How a Sheffield curry chef opened a new restaurant 'by accident' at a popular city venue

The owner of a Sheffield business that specialises in homemade curries has opened a new restaurant at a popular city venue – and says the venture came about ‘by accident’.
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The Bhaji Shop – which has an outlet on Chesterfield Road, Meersbrook, and used to have sites on Abbeydale Road and at Kelham Island – has set out its stall at Hagglers Corner, the complex for events and independent traders arranged around a courtyard on Queens Road.

Chef Matt Holdsworth originally launched the business with his sister Melissa, following in the footsteps of their father John, who used to run MasterChef in Attercliffe, famed for its bhajis.

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“My dream, throughout my entire catering career, has been to have a kitchen and sit-down space that’s open from day to night with a full working team in it,” said Matt. “I really feel like this is the closest I’ve got to achieving that.”

Matt Holdsworth at The Bhaji Shop at Hagglers Corner.Matt Holdsworth at The Bhaji Shop at Hagglers Corner.
Matt Holdsworth at The Bhaji Shop at Hagglers Corner.

Before Christmas last year, Hagglers Corner offered Matt the chance to take on its café with a revolving list of vendors. But when lockdown was imposed, plans changed.

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“It’s happened by accident,” said Matt. “When lockdown came, it felt like all of the businesses within this complex had loads of time to work on new concepts.

“It gave us time to work on the space and it just made sense to turn the café and kitchen into our primary location. So, here we are, we’ve kind of accidentally found a new home, even though we said we were never going to do it again.

The serving hatch at The Bhaji Shop at Hagglers Corner.The serving hatch at The Bhaji Shop at Hagglers Corner.
The serving hatch at The Bhaji Shop at Hagglers Corner.
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“It felt like it was impossible to stop it morphing into a restaurant, especially with the restrictions that have come in, but I think really it’s just where my passion is. I love doing it.”

The new space is open Wednesday to Saturday from 10am to 9pm, and on Tuesday from 10am to 4pm, serving classic curries, as well as smaller nibbles such as tandoori salmon, crispy chicken and lentil dhal. Desserts and pastries will be supplied by Nevertheless Cakes, who will be baking in the café’s kitchen.

Bookings and walk-ins are available in the evening – it is ‘walk-ins only’ during the day.

Matt plans to change the menu on a monthly basis and wants to include other Asian cuisines he enjoys cooking.

Inside The Bhaji Shop at Hagglers Corner.Inside The Bhaji Shop at Hagglers Corner.
Inside The Bhaji Shop at Hagglers Corner.

Email [email protected] to book.

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