What’s On: Calendar bare? Fill it with these unmissable autumn events

From the ultimate Sunday lunch pop-up and a new city-central farmers’ market to a stage show of Frankenstein and a charity ball at Cambridge’s Trinity College, these are the autumn dates to make now

The Sunday Sit Down: The Wine Rooms, Cambridge
Menus don’t come more mouthwatering than this. A collaboration between Liz Young, the Modern Table chef known for her super-seasonal, ingredients-first approach, and Sam Adams, founder of acclaimed no-and-low wine and cocktail company Nøde, The Sunday Sit Down at Cambridge’s Wine Rooms promises five courses and perfectly paired drinks.
Highlights include a canapé of rye, confit tomato, seeds, haydari and kale, matched with a clarified strawberry and tomato Old Fashioned, and a main course of ricotta and courgette fritters with tomato, porcini and miso cream and greens, accompanied by one of Nøde’s white wine alternatives (think Riesling).
Described as “the perfect Sunday sit down dinner, without the worry of the Monday hangover”, it takes place on September 10 and tickets, priced £80 to include the dinner and paired drinks, plus welcome nibbles and aperitif, are booking now.
* Full details and ticket booking at themoderntable.co.uk/shop

Autumn Pop-up Market: Grantchester Village Hall
From clothes and jewellery to craft beer and home accessories, this month’s Autumn Pop-up Market in Grantchester is a chance to buy beautiful things directly from the designers, makers and curators.
Taking place on Saturday, September 30, it follows the success of the debut spring event and will see stallholders both old and new showing and selling their wares at the village hall from 10.30am to 3.30pm.
Organised by Caroline Biggs, co-founder of Eat Cambridge food festival and Cambridge History Festival, and Jane Horwood, award-winning web designer and founder of pre-loved boutique Trash Chic, which will be appearing at the market, the line-up includes Simply Sensitive Soaps, Sunday Lifestyle, Birgitte Bruun Jewellery and Moonshine brewery.
* To find out more, email grantchesterpopup@gmail.com

Frankenstein: Cambridge Arts Theatre & Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds
“I created life. You don’t believe me but it’s true. I didn’t start from scratch, of course, but out of portions and odd ends I made something – alive. But what I created... it wasn’t a superhuman. It was a monster.”
Described as “an electrifying reimagining of the world’s favourite horror story”, an all-new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is coming to both the Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds stage in time for Hallowe’en, as part of an 11-city national tour.
Regendering the central role (the scientist is Victoria, rather than Victor) and shifting the time setting too (we’re in 1943, rather than the 1800s), writer and director Séan Aydon’s version explores what truly makes us human - and the true cost of chasing perfection. . .
* Frankenstein is at Cambridge Arts Theatre, October 3 to 7 and Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds, October 31 to November 4. For show times and to book, visit cambridgeartstheatre.com and theatreroyal.org

Station Square Farmers’ Market: Cambridge Station Piazza
Shopping doesn’t get more local than this. Bringing produce fresh from the countryside right into the heart of the city, the pedestrianised piazza at Cambridge’s Station Square is now hosting a farmers’ market on the first Friday of every month.
Run by Farmers’ Fayres, the brand behind the much-loved markets at Linton, Histon and the new Marleigh development on Newmarket Road, Cambridge, it will see stalls offering everything from fruit, veg, herbs, meat and cheese to gifts, pamper products and homewares, all sourced directly from local farms and artisans.
With upcoming dates including October 6, November 3 and December 1, the market will run from 11am to 2pm, with a rotation of stallholders showing and selling their wares at the piazza; the latest part of Brookgate’s CB1 development, the green space is set just opposite Cambridge Station.
* See cb1cambridge.co.uk and facebook.com/farmersfayres for updates.

Dine in the Dark: Millworks, Cambridge & The Three Horseshoes, Madingley
“Imagine eating your dinner and not being able to see the food on your plate,” says Cam Sight’s Karen Olden. “How would it feel to experience the meal through taste and touch only?”
That’s the experience being offered to blindfolded diners at two Cambscuisine venues this month - Millworks, Cambridge and The Three Horseshoes, Madingley. To mark World Sight Day on October 12, the local hospitality group is teaming up with Cam Sight, the charity which supports people with both low vision and blindness across Cambridgeshire, to host Dine in the Dark fundraisers.
An invitation to experience what Cambscuisine boss Oliver Thain bills as “a wonderful evening of beautiful food and a sumptuous menu”, wearing a blindfold from start to finish, spaces are expected to fill fast.
“This event is really designed to provide an insight into the sight loss community and understand the challenges visually impaired people face with daily tasks, which most of us take for granted,” adds Karen. “It’s set to be a fantastic evening and we are urging people to book early to avoid disappointment.”
* Further details, including menus and pricing, will follow at cambscuisine.co.uk. To book ahead, email karen@camsight.org.uk or call 01223 420033.

Catherine Jones’ Diamond Anniversary Ball: Trinity College, Cambridge
Catherine Jones, the family-owned jewellery company which opened in Cambridge in 1963, celebrates its diamond anniversary this autumn - with a capsule collection, a retrospective exhibition and a charity ball at Trinity College.
The ball, which will include a fundraising auction, is being held in aid of The Royal Anglian Regiment Benevolent Charity, which Catherine Jones has supported since 2015, raising in the region of £30,000 to date.
Starting the business with a £500 bequest from her uncle, Catherine fast made a name as an innovator, evolving her eponymous brand from a focus on fashion-led, costume pieces to the timeless precious metal and gem designs it’s famed for today.
Vanessa Burkitt, daughter of the late Catherine and co-owner of the company, adds: “To mark our 60th, we have accumulated and commissioned a wonderful collection from the last six decades – vintage time-capsule pieces and unique commissions made by designers with whom we have worked over the decades. We will also exhibit pieces loaned by some of our customers' collections to mark our 60th.”
* The collection and exhibition can be viewed at the Bridge Street store and fundraiser tickets – date TBC – are on sale now at catherinejones.com/60