WATCHING cricket in the Lancashire League is one of life’s little treasures. There are few finer ways to spend a Sunday afternoon than to take in the action at one of the 14 famous grounds.
I spend a lot of time around the grounds with my ‘cricket writer’ hat on — and as a result I like to think I know just where’s best for tea rooms.
Cricket teas have been and always will be a thing of legend.
The home of cricket, Lord’s, serves posh feasts but up here we do things differently. I mean, who wants a butty if the crusts have been chopped off? That’s not right.
One of the finest tea rooms in the Lancashire League is actually just over the border in Yorkshire, at Todmorden’s Centre Vale ground.
People go there just to get something from the Red Brick tea room— and they are never disappointed.
I couldn’t resist a visit when at the Todmorden v Rawtenstall game on Sunday and after waiting a few moments ordered a glorious steak a pepper pie with mushy peas and gravy and a pot of tea.
Red hot and costing less than £3.50, it was a joy to eat. They even had onions in vinegar on the condiments tray.
As one of the players said to me “It’s sometimes worth getting out early just to get stuck into a pie”.
Compliments don’t come much higher than that.
TASTE 9
TEMPERATURE 9
SPEED 8
VALUE 8
CHOICE 9
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