As a vintage lover, my little perusals around West Yorkshire have proved to be explorations of high reward. This past weekend, the Manfriend and I sat-navved our way through Hepworth with the hope of arriving at the reclaimed warehouse that now serves the public as The Carding Shed.
From floor to ceiling, The Carding Shed is a pandora’s box of vintage motors and memorabilia;it may only be a wanton step into bygone days for me but it is a trip (or literal drive) down memory lane for many of its patrons. A mesmerising oasis for anyone with a penchant for retro wonders. So mesmerising, in fact, that it took me two hours to notice the vintage clothing shops – e High Society Vintage Clothing and Retro Shed – nestled in its sidelines.
Decidedly, our distraction for the day was food and automobiles. The latter resulting in a lusty affair with a scorpion-topped 1969 Fiat 850 Abarth. The former providing a chance to settle in and appreciate the atmosphere, but not much more.
Though we initially set out to enjoy the Oil Can Cafe’s afternoon tea, we were quickly deterred by a singular ‘festive’ afternoon tea option (far too rich-sounding for our tastes) and a list of £7-ish sandwiches, therefore opting for a cream tea (tea or coffee with a scone, cream, and jam) and a cheese & pickle sandwich to share.
The scones took fifteen minutes to arrive, were cold and tough, and arrived an additional fifteen minutes prior to a sandwich plate that warranted no more than two minutes to put together. The value comes in the sandwich’s size and sides (coleslaw, potato salad) with the choice of ‘build your own’ pickle jars, but did not warrant such a wait.
Now, I refuse to write a dishonest word and try to avoid less-than-wow reviews, so while it pains me to not be able to give The Oil Can Cafe the highest praises, I am hoping the gastronomy and service were hiccups that will improve with time and support.
On my inevitable return to The Carding Shed, I will simply settle for a china teacupped coffee, homemade cake, and exuberant use of my credit card.
