Delightful food, service and decor at new Sheffield cafe, The Delightful Touch

Everything about the Delightful Touch, one of Sheffield’s newest cafes, is indeed delightful, mainly the food and the service.
The Delightful Touch
Natalie Stacey and some of the specialist cakes she makes and sellsThe Delightful Touch
Natalie Stacey and some of the specialist cakes she makes and sells
The Delightful Touch Natalie Stacey and some of the specialist cakes she makes and sells

The cafe, on Hickmott Road, is run by husband and wife Ezeriah and Natalie Stacey, who followed their lifelong dream by opening the doors of their business five months ago.

The duo have bought their passion for food to their menu they have created, which features brunch, afternoon tea and a wide range of cakes and cupcakes, and it’s obvious they both love what they do.

A two cheese, tomato and herb toastie on offer from The Delightful Touch, a cafe in Sheffield.A two cheese, tomato and herb toastie on offer from The Delightful Touch, a cafe in Sheffield.
A two cheese, tomato and herb toastie on offer from The Delightful Touch, a cafe in Sheffield.
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I visited the cafe with my partner, Ryan, on a rainy Saturday morning. We were warmly welcomed by Ezeriah, who ushered us in with a friendly smile and invited us to choose a seat.

The decor, with its exposed brick walls and flowers on the tables, is inviting and cosy. Menus were readily available on the table, and Ezeriah was quick to bring us the tea we had asked for.

The menu includes various brunch options, available at the weekend, including a tomato, herb and two-cheese toastie which I ate and thoroughly enjoyed. The ingredients tasted fresh and delicious, and Ezeriah later told us it was new on the menu the night before.

The pair also told us they will change their menu in future to reflect the seasons and ingredients available. There’s a yummy range of tempting homemade cakes, which are made fresh on site daily, sandwiches with regular and ‘guest’ fillings, and afternoon tea, including homemade scones and as much tea as you can drink.

The Delightful Touch
Natalie Stacey and some of the specialist cakes she makes and sellsThe Delightful Touch
Natalie Stacey and some of the specialist cakes she makes and sells
The Delightful Touch Natalie Stacey and some of the specialist cakes she makes and sells
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I was surprised when Ezeriah served our tea, firstly because we were given one teapot of Birdhouse loose leaf breakfast tea each , (I can’t recall any other cafe I have been to when ‘tea for two’ actually means that).

My surprise, and joy, continued when he refilled our teapots with more hot water whenever we required it. I lost count of the amount of cups of tea we drank, and yet we were only charged the cost of one tea pot each. Tea was included in the afternoon tea so we weren’t charged separately for it, but it is only £2 per pot.

The afternoon tea, at an incredibly good value price of £15 per person, was the highlight.

Ryan and I love having afternoon tea, but we often run in to problems as we each have different dietary requirements. We didn’t have a problem here though. Chef Natalie went above and beyond to look after us and took the time to speak to us and understand what we could and couldn’t eat – and even what we did and didn’t like. She then went away and created dishes just for us.

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The food that was presented to us was exceptional. It included mini quiches, finger sandwiches and sweet treats such as cake, brownie, honeycomb and truffles. When we thanked Natalie she simply smiled and said ‘I like a challenge’, and we could tell that she had genuinely enjoyed making something a bit different.

Our favourite savoury dish was a crostini with cream cheese and crushed ginger nut. The sharpness of the ginger complimented the creaminess of the cheese, and again the quantities of ingredients was generous.

It was hard to pick a favourite sweet dish, but the homemade truffle was a chocoholics dream; rich, intense and silky. Ryan enjoyed the salted caramel and toffee cake and declared it to be one of the best cakes he’d ever had. The sponge was soft and the filling heavenly, he said.

I can’t praise the cafe enough, Ryan and I were so impressed and can’t wait to return as soon as possible.