A week left to celebrate Isaac Newton's birthday at The Ivy, Cambridge

The Ivy Cambridge Brasserie has been holding its ‘month of inspiration' in honour of the great scientist and Cambridge resident since early January.

Launching on Isaac Newton’s birthday, on Friday, 4 January, guests have been able to enjoy a month of unique cocktails, prizes and the sharing of knowledge and inspiration via a beautiful installation.

Isaac Newton, best known for formulating the laws of motion and universal gravity, was a fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge, and so the restaurant has commissioned an apple ‘Inspiration Tree’

installation which will remain centre stage in the heart of the restaurant until Friday, February 8.

Each guest dining in the brasserie since January 4 has been presented with a beautiful notelet, offering them the option to write an inspirational quote, fact or piece of knowledge. Each note now hangs from the Inspiration Tree for other guests to read.

In further celebration of Newton’s birthday, those dining from the set menu from Monday to Friday will be in with the chance of winning prizes from the restaurant. Presented to the table in a striking apple casing, prizes will include dinner for two, afternoon tea for two, and a bottle of Ivy Champagne.

The brasserie’s bar team will also be serving up two apple-inspired cocktails for guests to enjoy. Diners can choose from either a non-alcoholic Seedlip Spicy Apple or a Newton’s Flute cocktail.

Incorporating seedlip spice, apple juice, pineapple juice, egg white, gingerbread syrup and served with a red chilli and a star anise, the Seedlip Spicy Apple is priced at £6.50, while the Newton’s Flute

(priced at £6.75) features Calvados, lemon juice, maple syrup, a dash of Peychaud’s bitters and is topped with Apple cider.

I was fortunate enough to try the two cocktails and, although I enjoyed both, I think my preference was for the Newton's Flute. It was a nice touch including a skewer with apples on it lying across the top and the apple flavour came through in the drink itself.

Seeing a chilli in the spicy apple cocktail made me think that it might be a bit too spicy, but in fact it wasn't at all. The gingerbread flavour really came out in the drink and, for me - happily - it was the dominant flavour.

The food we had to accompany the cocktails was first-rate. My starter, the duck salad, made rewarding use of watermelon, cashews and ginger, while the horseradish-infused tomato ketchup went well with my Ivy burger and chips.

My wife loved her pumpkin soup and ate venison, in the form of a venison burger - one of the specials - for the first time.

Guests of the restaurant will be able to dine under the Inspiration Tree’s leafy canopy until Friday, February 8.

Both cocktails will also be available until then, while the set menu will be available Monday to Friday, from 11.30am to 6.30pm.

For reservations, visit theivycambridgebrasserie.com or call 01223 344044.