{"id":43851,"date":"2025-04-23T12:51:12","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T12:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/43851\/"},"modified":"2025-04-23T12:51:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T12:51:12","slug":"the-creative-yorkshire-city-with-europes-biggest-food-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/43851\/","title":{"rendered":"The creative Yorkshire city with Europe’s biggest food hall"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\t\t\t\tPost-industrial regeneration, affordable rents and high graduate retention are combining to make the Steel City a culinary crucible\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

As I walk around Sheffield<\/a>, I sense a city that\u2019s transforming. A \u00a3300m regeneration of the centre has seeded dozens of new businesses, many of them independent and plenty with a culinary focus.<\/p>\n

While the Steel City\u2019s deindustrialisation may have forced it into economic decline in the 1970s, there\u2019s now renewed optimism in places like Leah\u2019s Yard<\/a>, an early 19th-century industrial workshop complex transformed into a lively hub for local makers.<\/p>\n

Unusually, the South Yorkshire city<\/a> has a high graduate retention \u2013 around 40 per cent \u2013 thanks to more affordable housing, a friendly outlook and its proximity to the Peak District. Creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit ensure that the city is fresh with brunch spots, colourful murals and lively food halls.<\/p>\n

Over the course of a long weekend, I plan to dive into the food scene, meeting some of the locals leading the charge of Sheffield\u2019s transformation.<\/p>\n

From chocolate makers and spirits enthusiasts to dough and dumpling aficionados, there\u2019s a lot of good food tucked away in \u201cSheff\u201d, as it\u2019s affectionately referred to by its locals.<\/p>\n

The north of England is home to some of the UK\u2019s finest restaurants, from Tommy Banks\u2019 Yorkshire empire and Simon Rogan\u2019s hub in the Lake District to the Lancashire village of Aughton with its five Michelin stars. In Sheffield, Joro <\/a>leads the New Nordic, small plates charge, but lower rents and unique spaces are attracting a new wave of entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

\"MarmadukesMarmadukes serves an excellent flat white (Photo: Chloe Gunning-Sherifi)<\/p>\n

Coffee snobs will not be disappointed here. With my nose in the air, passing the 8am workers marching past Sheffield Town Hall, I am carried to Marmadukes<\/a>, a charming caf\u00e9 in a 19th-century townhouse on cobbled Norfolk Row. Husband and wife Clare and Tim Nye opened the doors in 2012 and now own three sites, with three out of their four children involved in the family business. I leave with a smooth, flat white in one hand and a flaky cardamom bun in the other.<\/p>\n

Sheffield is a city of two halves. There\u2019s the centre, where you\u2019ll find the station, temperate Winter Garden, Town Hall and shopping district. Then, there\u2019s Kelham Island: the nucleus of Sheffield\u2019s industrial heritage.<\/p>\n

A museum tells the story of steel, iron and manufacturing<\/a>. Twice a day, the deafening roar of the 425-ton River Don Engine reminds visitors that it was once the most powerful working steam engine in Europe. The engine drove the armour plate rolling mill at Grimesthorpe Works, which produced steel for the shipbuilding industry.<\/p>\n

\"KelhamKelham Island Museum (Photo: Chloe Gunning-Sherifi)<\/p>\n

Sheffield-born Arctic Monkeys<\/a> are said to have been inspired by the once insalubrious district when writing their 2006 song \u201cWhen the Sun Goes Down\u201d.<\/p>\n

Now, gentrification is sweeping through, bringing cool bars, pop-ups and a food hall inside a former cutlery works. It was here that Joro first opened, though it has recently moved to the village of Oughtibridge on the outskirts of the city.<\/p>\n

A food tour of Kelham Island is a helpful introduction. I am mesmerised watching Sheff-born Pizzaiolos hand-stretching dough for the wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas at Brey\u2019t Dough<\/a> (a play on Yorkshire slang, meaning alright).<\/p>\n

In a nearby former spring factory, mixologists showcase drip-infused spirits at the laboratory-style bar Factory Floor. Rum dripped with blackberry and allspice, paired with a ginger soda, is a fruity twist on a dark and stormy.<\/p>\n

\"TheChloe Gunning-Sherifi at Factory Floor (Photo: Chloe Gunning-Sherifi)<\/p>\n

One Kelham Island superstar is Max Scotford from Bullion Chocolate<\/a>. Sheffield born-and-bred; Max aspired to be the next Willy Wonka. He built his brand from home and proves that passion and determination pay off. His premium chocolate bars are rich and earthy, stocked by Harrods <\/a>and used in the kitchens at Claridge\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Scotford hints at another reason for his success, \u201cwe dipped our toes into the local markets such as Nether Edge and Sharrow Vale and found people wanted to support us. Sheffield people love Sheffield things. It\u2019s helped businesses like ours to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Close to his chocolate factory, in a former tool manufacturing company, is a vegan bar called Church \u2013 Temple of Fun<\/a>, a venture launched by Bring Me The Horizon frontman Oliver Sykes, who grew up in Sheffield.<\/p>\n

Its interiors riff on religious iconography, but you\u2019re more likely to worship the DJ or enjoy a spiritual experience of the alcoholic kind. The signature Bloody Mary contains local Henderson\u2019s Relish (Sheffield\u2019s rival to Worcestershire).<\/p>\n

\"ChurchChurch \u2013 Temple of Fun is owned by Bring Me The Horizon frontman Oli Sykes (Photo: Chloe Gunning-Sherifi)<\/p>\n

And then there are the food halls, of which Sheffield now has four: Cutlery Works<\/a>, Department <\/a>(formerly Kommune), Sheffield Plate<\/a> and Cambridge Street Collective<\/a>, which, at 20,000 square feet, is the largest purpose-built food hall in Europe. It has an associated culinary foundation with masterclass kitchens for hire that aims to alleviate food poverty and insecurity in the city.<\/p>\n

Whether there\u2019s an appetite for so many food halls, time will tell. However, they have encouraged the city\u2019s food culture to flourish, entrepreneurs to launch in safe places with guaranteed footfall, and perhaps eventually expand into their own premises.<\/p>\n

Roaming the counters of Cambridge Street is like a mini world food tour \u2013 Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Mexican, Indian, Palestinian and West African dishes are all on offer. I manage a few from Japanese vendor Edo, with each bite of sushi fresh and delicately crafted.<\/p>\n

My final indulgence is a tuna carpaccio with basil velout\u00e9, followed by a rich prawn and nduja pasta at a popular Italian restaurant, Grazie<\/a>. Restaurateur Vito Vernia has brought the flavours of his native Puglia to the city, and it\u2019s all the better for it.<\/p>\n

In search of a nightcap, I discover Public<\/a>, a chic cocktail bar located in a former men\u2019s toilet behind the Town Hall. My Below Ground cocktail blends smoky mezcal with shiitake mushroom vodka, prosecco and burnt toast oil. Like Sheff, it is unique, savoury and memorable.<\/p>\n

\n

How to get there<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sheffield is served by East Midlands Railway, Northern, TransPennine Express and CrossCountry trains from a range of UK stations. <\/p>\n

Where to stay<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mercure Sheffield St Paul\u2019s Hotel & Spa<\/a> has rooms from \u00a373.\u00a0\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leopold Hotel<\/a> has rooms from \u00a385.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

Radisson Blu Sheffield<\/a> has rooms from \u00a378.<\/p>\n

Where to visit\u202f\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Taste of Kelham Food Tour<\/a> is \u00a365pp\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u202fMore information\u202f<\/strong>\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

welcometosheffield.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n