5 places I meet people on business

Of course there’s lots of places where I meet people but these are the ones where I’ve had serial meetings.

1 the coffee shop at Waitrose in Trumpington

I’ve got contacts who live south of the city so this is convenient. There’s parking of course and as long as you don’t mind mixing with the sort of people who dress up to go shopping it’s a pleasant enough experience. It’s usually a breakfast job and I’ve learnt not to get uptight because the barista can’t parallel process and never knows how to process my Guardian chitty. Once I’m through the transaction the coffee is good, the croissants are excellent and the portions of butter are unhealthily generous.

2 the Galleria in Cambridge www.galleriacambridge.co.uk

If I’m in town and it’s lunchtime I still regard this as the ideal place even though they don’t do a set menu any more. There’s generally no need to book, the service is fine and the largely unchanging menu gives me lots of options from which to choose. In the summer of course you’ve got the added pleasure of sitting on the balcony overlooking the Cam.

3 the Graffiti at the Felix in Cambridge www.hotelfelix.co.uk

The Graffiti complements the Galleria and I go there if people are converging on Cambridge because it’s easy to get to and there’s plenty of parking. There’s a set menu, although it’s not cheap, and the portions won’t make you fat but the food is good. As with the Galleria the staff tend to stay around so you generally get welcomed by someone you feel you know.

4 the lobby in the Marriott at St Pancras

This is for meetings in London. It’s not cheap but it is awesome (see the photo above) and when you compare the cost of a healthy lunch and a couple of hours of peace and quiet with the alternative of renting office space it’s a bargain.

5 the bar or the Terrace at the Old Bridge in Huntingdon www.huntsbridge.com

The Old Bridge is good for meeting people from the north or who are just passing through. It’s especially equitable if they’re from Peterborough although it’s a little remote from the A14 and getting back on to it is another journey again. Once there you’ve got a choice: sandwiches in the bar, I recommend the poached salmon, or a light lunch in the Terrace. Both are excellent and the service is generally good. When the A14 flyover comes down it’ll be even more pleasant.

And that’s where I’ve been this week. I was meeting Marco Cereste erstwhile leader of Peterborough City Council and now chair of its health scrutiny committee. We’ve got similar council roles and we needed to agree on joint scrutiny of the proposed merger of the trusts that run Peterborough and Hinchingbrooke hospitals. We did.

It was the first time I’d met Marco and he’s an interesting chap. Came over from Italy as a child way back under a deal whereby the UK sent coal to Italy in return for Italians coming over here  to work in the brick industry. As good immigrants of course the family worked hard and Marco got where he is today. I was especially impressed that he’s on his second marriage with two young children to complement those from his first marriage and his grandchildren. All strength to him!