Top chefs and restaurateurs on why Sheffield could well be the 'UK’s most exciting food city'

The Steel City recently featured in the latest ‘food favourites for 2023’ in The Observer Food Monthly - an annual list in which food critics highlight the most exciting movers and shakers in the hospitality scene.

In an article titled ‘30 things we love in the world of food right now’ Sheffield’s bar and restaurant scene wins praise alongside other major UK cities including Leeds, Manchester and London.

A whole section is dedicated to Sheffield’s hospitality sector under the heading ‘The UK’s most exciting food city?’.

A number of key players in Sheffield’s hospitality scene have now spoken out in support of the article. Despite financial pressures caused by Covid-19 and the cost of living crisis, many believe the city’s food and drink scene is managing to thrive.

Tom Lawson co-owns Rafters restaurant in Oakbrook Road, Nether Green, with Alistair Myers. The venue has won numerous awards over the years and is recommended on the website of the gastronomy bible Michelin Guide as a place worth visiting with inspectors praising the restaurant’s ‘modern, richly flavoured dishes; cooked with enthusiasm and served with pride’.

Tom said: “Sheffield's food scene has been on the ascent for some years now, led by the city's love of ‘indies’,

small independent restaurants and cafes, owned and run by the chefs and front of house who give it their everything.

"It is amazing to see this now being recognised on a national scale. Something we, as two Sheffielders, are extremely proud of.

"Having received national recognition from the AA restaurant guide last year with our third rosette we have seen the fantastic impact this has had on our business first hand.

"Sheffield's food scene hasn't just been pushed by the restaurants but also the local producers that are starting to populate our city.

"The likes of Bullion, Our Cow Molly and Sheffield Honey are all creating our very own sustainable ecosystem within the industry.

"Our ethos extends beyond food and drink into our local craftsmen for example, cutlery and bespoke handmade tables from Carrs Silver, Pottery from Paul Mossman and steak knives made by Michael May, all of whom are based within or around Sheffield.”

Rob Limmer, the head chef at The Broadfield and The Waggon & Horses – part of True North pubs which run many venues and have a brewery in the city, said: “Sheffield is the most exciting food city in the UK thanks to all the incredible communities that make up our city.

"For years we have had influence from different spectrums of society all over the world. This influence is so big, and people in Sheffield are so at home with the differing cultures, that it’s found its way into our home cooking, too. These influences define what food is meant to be, and how we express this throughout the city.

“Historically, South Yorkshire has had a lack of good, local produce. It’s not an area that produces raw food, and has been quite barren, with local people having to make do with what they had. So, when new spices and flavours started arriving in our city, we embraced it, allowing our food scene to blossom, rather than cause tension, as it might have done in other locations.

“Sheffield very much reflects modern Britain, without forcing it down your throat. Sheffield is about being together, and this really reflects in our food culture now. It’s no surprise that Sheffield has been named the UK’s most exciting food city – we’re blossoming because of our humility. When you embrace other cultures, other ideas, it shows. That’s part of Sheffield’s core – wonderful, friendly people, always embracing others.”

The Dore Grill, in Dore, shut its doors in November after 35 years, with shocked customers describing the news as the ‘end of an era’. However, it is set for a new lease of life when it opens in the Spring as a modern bar and restaurant and an artisan bakery and coffee shop, all on one site.

Samantha Vardy, director at The DØRE Bar & Grill, said: “It’s no surprise that Sheffield is rated as one of the best food cities in the country. We’re on the edge of the Peak District surrounded by produce from some of the best suppliers in the country.

"Coupled with the young talent coming through the kitchen and the resilient nature of Sheffield people that aren’t scared of hard work - this is why the city’s hospitality scene is thriving. We have a diverse range of independents doing good things with food & drink and the city has some great new openings coming this year.”

The article in The Observer Food Monthly in February said: “Readers may have noticed how often Sheffield cropped up in last year’s OFM Awards. This strong showing came as no surprise: there has been a steady increase in places to eat out in the city, despite the pandemic. Bench, The Orange Bird and Tonco took regional runners-up spots in the Best Restaurant category and all opened after 2020.

“To that trio of excellence you can add V or V, a vegetarian and vegan restaurant offering inventive small plates such as barbecued radish with seaweed bagna cauda, and cumin broccoli with pickled plum sauce. Just up the road, Native is a sister restaurant to traditional fishmonger JH Mann, opened by chef Christian Szurko in 2021.

“Both are in Kelham Island, a former industrial neighbourhood filled with bars, cafes and restaurants. Acclaimed bistro Juke & Loe has moved to new premises here and the owners of popular Sardinian restaurant Domo have opened a rooftop cocktail bar, Kelu, in the same building as the acclaimed Jöro – home to chef Luke French’s experimental tasting menus.”

Tonco, in Sharrow Vale; The Orange Bird, in Hillsborough; and Bench, in Nether Edge, were all recognised in the Observer Food Monthly Awards 2022. They were the three runners-up in the ‘north’ region for the title of ‘Best Restaurant’, as voted for by readers of the popular monthly newspaper supplement.