Brocco on the Park, Sheffield: hotel review

Thanks to stylish Scandinavian design, this boutique hotel is a lesson in functional luxury, with clean, crisp features lifted by lovely detail

They may spend much of the year blanketed in snow, but, culturally, the Nordic countries have never been hotter. The last few years have seen their authors (Karl Ove Knausgård), chefs (René Redzepi) and TV shows (Borgen, Lilyhammer), touted as compelling evidence that – with their progressive taxation and chunky knitwear – the Nordic countries have got this “life” thing, licked.

Such cheerleading ignores some uncomfortable truths: the £7 pints, the existential despair (you’ve seen Wallander, right?), but there is one sphere in which Nordic superiority is unquestionable – that of interior design and, specifically, interior design with a heart.

The Danish have a word, hygge, which describes an atmosphere of holistic cosiness in a building, one where elegant, uncluttered design is edged with wit, personality and warmth. Sheffield’s Brocco on the Park – eight individually designed bedrooms and a cafe-restaurant – has that in spades.

Its owner, Tiina Carr, has Finnish roots and worked in marketing and design. Her transformation of this property, which opened in November 2014, is an object lesson in functional luxury. My room is neat, crisp and very comfortable (down pillows and duvet, super-firm mattress, Osmè toiletries, expensive fabrics and finishes, one-click Wi–Fi), but what could be a stark, impersonal space is lifted by some lovely detail.

There is, for instance, a Barbarella-style Arne Jacobsen bubble chair suspended from the ceiling, and a bird theme runs through the hotel in myriad discreet ornamental touches. It is very well-judged. For instance, the complementary (and fantastic) homemade lemon tart in my room is covered by a beautiful little bird-topped glass cloche. Said birds are an oblique reference to Picasso’s peace dove. He is thought to have stayed at this address while attending a 1950 peace conference in Sheffield.

Unfortunately for Pablo, he was here before the adjacent Ecclesall and Sharrow Vale Roads emerged (you are five minutes’ drive from central Sheffield) as a thriving enclave of independent bars, restaurants and deli-cafes. Tip: check out the Beer House micropub. But if that sounds too lively, do not be alarmed. Brocco actually backs on to the streams, greenery and quiet walks of Endcliffe Park.

Brocco’s Scandinavian sensibility extends into the cafe-restaurant, both in the chatty, efficient staff (you can’t have hygge without smiling faces), and also the undercurrent of health and well-being on the menu. There is an emphasis on fish and salads, a lot of vegetarian and gluten-free dishes, even feta and quinoa cakes. Thankfully, there is also plenty of good booze available beyond its “very berry” smoothies.

Perhaps the kitchen deliberately holds back on the salt, but my starter, a seed-topped cauliflower and broccoli parmesan bake, tasted under-seasoned. The vegetables were accurately al dente, but it needed an anchovy or two in there to pep it up. It ate like a side dish. Likewise, a serviceable prawn risotto came topped with a hake fillet which, lacking herb crust or an assertively salty scorched skin, was rather bland. A dessert of Yorkshire rhubarb crumble was, unsurprisingly, far tastier, as was a sound breakfast rendition of that artery-clogging classic, Eggs Benedict (£7.50). Although, having to listen to Chris Evans witter on on Radio 2 as I ate (a bizarre problem in this otherwise serene space), was probably far worse for my blood pressure than all that hollandaise.

The Brocco is a fantastic bolthole but, beyond breakfast, I would eat elsewhere … and take my chances on the heart attack. You can only take this Nordic thing so far.

• Accommodation was provided by Brocco on the Park (92 Brocco Bank, Sheffield, 0114 266 1233, brocco.co.uk). Single/small double from £75 a night, doubles from £100, room-only. Breakfast dishes from £4, three-course dinner from around £26 excluding drinks

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