The Pear & Olive Restaurant

Absolute Gem. We have been a couple of times and are always amazed by the quality of the food and the service. Book in advance recommended. Also I am vegetarian and disclose it during the booking, they always cater specifically for vegetarians.

A lovely birthday meal with family. Fantastic vegetarian menu for our son and partner with the star of show being the roasted pumpkin, along with a lovely choice of mains. The balance of flavours were masterful

Fabulous food and great service. So glad we discovered this little gem. Food and drinks reasonably priced. Food beautifully presented and excellent quality. Drinkable coffee too 😉. We will be back soon.

Great food, good wine list. New owners making a real good job of bringing a favourite village pub back to life. Well priced, fresh daily dishes. Got to give these guys a try. Staff pleasant and friendly. Defo going back.

What a serendipitous evening! Our Australian family of five wandered in from the street looking for our room after a long day in the car and Gael and his crew couldn't have been more welcoming. The accommodation was beautifully appointed and all of us were very happy (a hard task to achieve when travelling with young adults). Decided to keep it simple and eat in at the on-site local downstairs - Pear & Olive - with no expectations at all. I can say that in our three week trip around the UK we enjoyed the best food, with the best hosts, with the best ambience, with the best wine we had experienced the entire trip. Gael and his crew were exceptional hosts and we greatly appreciated their warmth and generous nature. Gael even created a new dish for us on the spot after a left field request from one of our group. And then we went upstairs to the best accommodation for the night! An experience we will not forget! Highly highly recommended.

An absolutely charming spot for a romantic getaway in the country. The village is divine and the setting is like something from a fairy tale. The two little guest apartments and adjoining restaurant are equally delightful. The value for money for this place was incredible - we paid just over £100 for a night in a lovely cottage with all the usual amenities, as well as fresh cakes and port by the bedside. Every little detail is considered, from the beautiful fragrances to the decor of the apartment. Make sure to book into the restaurant as there isn’t anything else close by, but you won’t be disappointed. Great wine, great food and wonderful service from a great host. We were so impressed with this place - it’s an absolute gem. Thanks for having us!

Fantastic food and service. I have eaten in some top quality restaurants and this is right up there. Best piece of pork I have ever tasted. Not cheap but you get what you pay for. Thoroughly recommend. Not your ordinary village restaurant.

Only stayed one night and wish it was longer! The rooms are gorgeous, clean and spacious. Hosts are friendly, helpful and generous (left us some bubbly on ice as it was my birthday; plus the snacks, home made cakes and breakfast were great). All the food was 10/10, location good, and of course Olive the dog stole our hearts.

Just returned home from an evening meal at the Pear & Olive and felt compelled to write a review straight away so everyone can know how great it is and go visit!! Honestly one of the best (if not THE best) meals I’ve ever had. Lovely ingredients treated fantastically well by the chefs - it was delicious and great value. Staff were also lovely and location was perfect. Can’t wait to go back and will be recommending to all my friends. Thanks for a lovely evening!

Best meal I have had in a long time. Great food and great service. It is an intimate setting with limited tables which only added to the experience.

This is our favourite place to eat in and around Cambridge. Chef Gael's food never disappoints and the decor and outdoor space are stunning! We make the commute from town as often as possible and have introduced many friends to it as well, some of whom now travel up from London with the specific request of dining there. Highly recommend!

A fantastic meal at Pear & Olive! The food was so flavourful, and the host couldn’t have been more attentive, friendly or reassuring. As a coeliac, I felt completely looked after and the gluten-free meal I had was genuinely one of the most delicious I’ve had in a long time!

Wonderful service, very friendly and attentive host who took great care of my partially sighted mother on the steps. Food was excellent, as it was last time I came! Thank you :)

Absolutely spot on!! We ate here for the first time last week and it completely surpassed our expectations. Every course was delicious. Plates were well presented, without being fussy. Great ingredients cooked well and packed full of real flavour. We will definitely be returning. Thanks!

Pear & Olive kindly donated a generous raffle prize to our local school fete. We are very grateful for their support and commitment to the community, as well as the delicious food and welcoming atmosphere they provide. Thank you!

Utterly delightful. Lucky lucky Cambridgeshire. Delicious food, lovely front of house, great wine list and pretty setting. I can't rate this highly enough. The pork chop was one of the best I have ever eaten. Absolutely delightful.

Have eaten here a few times and can not recommend highly enough. OUTSTANDING food. Amazing hidden gem location. It feels like you've stumbled onto a magical little secret spot you don't want to tell too many people so you don't spoil the sense of secrecy. This place will take off soon, go now while you can get a booking and while the prices are still excellent value.

Wonderful meal, lovely homemade bread, excellent family friendly service. Will be returning soon, new favourite restaurant! The food and wine were really brilliant! Couldn’t fault it. Thanks for making the meal such a lovely experience!

We came here for our anniversary dinner and we had a great time. The food was delicious, the service was excellent and the ambiance was lovely as well. It is a beautiful place. We strongly recommend to anybody celebrating an occasion or looking for a romantic evening.

Came here for the 4 course menu they do on Thursdays and wow! Faultless food, friendly staff and very reasonably priced. I don't know how the michelin guide have missed this gem! The first course with tuna, avocado and kafir lime was possibly the highlight but the beautifully soft and rich chocolate tort was just as delightful. And to top it all we stayed the night in the cottage, where they put just as much attention to detail as they do in the restaurant, small touches like free cakes and port make the stay perfect! Great job chefs and the rest of the team, can't wait to come back! Only problem was it was over too soon!

We went there on the off chance but were persuaded too after calling and being told that the fire was on and it was warm and cosy. The pub has been recently renovated and has a lovely feel. We had the choice of where to sit and the service was excellent. The Sunday lunch was excellent and we'll definitely heading back. It's well worth the trip instead of heading to your local.

Having spent a good couple of hours in this pub turned gastro restaurant, we ended up never being rushed out...never reminded that there is another table to follow our reservation (how rare is that!). The food was exceptional and the service just so friendly. Having brought our dog into the eating space he was greeted by the owners once the doors were locked and another bottle of wine opened. The fact that we eat well, drank well, had great (and deep) conversations with the owners and felt like we would be welcome back was a blessing . What more can you ask for on a Sunday lazy afternoon.

We were a large group of 13 who came for brunch. A member of staff had called in sick and our server, Jasmine, was the only one on the floor. She went above and beyond for us, she was absolutely lovely and not at all frazzled by running around after everyone! The food was delicious and there’s a sweet farm shop as well. We’d all love to go back, it was fantastic.

Stumbled on this restaurant by chance, had a lovely meal highly recommend, great selection of beers and wine in a cosy comfortable setting. Will Definately be returning.

Great experience lunching with family. Beautiful rooms and much thought gone into all the little details that make a meal/nights stay special. Friendly, approachable accommodating staff. Can't wait to come back

We had a birthday dinner for 4. We wanted to go back after the renovations and it was very good and as delightful as usual. Thanks again for a lovely evening. Highly recommended!

I absolutely love the revamp. Such good food. As long as I could remember the pear tree was a dusty pub, with mediocre food. Now it's a proper eatery with high end ethically sourced local ingredients, excellent wines and excellent service. Forget everything you thought you knew about this place, it's the best pub food in Cambridgeshire. Go now!

New owners offering great food, a good wine list and a lovely atmosphere. We have twice enjoyed an excellent Sunday lunch.

Another fabulous meal at The Pear & Olive. Excellent quality food from a talented chef and great front of house. Top notch experience in a pretty village.

Delicious meal last night with family. The peach alongside the pork was exceptional. The 4 of us each had different starters and main courses (sorry chef!) all of which were outstanding. Keep it coming! Thank you to front of house too, great friendly atmosphere.

We had a wonderful family dinner. The Chef came to our table to tell us about the menu du jour and was able to cater for dietary requirements. Everything was fresh and delicious and we had a memorable evening.

What a absolutely fantastic Sunday lunch. It was the best roast we have had for a long time! Cooked to order so not sat under a heat lamp! Nothing worse! Lovely meat, fantastic potatoes, veg, cauliflower cheese and gravy no complaints! Wanted a starters so made us a lovely salad was to die for!! And the Desert was amazing absolutely no complaints!! If you want good quality food look no further! Thanks so much

Beautiful ambient restaurant to enjoy Michelin-star quality food in a relaxed, easygoing environment. We had the 4 course tasting menu consisting of the most delicious and innovative dishes, all without feeling too pretentious or over the top , and to top it all off we were welcomed with wonderful reception by charming owners and hosts Catherine, and the chef himself, Gaël. All in all, would thoroughly recommend as it is definitely the best dining experience to have in Cambridge!

Review – Pear and Olive, Hildersham We booked to eat and stay at The Pear and Olive on the recommendation of some old friends, who had visited recently. The village of Hildersham is pretty and is also close to Cambridge, so could be a great base. The new owners (a young husband and wife team, Josh and Jade Abbs) have only been in residence for a couple of months. There's a car park to the side/rear for approx. 6 cars and a couple of cycle racks for more energetic types. There’s on street parking too. On arriving at the Pear and Olive, we were shown to our overnight accommodation, which was in a lovely cosy little cottage/bungalow just next door to the restaurant. It's been decorated and furnished to a high standard, while retaining a cosy cottage feel; super comfy bed! The front of house staff, Jade and Heidi, are very friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable. The chef, Josh and his sous chef, Patrick, clearly know what they are doing. The food was just incredibly good; so flavoursome and delicious. Later, we learnt that both Jade and Josh have worked in fine dining restaurants in various places, including London. Jade clearly understands the importance and role of great front of house service and Josh is demonstrably a master of his craft. This place is all about a great fine dining experience. Food This was an absolute treat. There was a good choice of starters, mains and desserts. Vegetarians are well catered for on the separate vegetarian menu. There was also a really good selection of slightly more unusual wines, beers and soft drinks, many of which are obviously from local suppliers. When the food arrived, it was HISTORIC. It truly was a fine dining experience par excellence. Do yourself a favour and book a meal at this little gem of a place. And do so sooner rather than later (or both), before everyone else finds out about it. They had to turn a couple of parties away while we were there. We will definitely back. And I hope those diners they had to turn away will too. It’s a pity I can’t give this place 6 stars; it’s definitely worth that and more, but I’ll have to settle for just 5 stars.

Went for our anniversary lunch it was amazing I can’t find the right words it is the best restraint we have eaten in in such a long time. The food was fantastic but the service was the best we could not fault anything highly recommend. We are making this our go too restaurant. We can not thank you enough for the service see you soon

We had a great lunch here. We arrived unplanned and didn’t realise the restaurant wasn’t open for roughly 30 minutes. This was no problem for the chef who despite been a team-member down was very welcoming and accommodating. We ordered the king prawns and wagyu burger, both were amazing. It’s seems this place gets very busy and booking in advance for the weekend or evening dinner is a must. Very friendly and would return .

What can I say? We started off rough as Cat, through NO fault of her own, had no record of our reservation. She was also dealing with a horrible personal situation (that ended happily) as we were arriving. But, Cat was ever the consummate professional and hostess. She went above and beyond and with a bit of juggling and initiative, she was able to fit the three of us into her property and we couldn’t have been happier. The space is beautiful and meticulously maintained. The beds were big and comfortable, the rooms spacious, the bathroom gorgeous and the kitchen well-equipped. The outside space was inviting especially with the lovely weather. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cat had something to do with the warm, sunny skies ... that’s how good she is! The extra touches were so appreciated ... local goodies for breakfast hit the spot. We will return and look forward to visiting with Cat and staying in her lovely property! You don’t want to miss a visit to The Pear Tree Pensione!

A quirky but lovely "Pensione". I had the "loft suite" which is basically the upstairs part of the building. It has been tastefully refurbished and decorated and is very comfortable. Big comfy beds, good TV and movies box, outstanding shower (with big bathroom). There is a shaired lounge (for the 3 rooms) downstairs (as well as the personal one upstairs) with log burner, coffee machines, cookies, water, snacks, port etc. all complimentary. Plenty of parking, friendly and welcoming reception. I really can't fault this place. You will need to travel to one of the adjoining villages for food but you also have at you disposal a fully equipped kitchen so you could self cater. The price? Surprisingly low which makes this one of the best value places I have stayed - ever. Don't be put off by the poor earlier reviews. These predate the new owners and their philosophy, and I noted one gave it a low rating because when they tried to visit it was a furniture shop?! A brilliant bargain but please don't book when I want to, there are only 3 places (the loft does have 2 bedrooms for family use).

Loved this small restaurant which provides a lovely welcoming atmosphere, friendly & efficiently service and more importantly great food. The menu is small & changes daily reflecting the quality of the food and the ingredients. This is clearly a chef that cares & understands the food. The small kitchen is behind a picture window. There is the makings of a lovely garden area to the rear which is still being developed which looks very promising. Plenty of car parking. If you’re nearby and enjoy beautiful food. Go . If you’re not driving, they have a good wine list too 👍

Oh dear oh dear, talk about clutching defeat from the jaws of victory! This review comes a month or so after the glowing review I gave (see below). We booked for a family dinner on my wife’s birthday so really looking forward to the evening. Our table was for 6.30 and granted we were 15 mins late but this time the welcome from the co owner was cool and off hand. Have you got a reservation? Duh, this is so not a place where you would just walk in on the off chance it’s so out of the way. Anyway we were showed to our table and all seemed well. Menus were brought and we barely had to settle down, fix our chairs, unfold our napkins and read them when the hostess came over and asked us if we were ready to order. She was clearly stressed and put us under much pressure to order now so that the kitchen could get to work on our food before the 7 o’clock and 7.30 tables arrived. I’ve never had this before where, in a fine dining establishment supposedly, I’ve been under that much pressure to order without enough time to read the menu. I gently said no we need a couple more minutes to read it and she said there was only one chef, and if we preferred to take our time we could have our orders in behind the later tables and wait it out. A proper bollocking, talk about a buzz kill from the start, especially ironic with the happy birthday message they left for my wife on the table. Anyway we duly got busy, studied the menu and placed our orders with a different waitress. We really didn’t want the evening spoiled. However the hostess/co owner rubbed our noses in it with her contempt for us by pointedly ignoring our table for the entire evening whilst frequently circulating and chatting and fake laughing with all the other diners (you have to understand that this gaff only has about 6 or so tables, and for most of the evening only about five were in use. There never was any rush, our order was in well before the later tables arrived. So it was all a fuss over nothing but it left a pall on our evening. Anyway, as for the food, it was ok. Although my daughter had to remove a hair from both her starter and main. The trio of pork main course was like something you’d get in a German beer kellar see the photo, tasty but overpriced and not a fine dining meal at all. the seabass was good enough. The service from the young waitresses was pleasant. We skipped dessert and the bill was brought by the co-owner. She made a lame attempt to say she hoped my wife had had a good birthday. Too little too late. We won’t bother coming back. What a find this place is, a former pub tucked away in the south Cambridgeshire village of Hildersham. We came here for a Saturday evening dinner and were given a lovely welcome on arrival and shown to our table on the front room. Lovely setting and atmosphere. They do a simple three course menu and the food was delicious. The place is run by a husband and wife team and they’re doing a fantastic job.

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