The places that feel like home to me in Sheffield

One of my favourite places in Sheffield is Angelina at Casanova – this is an independent, family-run Italian restaurant in Crookes which my family and I have been going to for over 25 years.

It has been the centre of most, if not all celebrations in my family – from my grandad’s 90th birthday with my family to my 22nd birthday and therefore, holds so many memories!

We go to this restaurant over five times a year! The best thing is that the staff are so attentive and involved that it feels like we are visiting family with each visit.

Every friend or family member that we introduce to Angelina at Casanova always complement the amazing service and food and always want to go back whenever they visit.

A second place that means a lot to me is the Carver Fields/Rivelin area – this is where I grew up and feels like my back garden.

The Carver Fields/Rivelin area is where I look out to everyday, it’s where my best friend and I walk our dogs and have done for many years. It’s where I have built dens and picked blackberries in the summer and made snowmen and sledged (and lost my phone) in the winter.

The area is a little slice of Heaven that makes me feel like I’m in the middle of the countryside, when in reality, I’m 15-20 minutes from the City Centre – it’s the best of both worlds.

You can perch on the bench and look out onto the valley at the end of Carver Fields and beyond to Stannington.

It is the perfect place for some peace and quiet. This area also holds another place which means a lot to me, which is Rivelin Cafe in Rivelin, formerly Puddling Ladies.

The Rivelin Cafe has has been the pitstop of many a dog walk over the years, to have a cup of tea and a cake, or a mozzarella, tomato and pesto panini.

Similar to Angelina at Casanova, Rivelin Café has been a constant throughout my childhood and in my early adult life.

The Strines Inn is another place bursting with childhood memories.

My family and I would regularly visit the Strines Inn pub in the summer when my siblings and I were younger – swinging on the swings, chasing the peacocks round the picnic tables and tucking into a packet of McCoys and a pint of Coca-Cola.

We always stayed till we could see the sunset over the field behind the pub. It is the most perfect family-friendly pub which is the perfect place to relax!

Another place that means a lot to me is Derwent Valley – this walk was a staple in our house and still is, as a long dog walk, usually at Christmas time!

I have hired bikes and cycled round Derwent reservoir with my friends too.

It is so peaceful at Derwent reservoir and is especially a lovely place to go in the autumn/wintertime.

At the time, getting us kids out to Derwent reservoir was a bit of a struggle to go on a long dog walk in the wintertime but as I have gotten older and look back, it was so much fun and I am grateful for the memories that I have there.

As you can probably tell, every one of my favourite places and those that mean a lot to me are places I visited growing up and are cemented in my childhood.

They are places I have introduced to friends and family when they have come to visit Sheffield and have built on my childhood memories, enriching the places with more memories!

They are places that I loved to visit when I came back from university for a weekend, for the festive season or during the summer, which is why they mean a lot to me. They are home to me!

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