A few weeks ago one of my colleagues took a trip to Beeston to try a fry-up at the Boathouse Cafe. But it's not the only pit-stop for a bite to eat and a warming drink by the canalside.
For some time I've been meaning to check out the tearoom at the Canalside Heritage Centre next to Beeston Lock - and this was just the prompt I needed to get myself in gear and turn out on a frosty Saturday morning. Crossing the bridge with frosty cobwebs resembling crocheted doilies, we open the bright yellow door at around noon to find inside is bustling and not a seat to be had, in either the comfy armchairs at the coffee tables to the right of the counter or the tables and chairs to the left.
Rather than hang around and wait we set off on a cold, misty walk along the canal, so foggy in fact we couldn't see the other side of the bank. The smell of bacon wafting out of the Boathouse Cafe is VERY tempting but we hold our resolve and carry on walking in the direction of Attenborough Nature Reserve.
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After 30 minutes we turn back to give the tearoom another try - and this time we strike lucky, grabbing a table in the corner near the patio doors - a more recent addition to the red-brick weir cottages which were lived in for 200 years until the last family moved out in the 1990s. They were left abandoned and derelict until they were restored by a passionate group of locals.
The tearoom's counter is laden with tempting cakes - lemon and blueberry, triple chocolate, Bakewell, and lemon all catch my eye - and next to those are Cornish pasties and sausage rolls. Two blackboards on the wall inform me it's too late for breakfast which ends at noon.
So lunch it is. Jacket potatoes, sandwiches and cobs (with gluten-free bread and vegan cheese) are on the menu. Coming in from the cold I fancy something to warm me up so decide on a toastie.
The choice is cheese with either tomato, onion, bacon, tuna and chutney or bacon, Brie and cranberry. I opt for the latter with a side salad for £4.20 plus a flat white for £2.90.
No one comes here for a specialty Indonesian Burni Telong with a swirly barista-styled tulip. Served in a paper cup, it could be any kind of frothy milky coffee but it's hot, wet and very welcome after our chilly walk, both quenching my thirst and giving my icy-cold fingers a warming glow.
I take a pew on one of the wooden benches looking out over the cafe (I'm nosey like that and like to watch what's going on rather than facing a wall). My seat is softened by a pretty patchwork cushion - one of many dotted around the cafe that appear to have been crafted by a local group who meet there. Patchwork pictures - the handiwork of Gill, June and Christine - decorate the wall, creating a cosy, homely feel to the surroundings.
It's been just a few moments since the buzzer I was handed at the counter flashes to alert me that my toastie is ready to collect from a hatch in a dividing brick wall. I'm quite astounded by the plateful.
There's no skimping. The Brie is oozing out and I'm not exaggerating when I say I had a flashback to the big wedge of Brie I consumed at home over several days of the Christmas season, that seems to have been packed into one toastie. Somehow the cook also managed to bundle in two rashers of bacon, done to a turn, into each comforting sandwich.
And then, the cranberry sauce. Not a condiment overshadowed by the cheese and bacon, this is just as noteworthy. In amongst the the jammy consistency are tangy whole cranberries - I suspect it might be the work of Nottingham's Sauce Shop, which is selling bottles of its Spiced Cranberry Ketchup at the tearoom.
I'd been expecting a modest garnish of boring iceberg lettuce but this is quite literally my five-a-day in one fell swoop. As well as a variety of salad leaves, there's two types of tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, radishes and cress. It's way too generous (for me anyway) and if the tearoom ever wants to boost its profits, I'm sure customers wouldn't complain if they cut back on it.
Based on this toastie alone, I will be coming back without a doubt - probably in the warmer months when I can sit outside in the sizeable garden, which boasts a climbing frame, an old rowing boat and playhouse for youngsters or upstairs, overlooking the weir.
There's more to the site than just the tearoom. As well as the chance for a spot of shopping - everything from cakes, local honey and pots of sprouting daffodils to marbles and slime for the kids and locally made glass bird feeders - one of the cottages is a replica of what life would have been like living there many moons ago.
Fewer alterations were made to this particular cottage over time and it is the most representative of a late 18th century worker's home at Beeston Lock. The beamed parlour with a tiled floor, wooden beams and peeling walls has few home comforts apart from a rug and cushions. It leads to a scullery, which for anyone under the age of 50 is a tiny kitchen with a sink and stove.
If you peek behind the downstairs' doors you will find the original well-worn wooden staircases (no longer in use). The two bedrooms upstairs have been repurposed - one has more tables and seating and the other is decked out with a display of patchwork items, old photos of the area and a time-line dating back to 1761 when Britain's first industrial canal opened.
It's hard to imagine how crowded life must have been in these small cottages. According to records a family of nine resided in one of them during the 19th century.
Another part of the heritage centre is community. The Weir View Room currently serves as a warm space every Wednesday from 10am to noon, offering a hot drink in warm place with board games, colouring and books to read. A board outside the centre says it is serving up history, community, food and views. I'd say that is spot on.
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