North Lincolnshire produces a “Tea Pot Trail”:http://www.tourismleafletsonline.com/pdfs/North-Lincolnshires-Teapot-Trail-20140804133633.pdf every year and “The Steel Rooms”:http://www.thesteelrooms.com/ in Brigg is a new addition this year.
After reading the description “Over forty recipes ….varying from the traditional to the fantastical all guaranteed to leave you wanting more” I decided to go and investigate.
Even though the address is Springs Parade, the Steel Rooms is actually on the pedestrianised part of Bridge Street next to the Woolpack inn. (Why do we always give directions involving pubs?) There is a small gift shop with the tea room behind. This is an L-shaped space with unpolished wooden tables and chairs as well as some large squashy armchairs.
I headed to the counter to suss out the selection of cakes. The young girl serving quickly explained the choice. There were the usual standbys of chocolate and carrot cake as well as the rather more unusual red velvet cake. There was lemon flapjack and rocky road as well as scones, including a gluten free option. I was very tempted by the chocolate cake which was two thick slices of very chocolatey looking sponge with a thick layer of filling and plenty of icing with chocolate drops. I then spotted the slices of what were described as raspberry and white chocolate gluten free blondies. These looked and sounded different, so I chose this. Apparently one of the staff is gluten intolerant and makes the gluten free cakes for them. There was also a gluten free lemon cake.
My slice of cake was quickly brought to me on a white plate decorated with drizzles of raspberry coulis. It was very moist with a crunchy top and chunks of white chocolate. The fresh raspberries gave a pleasant ‘bite’ and cut through any sweetness. It was very good and decidedly more-ish. At £2,95 it wasn’t as cheap as some cakes I’ve had but I felt it was worth it.
Not wanting tea or coffee to drink, I asked for a glass of water which came with a slice of lemon, a thoughtful touch.
As well as cakes, the “menu”:http://www.thesteelrooms.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Steel-Rooms-Cafe-Menu.pdf lists range of breakfast options. Salads, omelettes, jacket potatoes, paninis and sandwiches are available all day. Gluten free food is available and there is a short wine list. Young children are not forgotten and they provide small meals for them.
By 10.15 the cafe was full with people of all ages, literally from the cradle to (almost) the grave. When I went in there was mainstream pop music playing in the background. When I left this was drowned out by chatter of happy customers.
There is a ramp into teh shop and Tea Room and a reasonable amount of space to manoevre either a wheelchair or pram. There is no parking but there car parks within a couple of minutes walk.
There are two other Tea Rooms in Brigg, “Cafe Courtyard”:http://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/travel-product/restaurant/139749 and The Loft above Grandad’s Shed. Neither of these were as busy. I didn’t investigate the cakes in Cafe Courtyard this time but those in the Loft didn’t look anywhere near as appetising. The Steel Rooms is definitely on the list for a repeat visit and would be my tea room of choice in Brigg for cakes.
