I’ve been itching to write this review since June (!) when we went to Rafters with some dear friends, and I’ve finally got round to it.

Of course, Rafters isn’t your average tea out – it’s a high end dining experience, so very much in the market for particularly special occasions (like a small lottery win!) But oh my goodness, what a meal.

The entrance to the restaurant is very unassuming. There’s a discreet shop front at the corner of where Hangingwater Road and Oakbrook Road meet, in Nethergreen, and you go straight up a flight of stairs to the dining room, which has an intimate feel with only 26 covers, exposed brick walls and an open kitchen.

Sheffield is well reflected all though the design, with, according to the website, locally made tables and pottery, Sheffield cutlery of course, and handmade place mats from Portland Works.

The meal was a six course tasting menu* (they also offer a four course version), which also includes some little extras like this pretty little amuse bouche – downplayed on our menu as a ‘snack’.

I was a bit nervous about how a tasting menu would accommodate a coeliac, but I needn’t have worried at all. Having advised of the requirement on booking, the staff were all over it, and my dishes looked almost identical to everybody else’s. There were some obvious tweaks (e.g. my trout came with a tomato broth instead of tomato ponzu) but I have no complaints at all on that front and my versions didn’t seem second class. Everything looked, and tasted, spectacular.

Below are three of the savoury dishes: chalk stream trout with sesame and tomato broth, cauliflower cheese and hogget with courgette, sheep yoghurt and elderflower. The elderflower apparently came from a tree outside the restaurant – you don’t get many more local ingredients than that! There was a fourth savoury dish of halibut with white asparagus and dill, but I must have scoffed that without taking a picture.

The two desserts were equally dainty. Amalfi lemon with soured cream and extra virgin olive oil, and English strawberry with lemon verbena.

It was all an absolute pleasure. In particular I enjoyed NOT having to scour a menu for tiny GFs or quiz the staff to check if they seem to understand about cross contamination. I had every confidence I was being well looked after.

We emerged from Rafters back into the real world several hours later, and slightly sozzled, having also indulged in the wine pairing and a cheeky cocktail at the start. It was all magnificent and I can’t wait to go back.

* Six courses for £95 per person (I didn’t want to spoil the run of the text by including that up there.)

Rafters Restaurant, 220 Oakbrook Road Sheffield S11 7ED