Café officially cooks best builder’s breakfast in Hull

THEY spend their days carrying out back- breaking work in all weathers.

So, one thing a builder needs is a good breakfast to set them up for the day.

Now, one Hull café can claim to offer the best brekkie for the city's hardworking brickies.

Sorrento's Sandwich Bar in Cottingham Road, has officially been voted Hull's best builders' breakfast with its full English being the meal of choice.

The café, run by former accountant Leisha Hendon, offers a vast range of morning meals from healthy fruit bowls to beans on toast.

Ground workers Dean Hutchinson, Andy Bolder and Mick Hawkins visit the café three times a day, every day.

The trio, who all work at the Ashcroft Properties building site around the corner, say it is the friendly atmosphere that keeps them coming back.

Dean, 40, said: "They make us feel welcome here, they look after us. They'll prepare anything we want – within reason."

Andy, 27, said: "They are always smiling, they're never miserable.

"It is interactive here, there's no sitting silently and having your food, we chat and have a chuckle."

All three builders agree they look for "quality and value" in a good breakfast hangout.

Leisha's standard English breakfast is made up of two sausages, two eggs, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, black pudding and hash browns, for £3.

But she is willing to tailor her food to suit the customer.

She said: "We will cook whatever people ask for and we do change our menus through the year so when it is cold in winter we do a hot roast, now it is warmer we have got more salad stuff on offer."

Dean, Andy and Mick pop in each morning for breakfast, at noon for lunch then have tea or coffee and a muffin in the afternoon.

Dean said: "They let us come in wearing our muddy boots, which is important.

"We do a lot of physically tiring work so we need hearty and healthy food to keep us going."

Other cafés that were nominated in the competition run by kitchen and joinery specialists Magnet Trade were the Cooking Pot in Oslo Road, the Tea Cosy in Highgate, Beverley, Drypool Feast in Church Street, Frankie And Benny's, Hot And Tasty in Bergen Way, McDonald's and the Chamberlain Café in Chamberlain Road.

But Sorrento's was the clear winner with 64 per cent of the vote.

Leisha said: "I was really pleased to win this title.

"I think it's because we interact and have a laugh with the lads.

"We take abuse from them, but we dish it out as well."

Leisha said she takes pride in making everything fresh, onsite.

She said: "It is all fresh, local produce. We do all our own mixes, we don't buy in any sandwich fillings, everything is made onsite.

"Whatever we do, we try to do properly.

"And we like to get to know our customers.

"We are in a very studenty area but we get all sorts of people in and like to get to know as many of them as possible by name."

Alun Friend, branch manager at Magnet Trade, said: "There's been lots of competition and something our builders have enjoyed participating in. It proves how important the local café is to the local builder."