"I visited new food hall in huge old Sheffield warehouse and it got one thing just right"

Food halls are having a bit of a moment in Sheffield.

Cutlery Works in Neepsend and Kommune on Angel Street have been named among the best in the UK, Sheffield Plate at Orchard Square is thriving and the city’s original food hall at Moor Market remains popular.

They will soon be joined by Cambridge Street Collective, which it is said will be Europe’s largest purpose-built food hall, with capacity for 1,200 diners.

But there’s another new addition to the scene at The Steamworks, a vast former warehouse on Randall Street, off Bramall Lane, in the trendy neighbourhood known as Little Sheffield, which hosts the monthly Steam Kitchen street food market.

We visited on a Sunday afternoon and found the place buzzing, with all eight food vendors, serving cuisine ranging from burgers and loaded fries to Greek meze, doing a brisk trade.

What I loved most was the relaxed atmosphere and how well thought out everything was.

Industrial chic

The aesthetic was industrial chic at its most stripped back, with disco lights hung from steel girders and an old crane overhead, a glitter ball bringing some sparkle to the concrete floor, and sunshine pouring in through the skylights.

There were plenty of toilets, all clean and well-maintained, plus baby changing facilities, a huge bar and no shortage of seating.

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For young families there was a children’s corner with free face-painting, giant connect four, hula hoops, colouring and a huge chalkboard.

It felt like a safe space for children to run around and, rather appropriately, let off steam, while parents could relax and enjoy some grown-up food, drink, music and conversation - far preferable to dragging yourself off to the local soft play arena.

What was the food like?

As for the food, there was a good selection and what we had was tasty but it did feel a little pricey. We paid £14.50 for a meze box which came with Greek chicken, a lamb kofta, seasoned rice, fries, salad, flatbread, feta cheese and tzatziki but wasn’t huge, and £10 for fries topped with pulled beef brisket in a barbecue sauce.

Our other minor gripe was that despite the varied choice of food - which also included Mexican dishes from El Chappo, coming soon to the Cambridge Street Collective food hall, pizza, doughnuts and more - there was a lack of children’s options.

There was a mixed crowd, with plenty of families but some younger groups and a few older faces too.

The demographic’s likely to change depending on when you visit, with the free children’s activities on the Sunday, when it’s open from 12pm-8pm, and live music and DJ sets throughout the weekend, with the venue open from 5pm-11pm on the Friday and 12pm-11pm on the Saturday, with children welcome until 8pm each night.

Steam Kitchen is set to return between Friday, May 31 and Sunday, June 2, with more food vendors, drinks and music.

The Steamworks also hosts a range of other events, including an indie market with 60 stalls, and an 80s and 90s silent disco, and the huge space is available to hire.