Fitzbillies returns 

Fitzbillies on Bridge Street reopened as a shop and takeaway on Thursday (04/05) after government guidance indicated that all food shops can reopen from June 1.

Up to this point, the two branches of Fitzbillies were closed due to lockdown restrictions but the central bakery remained open. Customers could however order the renowned Chelsea Buns online to be delivered anywhere in the UK by first-class post. 

Fitzbillies told Varsity: “We have been inundated with orders from people who miss their Chelsea Buns or want to send a gift to friends and family during lockdown.”

The cafe stated that they expect their branch on Trumpington Street will open “within a couple of weeks”, however they wanted to ensure “the safety measures [are] right in one branch first”.

The shop will be reopened with additional safety measures including perspex screens over the counters, a limited number of customers allowed inside and hand sanitizer stations. 

Fitzbillies said: “We’re so looking forward to being open again and seeing our customers - albeit it from a safe distance of at least two metres.”

Christ’s student co-founds platform to help local businesses 

Jack Neil, a Christ’s College student and his friend Chris who graduated from Loughborough University, have co-founded the Be a Local Hero platform to help sustain local businesses during lockdown. 

Be a Local Hero allows independent businesses to sell vouchers to their local community in order to help with cash flow during the lockdown. These vouchers are sent to customers by email and can be redeemed once the businesses reopen after lockdown. The site itself doesn’t take commission for any of the sales. 

The Be a Local Hero website states that their “mission is to help local independent businesses survive this lockdown and thrive in our communities for years to come.” 

The businesses supported by the platform are dispersed throughout the UK but include three of Cambridge’s own - Silka Borough Market, Tradizioni Restaurant, Nanna Mexico. 

The Museum of Zoology brings wildlife straight to your home 

The Museum of Zoology has shared several initiatives as part of their “Wildlife from your Window” segment. 

Professor Bill Amos from the Department of Zoology has created a photo diary during lockdown where he has been taking a picture of an insect every day. The Museum of Zoology blog uploads a collection of these every week. Each photo comes with a description of the insect in it and, occasionally, an additional fun fact. 

Meanwhile Kate Howlett, a PhD student in the Insect Ecology Group based within the Museum of Zoology, has decided to take part in the 30 Days Wild Challenge. 

30 Days Wild is an annual challenge put on by The Wildlife Trusts which encourages different “Random Acts of Wildness” every day in June such as going on a ‘mini litter pick’ and baking a ‘nature themed cake’. As of Thursday (04/05) 126,950 people have signed up to the challenge.

Howlett told the Museum of Zoology that “Under the current social distancing measures, increasing our connection with nature for the benefit of our health and wellbeing has become more important than ever.”

This is Howlett’s first year participating in the challenge and she encourages others to join as well. 

Cambridge University Botanic Garden to reopen in June

The Cambridge University Botanic Garden (CUBG) will reopen for the public on Tuesday 16 June. Between Tuesday 9 June and Saturday 14 June the Garden will be open to those with a ‘Friends’ membership card “as a thank you for their continued support during closure”. 

Entry to the garden will only be available through a limited number of pre-booked tickets to control the number of visitors and avoid overcrowding. These will be released each Thursday for the following week. 

The Garden will have several safety measures in place including hand sanitiser stations and queuing systems. Certain areas where it is difficult to maintain social distancing will remain closed. 

The shop will reopen for the general public and the cafe will be available for takeaway. The CUBG team also welcomes picnics as long as rubbish is cleaned up afterwards. 

The Garden has been closed for 11 weeks as a part of lockdown measures in the UK. In the meantime, CUBG has used their ‘Virtual Visits’ page as a way for the public to engage with the Garden online. These have included weekly short films - ‘Wellness Wanders’ - and videos on how to grow plants and support wildlife from your own home. 

Last week, CUBG also hosted their first online “Festival of Plants”. This included daily interactive events, talks by plant researchers and virtual tours around the Gardens. 

Cambridge robot chef cooks an omelette 

Researchers at the Engineering Department have teamed up with Beko, a domestic appliances company, to train a robotic arm to cook an omelette by using machine learning. The “robot chef” can both fully make and plate the dish. 

Dr Fumiya Ilida at the Engineering Department, who led the research, stated: “We thought it would be an ideal test to improve the abilities of a robot chef, and optimise for taste, texture, smell and appearance.”

He also remarked that the omelette tasted “much better than expected”.