StyleNest caught up with the founders behind Stickybeaks, a cafe in Cambridge with an extraordinary story which brought two strangers together who shared one dream.

Founders Catherine Bolton and Lucy Robinson set up Stickybeaks in 2010 after sharing the same dream of owning their own café. After meeting through a mutual friend, Stickybeaks launched bringing diners a fresh and hearty menu in a relaxed atmosphere.

Stickybeaks has a heart-warming story, can you tell our readers your journey behind setting up the café in 2010?

Cath: We both had the dream to set up a café but didn’t think we could do it on our own. I had been working in digital advertising and had been given an opportunity for redundancy with pay, this was an opportunity I wanted to grab with both hands. At a wedding I was talking about my pipedreams to a friend and she told me I had to meet her friend called Lucy. A chef who had recently moved to Cambridge and who also had dreams of owning her own café. We met and mulled it over and it then went really quickly from there – no holding back. We took the plunge and took a massive leap of faith in each other…we were basically strangers. We had the same vision and the same passion – we just clicked straight away. I think we saw that we could really complement each other.

Lucy: I didn’t ever believe I could do it until I met Cath. She had the same ideas as me – then it was a case of  saying “stop thinking about it and talking about it and let’s just do it”.

From what age did you know that you wanted to be in the catering industry?

L: I was always quite obsessed with cooking. I’d get home from college, which is when I really got into it and watch lots of cookery programmes and always wanted to try out weird and wonderful things. I always wanted to be in the kitchen. I did a 1 month course at Leiths Cookery School and from there I went into the world of cooking for F1, as well as private catering and teaching at Divertimenti.

C: I went to uni and studied maths and astronomy and I remember getting my lecturer to write me a reference for catering college and he was like “what? Are you going to be the next Deliah Smith?” So from there I went to Westminster Kingsway and did a cooking course.

For readers who haven’t been fortunate enough to visit Stickybeaks yet, can you tell us what to expect on the menu?

L: Lovely fresh bright ingredients, we love the idea of eating with your eyes. They look healthy, but taste delicious. A balance of healthy and nutritious through to decedent and naughty but all home cooked.

C:  It’s an honest representation of who we are, what we love to eat and what we love to cook. It’s unpretentious and honest food.

How did you both come up with the name Stickybeaks?

C: I was off travelling and had a lot of time to think of a name which is actually really difficult. You repeat the name over and over again and then I was doing a crossword with my then boyfriend who’s Australian and that’s when a light bulb came on for “Stickybeaks”, meaning to have ‘a bit of a nosey’. We’d talked for a long time about the fact that we didn’t want to have a kitchen out in the back where the chef never  sees daylight and is hidden away. We wanted it to be part of the café. So we thought that’s pretty much what you will be able to do in our café – “have a Stickybeaks at what we are cooking and making”.

You make fresh, healthy “homecooked” dishes. After a month of indulging over Christmas, how can our readers prepare some quick and healthy dishes?

L: Marj’s Kale Salad – Roughly chop fresh kale, then grate raw parsnip, carrot and mouli. Make a dressing of maple syrup, soya sauce, sherry vinegar, vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Massage this into the raw vegetables and then sprinkle with roasted cashew nuts. It’s beautiful.

When you both aren’t busy at the café, how do you like to unwind in your spare time?

L: I’ve got really into swimming. I’m on my feet for 12 hours most days and I find it really therapeutic.

C: Spending time in my garden and with my family. I have identical 1 year old twin girls…it’s not really unwinding but they are amazing.

You both used to live in London, what made you decide to move and set up shop in Cambridge?

C: My sister lives in Cambridge and Lucy had just moved to Cambridge and it became a bit of an obvious choice.

L:  And we realised there was something lacking here. It was a clone city and we saw an opportunity to “un-clone” it. A great gap in the market.

What helps to inspire you to create new dishes? Is it places? People?

C: We kind of decided from day one that we were going to have a holiday once a year where we would go and explore amazing foods. So we’ve been to Mexico together, Paris and food festivals like Wilderness.

L: Cath has taught me to live for the moment and not to worry about money and just enjoy yourself. We read loads of magazines and cook books and love programmes like The Great British Bake Off. We’re constantly interested in new recipes and love trying out new recipes mentioned to us – the kale salad above is from the mum of a girl called Erin who used to work with us.

For those who aren’t confident in the kitchen, what advice would you give our readers to get kitchen cool for spring?

L: Be bold with trying new things and just experiment. If you are following a recipe and don’t have all the ingredients then don’t worry, don’t run out to the supermarket…just improvise.

Valentine’s and Easter are approaching, do you have any top tips on how to make some thrifty edible treats with a professional finish?

Valentines Day – Processco and raspberry jellies. Make a jelly using processco, gelatine and sugar. Place into ice cube trays – fill a 1/3 full and then set. Next add a single raspberry and a tiny bit more of the jelly mix so that it’s held in place. And then set and once it’s set add another layer…they look great. Or you can use Cava.

Easter – Chocolate sheep cakes – chocolate cupcakes or peppermint flavours. Make a white chocolate buttercream icing and pipe onto the cupcake with a star shaped nozzle. Use chocolate drops or dark icing for eyes.

Which are some of your favourite restaurant haunts from around the UK?

• Ethicurian a lovely Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden
• Pump Street Bakery
• The Willow Tree pub in Cambridge
• Sea Tree in Cambridge – the best fish and chips you will ever have
• Grain Store in London Kings Cross
• Petersham Nurseries

What chefs do you admire?

L: We love Ottolenghi’s style for the fresh flavours and colours. Also, love him or hate him Jamie Oliver has been wonderful at raising awareness of proper food. His heart is definitely in the right place and has a great attitude.

C: Simon Hopkinson too for his classic style as well as Rosie and Ruth at River Café. They nurture and train the team with a maternal touch. Which is completely at odds with most kitchens.

Can you give StyleNest’s readers any exciting and inside news on any current or future projects you might be working on?

C: We’re always having ideas. We keep on seeing run down buildings or having ideas for wonderful pop-up cafes in the beautiful parks here in Cambridge.

What advice would you give our readers who want to set up their own business?

C: Find someone else who shares your dream and plan plan plan. Do the hardest things first and don’t put them off and accept that you are not going to like every element of running your own business.

Can we expect a recipe book from Stickybeaks in the near future?

L: Who knows…one day…maybe when we retire. We’ve often dabbled with the idea of our own book.

What’s your motto?

What’s the worst that could happen?

Visit Stickybeaks at www.stickybeakscafe.co.uk