tuna melt panini made with tuna, mayonnaise and melted cheddar is worth trying. Don’t miss out on our roast Beef Sandwich filled with slow-roasted beef, mayonnaise, horseradish, lettuce, tomatoes and onions.

Everyone knows about the famous BLT sandwich that we serve, and it’s just so good made from fresh lettuce, crisp bacon, tomatoes and mayo. If you like something grilled, go for our grilled pesto chicken panini made from pesto sauce, mayo, cheddar and grilled chicken. Those who like to keep their sandwich simple can try our cheese and onion sandwich. The name sounds simple, but it’s packed with flavors.

We are open from Monday – Sunday and the timings are Sunday – Thursday: 12 pm to 11 pm and Friday – Saturday: noon to midnight. The Kitchen is open from Monday – Saturday: 12 pm to 10 pm and Sunday from 12 pm to 9 pm. So join us every Sunday to enjoy a fine Sunday roast prepared freshly with local ingredients and produce. If you want to book a table or arrange a takeaway collection, you can reach us at 01223 410023 from 12 pm – 5 pm.

 People love to watch games, especially if their favorite football match is shown live on T.V screens. England is just waiting for this month, i.e.; June, to enjoy the Euro Cup as it starts from June 10th and goes around till next month, July 10th. We will be showing all these matches on our big T.V screens in the outdoor garden. Enjoy a great day in the Outdoor Beer Garden with family and friends. Now, you have to visit our pub to see what’s new here. We have better plans for the coming months to incorporate in the pub to make you feel special. The pub is the only place where people can socialize and get to know each other. People talk on various topics starting from various flavors of drinks to politics to games. Each one shares their stories and enjoys the evening. It’s great for the students to have a pub life, as it helps them mingle with others and know how to start a conversation.

To enjoy all the above things in one place, then it’s time for you all to visit the Brook Pub in Cambridge. We are known for the best service, and we take pride in accepting suggestions from the customers to improvise them in the future.

Summer is here, and the game season of football is yet to begin to bring in more energy in the people. What we love to do in summer is to enjoy some chilled beer in the open air with family and friends. The lockdown has put everything on hold for quite some time, making things not work the way we wanted.

 As things started to come to normal now, we at The Brook Pub are very happy to welcome all our beloved customers whom we missed all these days to come in and enjoy their time at our indoor bar or in our outdoor beer garden. The lockdown has surely affected us, yet we took it in positive mode and thought of incorporating new things in our bar section, updating our menu and games. We wanted to introduce a new face and make you all feel refreshed when you see our place after a long gap.

 We first started with the Outdoor beer garden as per the government rules, and now the Indoor bar is also opened on May 17th. We have new Cask Ales, Beers, Whiskies, Gins, and we have plans to start Cocktails which will be updated soon. We thought of incorporating new dishes to bring in a new aroma and taste for you all to experience something different. This time try our main course, Beef Lasagne, which is served with garlic bread and mixed salad, Chicken Curry, which is served with rice, mango chutney, naan bread, and popadoms and Beef Curry which is served with rice, mango chutney, naan bread, and popadoms. We can prepare the chicken and Beef curry according to your chili taste as mild, medium, or hot. People who want to try out spicy food can give a chance by ordering their main course and selecting the spice range they can handle.

  Pub food is always loved by the British people, who try to taste different dishes at various spice levels. We serve the best starters on our menu and try our Onion Bhaji, Chicken 65, and Chicken Wings. Our Deserts are very mesmerizing, so try out our Raspberry and White chocolate Cheesecake, Chocolate Fudge Cake, and Sticky Toffee Pudding which is very popular among our customers. Coming to the kids, we have a special kids meal where they get to order their favorite Mac & Cheese, Fish Goujons with Chips, Southern Fried Chicken strips with Fries, or a Beef Burger with Fries. All the foods and sauces are brought and prepared fresh every day.

 The Brook Pub is open from Friday to Sunday, and the timings are Sunday – Thursday: 12 pm to 11 pm and Friday – Saturday: 12 pm to midnight. The Kitchen hours are from Monday – Saturday: 12 pm to 10 pm and on Sunday it’s from 12 pm to 9 pm. We have a weekly food offer on any Burger and Drink or any Curry and drink costing 10.95 pounds. One can enjoy this offer from Monday to Saturday from 5 pm to 7 pm. Sundays are always special for us as we see many customers coming to our pub to enjoy our Sunday Roast. If you want to book a table or arrange a takeaway collection, you can reach us at 01223 410023 from 12 pm – 5 pm.

 The Brook Pub is also famous as a Sports Pub in Cambridge as the locals love to watch their favorite football match live on T.V screens. This time of the year it’s more fun as we will be showing the Champion League final match on May 29th followed by the big football event, The Euro Cup starting from June 10th till July 10th on our big T.V screens in the outdoor garden. What more to ask for a better day than enjoy the game in the open air with family and friends. Now, you have got another excuse to visit our pub to play our new Dart game. We have many more plans for the coming months so visit us and enjoy good times to come.

 Our pub is located near some great Universities bringing in more students at lunchtime or for an evening drink with friends. After the end of the day, the students get to hang out at our pub with friends and relax, enjoying our food and drinks. This time if you are at Cambridge, then come in to taste our food and beverages. Do not forget to check out our Facebook page for more upcoming events. The Brook Pub team is very excited and looking forward to welcoming you all after a long time.

• Chicken Tikka Masala: The most popular Indian dish in England has roasted chicken chunks in a spicy curry. The curry is very creamy, but each restaurant has its way to prepare the dish. Some of the ingredients or cooking methods may vary, but the taste is mostly the same everywhere. This dish is often enjoyed with Indian Bread Butter Naan or with Rice.

• Butter Chicken: This dish is popular and is also known as Murgh Makhani. The chicken is marinated overnight in a spice mixture and yogurt. The spice mixture consists of ginger garlic paste, garam masala, lemon, pepper, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, and turmeric powder. In Butter chicken, the main taste comes when the chicken is cooked in a clay oven known as a tandoor in southern, central, and western Asia. After the chicken is well cooked in the tandoor, the chicken chunks are then cooked with butter and the spice mixture to create an authentic Indian dish.

• Malai Kofta: People who love vegetarianism or those who don’t eat meat can opt for Malai Kofta. It’s a vegetarian version of meatballs, allowing you to enjoy the feel of eating meat. This popular Indian vegetarian dish is made with Potato and Paneer. The potatoes are boiled and mixed with grated paneer then, and they are made into small balls (Kofta) and deep-fried in hot oil. The curry is then prepared with onions, tomato puree, turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, cashew paste, and cream to bring in more flavor. This dish is cooked on special occasions, and it goes well with butter naan bread or jeera rice.

• Rogan Josh: The name Rogan means clarified butter, and Josh means passion, fiery or hot. The main ingredient in this dish is lamb, and it is cooked in oil at high heat. This recipe includes ghee, cumin seeds, peppercorns, red chili powder, coriander powder, saffron, fennel seed powder, all-purpose flour, thick hung curd, and ginger garlic paste. The dish is prepared with tender meat in butter and spice mixture at intense heat. It was first originated in Persia then brought to Kashmir and other parts around India. Now, it is one of the classic vegetarian dishes in England.

• Chole: This dish is made from chickpeas which are soaked overnight and boiled till soft. The sauce is then prepared with onions, ginger garlic paste, boiled potatoes, tomato puree, and chole masala. This dish is enjoyed with fried Indian bread known as Bhatooras. It is a breakfast dish served along with onions, pickled carrots, green chutney, and achaar (mixed vegetable pickle). This dish is unlike any British breakfast.

• Palak Paneer: If you like spinach, then this dish is perfect to taste. It has chunks of Indian cottage cheese and spinach puree cooked in butter. It’s a simple recipe with few ingredients like onion, spinach, paneer, coriander powder, cumin powder, chili powder, and ginger garlic paste. First, boil water for 5 minutes and then put the spinach leaves and off the heat. Let it sit for 10 minutes, and then grind the spinach into a puree. Cut the Indian cottage cheese into whatever size you like. Then fry the onions, add all the spices and spinach puree. Once the raw smell goes off, add the paneer and cream for extra flavor. It is one of the most popular dishes in India and now in England.

• Chaat: Chaat is a popular Indian snack that is served in the streets of England. One can find dozens of street vendors selling chaat. Many varieties start from samosa chaat, dahi puri chaat, kachori chaat, and Potato chaat. The base ingredients same for all, fried dough base mixture with many other ingredients.

Brewing beer is not an easy task, and they are no shortcuts in making one. A step-by-step process needs to be followed for brewing the perfect beer. The beer process needs both science and an art form for producing beer. Let’s see the new ingredients and how to make new beer recipes.

Preparing the beer is a long tiring process, labor-intensive and scientific too. One should understand the process and love what they are doing to enjoy the final product.

Step 1:

Sanitize the equipment and utensils that come in contact with the beer. Use light detergents and sanitizers that are safe for this process.

Step 2: 

Key Ingredients to make beer are:

• Malted Barley
• Water
• Hops
• Yeast

           These are the basic ingredients that we always use, but the beer’s flavor changes when various other ingredients are added during the brewing process. Some of them add different hops for more bitterness and aroma. The temperature for brewing and the water used plays a key role in the taste of the beer. We can add more flavors, hops, and botanicals while brewing.

Step 3: 

The Malting Process: This process starts with grains like barley, whereas one can use wheat and oats also. The first harvest the grains and process them by heating them, then drying and at last cracking. It helps to isolate the enzymes in the beer. The malt used is the one that gives the color to the beer. If the malt is roasted lightly, you get a very pale beer, and if you roast them more, they produce dark beers. One can mill their mal that helps to decide the type of gist you need. Some of them can get their pre-milled malt that changes the flavor of the drink.

Step 4: 

The malt is cooled in hot water and not in boiling water. The cooling process takes an hour to activate the enzymes in the malt to break down and release simple sugars. After an hour of cooking the grains, we drain the water from the mash. The water is now a sweet, sticky liquid known as wort.

Step 5:

Boiling and Adding Hops: The sweet liquid wort is transferred into a copper vessel where hops are added. The first round of hops are added for bitterness and boiled for an hour, then the second round of hops are added for aroma. These hops are not boiled as they only give a beautiful taste and smell. The liquid is then cooled at 17 degrees celsius, then moved to a vessel for fermentation. At this point, the yeast is added.

Step 6:

Fermentation: 

It is an important stage to produce quality beer when the yeast is added to the liquid where the real magic happens. The yeast eats the sugar and produces carbon dioxide and alcohol. More hops, botanicals, or any flavors are added to create different kinds of beer at this stage. The type of beer you produce depends upon how long the liquid is fermented. When you are making ales, the beer is stored for less time at a cooler temperature. If lager is being produced, the beer is stored for a much longer period at colder temperatures, and this is done after the fermentation process.

We need to maintain the right temperature throughout all the stages to get the best beer. It is a challenging task that most homebrewers face. 

Step 7:

Filtering, Processing, and Bottling: Once the fermentation stage is done, the beer is ready to be put into a cask. It is the least processed type of beer. We can keep them in kegs, bottles, or cans for processing, which needs carbonation. All this process depends upon what style of beer you want to make. Craft beer is a mostly unfiltered beer with more flavor, which is affected during processing and filtering.

The Finished Liquid = Delicious Beer!

It is a step-by-step process guide for making a fine beer. All this sounds too much effort to put in, but the ultimate result is worth waiting for. All the British people love these beers. One can enjoy these beers in the Pub or the beer garden. Most of the Pubs in Cambridge has two bars, one is inside the Pub, which is cozy, and the other is the Beer garden outside. All the effort put into the making of the beer can be enjoyed happily in the beer garden. Many of them like their beer light, and some want it strong. British people sure know how to choose the right kind of beer when they party. Students are more often seen at Pubs with friends and enjoy socializing with people. What better way to start a conversation over a beer?

Our customers are very happy tasting our Beers, Cask Ales, Whiskies, Gin and other drinks. Our staff is well versed in all the drinks present in the bar and always provide the best services to the customers. Our customer’s feedback gives us a chance to improvise more and bring new changes to food, drink, and events. Every day is new learning with our customers that made us strong like pillars. So next time when you are in Cambridge, make it a point to visit the Brook Pub to taste our best Cask Ales, Beers, other Spirits, and Great British Pub food.   

Our outdoor garden is now open for you all to enjoy the open space in bright sunlight along with a chilled beer. Those who prefer indoor can enjoy drinks in our indoor bar with our new British pub food.

• 6 cups Ice
• 1/2 cup Homemade Syrup
• 3/4 cup White Rum
• 1/8 cup lime juice
• 1 cup Strawberry Pure

It’s been a long time @ the Brook Pub in Cambridge !!

We would like to share the great news with you all as we will be re-opening our Brook Outdoor Garden from the 13th of April. It has been a long wait for you all to come and fill your thirst without drinks and also to taste our newly added food menu items.

As we all have been affected by the pandemic around us we are adhering to the Government’s guidance on social distancing. The rule of 6 with only 2 households per table will be strictly followed. We will be opening only the beer garden as the Indoor bar permission is not approved by the Government. We are opened from Tuesday to Sunday and the timings are from 12 pm to 7 pm until 17th May. Till this date, the food and drinks will be served in the outdoor garden where you got can enjoy the open sky and warm sun.

As the indoor bar is not opened till the 17th of May we won’t be showing any live sports on T.V till then. We understand how much you all love sports and watching it live on T.V with a cool beer is even more fun. Waiting is always good as you might see quite some changes at our bar soon !!

Indoor or Outdoor bar doesn’t matter as long as you all enjoy our drinks and food. We have updated our menu and come up with some exciting sandwich’s like Roast Beef Sandwich, Bacon Lettuce Tomato Sandwich, Cheese & Onion Sandwich, etc. We also have healthy summer salads made from fresh ingredients and local produce.

At the Brook pub, you can get weekly food offers on any Burger + Drink at 10.95 pounds or any Curry + Drink at 10.95 pounds. You can order from Monday to Saturday and the timings are between 5 pm to 7 pm. So hurry up to grab this offer and enjoy a good meal. If you are planning for a Sunday lunch then join us to enjoy our Sunday roast. Book your table by calling us @ 01223 410023 or arrange a takeaway. The order can be placed from 12 pm to 5 pm and that too only on Sundays.

It’s not only food that’s good at the Brook Pub, even our drinks menu offers you to choose from the finest Wines to Whiskies, Rum, Cask Ales, and other spirits and Liquors. We also have soft drinks, Champagne, and cocktails for those who don’t wish to drink alcohol.

At our pub, we offer a 15% discount for all Senior citizens who are 65 and above. This offer is from Monday to Saturday between 11 am to 3 pm. This time we wanted to pay our respect to the NHS staff for their humble services to the people. We have come up with a 10% discount which is applicable every day.

Soon you all will be walking through our doors to enjoy your day at our Brook garden with our new updated menu and drinks. To bring back the beautiful memories spent here like before we have decided to add a new game soon at our pub. Watch out for more new excitement in the game front as we will be starting the Dart game for all the game lovers out there. Apart from the games, we wanted to do something different for you all this time. We wanted to introduce hookah pipes with various flavors like grape, strawberry, mint, apple, watermelon, etc. The start of this new idea will be announced soon.

As the month of June is approaching the UEFA Euro football cup fever will be rising high across the nation starting from 10th June to 10th July. Each and everyone cheering for their teams with high energy can be seen soon as we will be screening the live event for you all at the Pub. This is going to be a big football event as England is playing for the cup. Come in with your family and friends to enjoy the game.

On behalf of the Brook Pub we want you from all to buckle up for the upcoming events and check out our Social media posts for more updates in the coming months. So, mark the date 13th of April, where our door will be opened by our humble staff for you all to come in and enjoy your meal. So check out our new menu for more choice of food and order by call or book a table well in advance. The indoor bar will be opened soon and it will be informed to you all. We all hope that from the 21st of June everything will settle down to normal.

We can’t wait to Quinch your thirst!! Hope to see you all soon !!!!!!

British culture is well known for its brewed Cask Ales and beers. People like to socialize while enjoying their beer. It’s a culture that is followed for years by the people who surely know how to have fun in their lives. In the U.K  you can find pubs on every corner street as a popular hang-out place for everyone. It’s a new gateway for the students to meet new people and end up being good friends. British culture has got a long history for the traditions they follow while brewing beers and ales. It’s not all of them who can brew a perfect beer one needs to know the right method and process to make one. Let’s see How is Cask Ale Brewed.

How is Cask Ale Brewed:

The first thing to do is to grind the malted barley that opens the grains exposing the starch present init. The product known as grist is mixed with hot water in a container for 75 minutes. Once the hot water is added it activates the enzymes within the grist and the central starch starts to break and convert into fermentable sugars. The enzymes work differently with temperature variations to produce the type of sugars that brewers need. This helps them to decide what type of beer they want to make like a sweet beer, dry or full-bodied, etc,

The sugary solution wort is separated from the grain husks at the bottom of the mash bin. The husk layer acts as a natural filter for the wort. Once its collected the leftover grain is used as animal feed at farms. Once the wort is separated from the grain it is transferred into a large copper vessel. The wort is boiled for an hour to sterilize the brew and then we add the first set of hops that bring in the bitterness to the final beer. The next-hops are added at last that gives aroma and flavor to the beer, but the bitterness depends on the first set of hops that are added.

The Wort now is cooled at 18 degrees Celcius for ales and lagers, it is cooled at 12-degree Celcius. It is then moved to a fermentor where the yeast is added. They are many types of yeast that can be used and it’s a very crucial step when you’re adding the yeast as the type of beer produced depends on it. For Cask Ale, an ale yeast is pitched. Ale yeast is a top-fermenting operator, that creates a thick layer of froth in the fermentor while the beer is being made at the bottom where the yeast is consuming the sugars and releasing alcohol, carbon dioxide, and different flavors.

After fermentation that takes between 2-4 days, the beer is left to mature for a week that allows the flavor to develop. This helps to give a smooth taste to the ale. After maturing for a week in the next step the ale is filled into casks and racked, which is an important stage.

How to Condition Cask Ale properly:

The Ales that are racked is the final product which is not filtered and contains yeast and no carbon dioxide is added. Here at this stage, a fining agent is added to settle the ales. One of the fining agents that can be used is isinglass, this helps to attract the negative charge of the yeast forming a heavy material that settles at the bottom of the cask leaving a clear brighter beer.

Some of the Cask Ales are not served in a clear state as some of them like their ales to be hazy and cloudy. To achieve that the brewers produce unfined beer without using isinglass or any other findings. As the beer is left in the Cask it continuous to react with the yeast and sugars creating natural carbonation. In this process, the beer matures and creates a flavor of a perfect pint of Cask Ale.

Looking after Cask Ale in the Cellar:

On the day of delivery to a pub or a bar cellar, a cask must be stillage first before anything else.

What is Stillage?

It is a device where a cask of ale is positioned and served. A Cask is positioned on its belly with a shiver on the top and keystone vertically aligned. This process is followed so that the sediment in the cask settles at the bottom below the tipping point and is not disturbed. If not the sediment will come into suspension again. After 24 hours the cask should settle and reach the right temperatures between 11 – 13 degrees centigrade so that it’s ready to tap and vent.

How to tap and vent a Cask:

Once a cask is positioned correctly, we need to make a hole in the shive and insert a soft porous peg. The beer is left for fermentation for around 48-72 hours to work its magic. After reaching the right conditioned point the soft peg is changed with a hard non-porous peg.

We are going to tap and vent at the same time. We need to attach a clean tap through the keystones to attach a hop filter and a beer pipe. The important thing to note is to sample the beer for clarity, aroma, and taste before attaching the pipe to take a sample. If you feel all is good with the beer then it’s ready to be served. See that the peg is removed before serving and place back between the sessions to keep the carbon dioxide intact. Once you start to sell the carbon dioxide intact. Once you start to sell your ale you need to sell it within 3 days to keep the beer fresh in premium condition. So, to continue selling quality cask ale you need to keep the next batch settled, tapped, vented and ready to serve.

Common Myths of Cask Ales:

It’s Warm: Everyone thinks that cask ales are and British beers are warm and served at room temperatures. The ales and beers should be served chilled at 11-13 degrees centigrade. These conditions should be followed by every pub owner or else they will have a problem.

It’s an old man’s drink: Once ales were consumed by working men a long time ago. This has changed over time as the younger generation both men and women want to try out a variety of beers and ales. They love to try different flavors from local real ales than from the big corporate breweries.

It’s a Float Drink: A good pub owner surely knows when the ale reaches the condition level and is ready to serve. If beer is served before or is kept for a long time after it is been tapped the quality of the ale changes leaving a bad impression on the beer. The owner must know the condition level when natural carbonation from the yeast happens to leave carbon dioxide and producing silky bubbles giving a smooth finish to the ale.

It’sSour: If the sale of the ale is more than 3 days the quality decreases leaving the beer with vinegar like qualities that cannot be consumed at all. The ale changes leaving a sour taste in your mouth.

It’s Brown and Murky: Cask ales can be of many forms. It depends upon the cask method what type of ale is produced is it bitter, pale ale, golden ale, mild, stouts, porters, or any other style of beer. As you all are aware not all the ales are brown and murky

Brook Pub Cask Ales:

We at the Brook Pub serve the best Cask Ales, crafted beer, finest Wines, Gins, Whiskies, etc. Some of them might not be in the mood for a drink and they can enjoy our cocktails, teas, and coffees. We always have something to offer for everyone at the pub. We serve the best British Pub food in Cambridge as we follow traditional recipes that go well with your drink. One can even enjoy their beer watching live sports on our large T.V screens cheering up their team. 

The Brook Pub is always filled with nearby University students where they like to enjoy short eats and enjoy their time with friends. Our Beer garden is always fun for our customers as they can breathe some fresh air and also get soaked in the sun’s heat. Kids do love to spend their time in summer playing outside where the family and friends can enjoy their chilled beer.

 Next time you are here in Cambridge then you need to stop by at our pub to enjoy some nice ales, pub food, and our great services.