Think of swimming pool cafes and limp sandwiches, milky cups of tea and the faint whiff of chlorine comes to mind (we also had a Slush Puppy machine at our local one back in the day, a rare treat after a lesson).

Anyway – Brockwell Lido Cafe certainly breaks with tradition. This place has even won awards it’s that good. After a sweaty Park Run we joined the queue for a table on a recent Saturday morning. Word of advice; if it’s warm and you want an outside table, book a few days in advance. Seriously. This place gets busy, but the service is so swift and cheery that it doesn’t feel cramped or stressful.

The morning menu is typical brunch fare – pancakes, eggs benedict, salmon, full English, along with smaller options like granola, pastries and bacon baps. Prices vary between £2.50-£11.75 so there’s something for every budget.

The portion sizes are plentiful – although we wouldn’t have turned down the offer of second helpings if the option arose.

We tried and can happily recommend the pancakes, eggs benedict and smoked salmon and poached eggs.

The lunch and dinner menus, with their long lists of meats and cheese, look pretty impressive, and change every month with the seasons, so this really isn’t your typical leisure centre cafe.

There’s links to other local businesses too. Brockwell Lido members get 10% off orders (the perfect way to refuel after a swim, right?), as do Ritzy (Picturehouse) members. Find out more about what the cafe has to offer on their website. We’ll definitely be back.