Taking your kids to The Boiler Shop Steamer

For those of you who have never heard of the boiler shop steamer, it is a 'monthly event celebrating all that is great about food, music, drink and art' in the heart of Newcastle just behind central station. The brainchild of Riley's fish shack  and Wylam brewery, the best of the UK's street food vendors, DJ's and bands regularly attract over 3000 visitors every month.

I love taking the kids to this sort of thing and I'm always keen for them to soak up new cultures, foods and music. The steamer describes itself as family friendly on a Saturday afternoon and it is free so we decided to head down this weekend.

Unfortunately, Steve was working this weekend (which is a shame as he would have loved it!) so I brought the grandparents along as an extra pair of eyes and ears. As soon as we entered I noticed some other lovely blogging ladies by the door - we obviously all have fantastic taste. I asked for recommendations and the answer was a resounding EVERYTHING which I have to say I agree with, there is so much choice but everything is fabulous!

We wandered around what can only be described as a converted warehouse and I loved the vibe - a band were warming up on stage, families were sharing communal tables, bartenders were showing off their skills, the smoky smell of amazing food being cooked filled the air and everybody had a smile on their face. 

You pay for all of your food in tokens which can be bought for £2 each from a kiosk inside. Cash is accepted at the bars. 

I apologise for the quality of the photo's in this post, I have edited them as best you can but trying to keep your eyes on three children whilst ordering/carrying food and tokens plus take decent photo's was a bit of a stretch! 

First up, Heidi decided she would like a pancake from Kitsch 'n' Crepe. She decided on a Strawberry sundae pancake - nutella, strawberries and cream. It was great watching her pancake being cooked freshly before our eyes. She loved it!

Next up was Jack, who decided on a sausage in a bun from Utter Swine. The guys here were really friendly and gave us extra napkins and offered to cut Jack's sausage up for him when they realised it was for a three year old. Again, the food didn't last long, Jack loved it.

Harry chose a Lebanese wrap. Proud moment here! He could have had pizza or burgers but decided to try something new. It's moments like this why it is fab to come to places like this with your kids! (we won't mention how he removed half of the salad first!).

I had read on twitter before I left about how amazing the Hip Hop Chip Shop from Machester was. They were situated right at the entrance and you couldn't miss their trademark hip hop styled van. I went for the Feastie Boys box which contained beer battered coley fish bites, triple cooked trips and minted mushy peas with chilli onion blings. Oh my goodness the food was outstanding! Everything was delicious. The guys were super friendly too and pointed out their 5 types of salt- yes 5 types! They recommended I go for the malted salt which had all the taste of salt and vinegar but without the sogginess! Genius! They also recommended a good dollop of homemade tartar sauce. All of this for 3 tokens (£6) was superb value.

We ordered 3 fresh orange juices and a lovely ouseburn coffee to go with our food. If only I didn't have the children with me I definitely would have ordered an ouseburn espresso martini.

We had to finish our feast by sharing a box of freshly made churro's with chocolate dipping sauce from The Sugar Down bakery - there was a bit of a queue for these as they were very popular and I see why.

We ended our afternoon outside listening to some chilled out base music and generally just taking in the atmosphere. If hubby was there, I'm sure he would have checked out the whiskey bar.

We had a great time at the boiler shop steamer event. It was nice to try something different together. Vendors were happy to provide child portions. The only thing I would say is that there weren't many places to sit - all of the communal seating had been taken (or annoyingly 'reserved' by somebody's bag or coat). It was wet outside so we ended up getting damp sitting on the wall to eat. My children aren't the best at eating whilst standing, if yours are the same I would maybe consider taking some mini camping chairs.

The Boiler Shop steamer takes place on the first weekend of every month. 

Friday 5.30pm – 12.00Midnight

Saturday 12.00 Midday – 12.00Midnight

Entry £4 on the door (free till’ 6pm Sat)

The Boiler Shop

Sussex Street

Newcastle

NE13PD