Friday sees the launch of Ely Eel Festival’s food safari which runs across the whole weekend.

Ely Standard: Map out your food safariMap out your food safari (Image: Archant)

A variety of Ely’s restaurants, cafés and food venues have embraced our eel theme and are offering special festival dishes/menus using eel or providing creative twists on the eel theme, say organisers.

Here’s where to stop off during your Ely Eel Safari:

Poets House

The head chef of Ely’s very own boutique hotel will be serving up a selection of gourmet eel canapés. So if you haven’t tasted eel but have always wanted to, then pop into Poets this weekend and try a small morsel accompanied with a glass of fizz or your favourite

tipple.

The Old Fire Engine House

Offering a truly traditional Fen culinary experience with their teatime offering of beetroot scones with smoked eel and homemade horseradish.

Sylhet Restaurant

Experience an extra treat at the end of your meal with an eel shaped biscuit alongside your coffee. Alternatively, remember to order one for a sweet fix with your tandoori or biryani takeaway order.

Allgoods of Ely

The local cheesemonger, as well as many other deli delights, has risen to the challenge and come up with some eel shaped cheesy straws using their favourite cheeses.

The Ely Fudge Company

For this weekend only, they’ve created the ultimate jelly eel fudge, combining their handmade fudge with colourful wiggly eels.

3 at 3

An “Eely Good Platter” of smoked eel and hot smoked salmon with speciality dips and sauces is on the menu.

Drayman’s Son

They’ll be offering a one off, limited edition, special ale entitled – “Eel ave another one”.

Peacocks Tearooms

Serve Eel Catcher’s Tea which is a strong welcoming brew laced with rum. In addition, they will be offering their Isle of Ely Pudding, a steamed pudding topped with apple and clotted cream, sitting in a lake of caramel sauce.

Grand Central

They will be offering ‘eel-ectrifying curacao’ – a raspberry vodka, blue curacao, lemons and lime, soda and sherbet mix, ‘burr-eel-to’ an imaginative eel shaped burrito as well as an eel-themed ‘burger of the weekend’.

The Prince Albert

The team have come up with an inspiring “eel and apple crumble with radish cider jelly and lemon and celeriac custard”.