Coffee shop, caterer and postal order goodies – Gnawtybites is a dreamy baking business based in Hemingford Grey run by the supremely talented Sian Richardson, a pastry chef with 15 years experience in professional kitchens including celeb-favourite Chiltern Fire House in London, Vanderlyle in Cambridge and Rudimentary in Melbourne. So, forget any diets you might have been planning because once you’ve wrapped your chops round one of Sian’s baked treats you’ll be hooked!

Gnawtybites started life as a bakery but joined forces with Hemingford Grey’s amazing The Grey House in 2020 and is now a quirky, relaxed dog-friendly coffee shop that serves specialty coffee, a brilliant brunch menu and rotating, seasonal specials as well as hosting the odd pop-up foodie event. Safe to say it’s a community favourite (free Wifi means it’s a top spot when WFH!) and with its gorgeous lake views, sun-soaked terrace and welcoming interiors it’s well worth making a detour for any time you’re travelling down the A14. Coffee snob? Come in, sit down, you’re in good company: Gnawtybites Coffee Shop proudly use Guatemalan coffee beans sourced from The Brew Project and the baristas really know their stuff.

If you don’t live near the gorgeous Hemingford Grey, then don’t panic, you can still get your mitts on Sian’s superior baked goods and savoury treats. Gnawtybites also runs an outside catering arm with packages including grazing platters and afternoons teas as well as postal orders. In fact, we love Sian’s baking so much that at the Muddy Awards 2024 our goody bags included some Gnawtybites brownies and our winners were waxing lyrical about them.

Aside from the catering and café, it’s worth keeping an eye out for some of the ad hoc pop-up foodie events put on by Gnawtybites, which have included in the past a Spanish tapas evening, boozy brunches and a cabaret night. There’s also a regular mum’s club event on a Monday morning if you’ve got little ones in tow and need a good natter to other sleep-deprived women. The whole coffee shop is wheelchair friendly too and they even allow you to bring your four legged friends.

In a nutshell? Gnawtybites at The Grey House is a friendly, foodie and fabulous Cambs café that will become your go-to every time you need a good cup of coffee and a naughty, but nice treat.