Despite being surrounded by tram works and barricades the Bridge Sandwich Bar on the Nottingham side of the Wilford Toll Bridge appears to be alive and kicking. You just need to follow the chalk boards to find your way inside. Hopefully it will not be that long until the Bar is released and the trams start to roll by over the bridge and we can all stroll into the shop easily. Until then though we have to work our way through the maze likes lab rats hunting a lump of cheese.

The Toll Bridge was built in 1870 and in those days it would have cost you 6d to bring your cattle across the bridge between the City and Wilford. These days you can get your meat in a bap from the  Bridge Sandwich Bar which has been located inside the old toll booth since around 2012. I like the idea of paying for a sandwich or a cob as I pass over the bridge as opposed to paying a penny to the toll keeper to be able to drive my cattle into town.

Inside the ladies are a pretty friendly bunch and they are serving up cobs and baps filled with most of the usual suspects

I haven’t tried to be that daring and the first time in I just had a plain old cheese and ham cob on a white bread bun. It was a pretty simple and plain affair. The emphasis seemed to be on value for money and a decent sized cob with plenty of filling. I will not pretend that it was some sort of gourmet affair, It was just a simple ham and cheese cob.

The next time I walked along the embankment to get a sandwich I decided to try something a bit different by ordering up one of their bacon and chicken cobs with mayo. I have too admit that I was expecting some slices of bacon and some slices of chicken, but instead I got a kind of mayo mix with all that stuff smothered in mayo (perhaps too much).

It wasn’t really to my taste, there was something in there that I didn’t really like the flavour of. Perhaps next time I should just stick to a bacon cob, or a chicken cob. Well we live and learn

One of the best features of picking up your sandwich here is the view from the dining area, and by dining area I mean the steps on the embankment down by the river. On a sunny day it is a great place to pause for a moment and even though you sometimes have to battle with a hungry swan or two it is still great to be out amongst the wildlife.

The Bridge Café is in the Old Toll Booth on the Toll Bridge by Wilford on the Meadows side of the river. Soon (well in about a year) you will be able to get here via the tram, but until then you can stroll along the river banks or across the bridge to get here. Basic standard fare and something to sustain you when out on a stroll would be my summary.