New Market Kitchen offers a fresh option to broaden Barnsley’s appeal

Cheers! Mayor of Barnsley Pauline Markham hands the first pint from the Cucina bar to Barnsley Central MP Dan Jarvis, with council leader Sir Steve Houghton and chief executive Sarah Norman looking on

The first floor venue is now fully let and was opened by Mayor of Barnsley Pauline Markham, with a new cocktail bar adding to a diverse range of food and drink options, ranging from Barnsley’s traditional cafes to offbeat alternatives including Balkan food and a business which will answer the increasing demand for vegan dishes.

Although Market Kitchen is primarily a day time venue, it will also open into the evenings at weekends, giving visitors a variety of food options previously unavailable in Barnsley.

Council leader Sir Steve Houghton said Market Kitchen traders included Barnsley businesses, reflecting a trend of local investment into the rebirth of the town, rather than money coming from only the council and multi-national firms.

Expert hands: Cocktail drinkers are provided for at Market Kitchen

At the opening, he said: “It is a very proud moment to see some of the things we talked about ten years ago, and people thought would never happen, are happening right here, right now.

“Having a great leisure offer needs to be underpinned by having a great food and drink offer because that is what people want. This will be at the heart of that.

“It is not just about the council, it is about local people and local businesses,” he said.

Coun Markham praised Sir Steve as a “fantastic leader” and said: “People said we would never deliver the library. I have opened that as well.

“We are now here on the second phase of Steve’s dream, the market. Barnsley is a market town and we always said we would have this at the forefront,” she said.

Market Kitchen has an upstairs location in the new Glass Works building which is the main element of the regeneration scheme. It also houses the market hall and the first of a package of new shops has now opened, with work continuing to allow more to open.

A new car park is under construction and a new cinema and bowling complex will emerge on the site of the old South Yorkshire County Council building, with a new public open space between that, the library and Glass Works.

A new-look Eldon Street is also planned, which will help mesh the renovated area of the town centre together with the Arcade and Town Hall area, which have also seen investment in recent years.