Steeliac

Tag: coeliac restaurant review

  • The Maynard in Grindleford

    The Maynard in Grindleford

    We decided to try The Maynard in Grindleford for our anniversary dinner. It’s one of four pubs in the Peaks owned by Longbow Venues, all of which are accredited by Coeliac UK. The accreditation recognises their work to create a gluten free menu that’s suitable for coeliacs and ensures the staff are trained to understand about cross contamination. As ever, the reason behind this is apparently that the MD is a coeliac and his own experience has driven the extensive gluten free offer and associated safety measures.

    So there are no disclaimers on this menu – hurrah!

    Speaking of the menu, it’s changed since we went (only last weekend!) from the summer menu to the autumn/winter one, and my choices aren’t available anymore – but there are lovely new dishes on offer like masala-spiced seabass and slow-cooked beef shin.

    I was delighted with my starter, which was spiced cauliflower pakoras, served with Jerusalem artichoke velouté and sautéed quinoa with spinach. Anything deep fried is always a treat, and deep fried cauliflower is one of my favourite things, so this was always on to a winner. Really decent portions, too.

    Beautifully crispy pieces of deep fried cauliflower sitting on some green quinoa that's been sauteed with spinach and a pale green artichoke sauce. On a grey ceramic plate with a large rim
    A big souffle drizzled with cheese sauce and topped with green salad - all on a blue speckly plate with a white rim

    My husband had a twice-baked cheese soufflé with blue cheese sauce, which was also gluten free. I didn’t try it as I’m not a fan of blue cheese but it was reportedly deliciously light and tasty and a sensible portion for a starter.

    I hesitated over the main course I’d taken a liking to, which was a duck breast served with a vegetable spring roll, duck leg wonton, spiced pak choi and green vegetable sauce. This was marked as “gluten free available”, so I knew some elements were going to be missing, but the question was how many – if it was minus the spring roll and the wonton for the same price (£25.95) it would just be too annoying to order. I was pleased to hear just the wonton was missing, so I was happy to give it a try – and when it came, I wasn’t disappointed.

    The duck was cooked perfectly with lovely crispy skin, and the size of the crispy home made sping roll more than made up for the missing wonton. It was a great plate of food, and all the better for not having any rice in my opinion – because then I would have over eaten!

    A large white plate containing a cuck breast sliced in two with crispy skin and pink meat, next to a crispy looking spring roll. Both sitting on a green vegetable sauce with some wilted pak choi

    Regular readers will know I always try to save space for a pudding if possible. I thought I’d squeeze in a little assiette of desserts. After ordering, the waiter came back to tell me one of the three desserts would be replaced by an extra scoop of ice cream, which was a bit of a shame. However, when it came, it was a mega portion, which I couldn’t finish.

    A big, grey plate with an assortment of dessert elements. In the foreground, a square chunk of chocolate tiffin, a scoop of mango sorbet and a couple of chantilly cream quenelles, sprinkled with dried and fresh raspberry. Behind are a strawberry cut in half, a scoop of strawberry ice cream, a quenelle of pale green cream (matcha?) and a small meringue covered in fruit coulis and another qunelle of cream. Yep, that's one busy plate of pudding. And no, I didn't share it. :-P

    Wierdly, none of the components were actually on the dessert menu. In the foreground, there’s a piece of tiffin (which is hiding a second piece). In the background is a meringue with fruit coulis and chantilly cream. There’s a scoop of mango sorbet and one of strawberry ice cream, then various quenelles of cream and sprinklings of dried raspberry. It felt less an assiette than a plate of leftover bits and bobs, to be honest. But I don’t want to be critical given the portion size and the quality of each individual element. I didn’t quite finish it though – I took the second tiffin home in a doggy bag!

    Overall, we had a lovely meal and enjoyed the quirky decor, much of which was pictures of animals in fancy dress in fancy gold frames. I think most spaniels probably think they have earned those medals.

    Two gold picture frames hanging on a teal wall. The left one contains a stag with antlers wearing a three piece suit, white shirt and grey tie (yes, actually). On the right a spaniel (springer, I think) is proudly wearing a military uniform complete with gold epaulettes, a blue sash and lots of medals. He clearly earned them.

    It was great to have plenty of choice and not worry too much about the cross contamination. I’d be happy to go back here, but I’m also keen to try some of the other Longbow Venues.

    The Maynard
    Main Road, Grindleford, Hope Valley S32 2HE

  • Gillson’s Brasserie on Eccy Road

    Gillson’s Brasserie on Eccy Road

    We recently went out to have a send off for a family friend who’s off to study and play rugby in the States.

    We decided to try Gillson’s Brasserie on Ecclesall Road, which has replaced Patoo Thai.

    I was intrigued when I found out about this new brasserie because it’s owned by the same people who have Gill’s & Co wine bar further down the road, where we had a lovely meal (not to mention a few too many glasses of wine) and they were great with the coeliac precautions.

    They also own a cocktail bar called The Gilmont so they are developing a bit of a monopoly on Eccy Road.

    Whilst the menu had gluten free items marked on already, my very thoughtful friend had phoned ahead to check they could cater for me.

    For my starter, I ordered the crispy fried ham hock terrine with minted pea puree and pickled radish. As you can see, it was incredibly vibrant, with two chunky croquettes and the contrasting puree and pickle. I loved it – a fantastic starter. Accompanied by a rather wonderful dry rose wine, which we shared.

    A white plate with a green rim, sitting on a white table cloth, with a knife and fork either side. In the middle the plate are two crispy, breaded croquettes of ham hock terrine, sitting on a minted pea puree, with a few scattered peas and a couple of quarters of pink pickled radish.

    Other options were a crab and prawn cocktail, or a sun-dried tomato, basil and butterbean pate – which unfortunately wasn’t available.

    Most people went for Sunday lunch for mains – they had belly pork, beef sirloin, supreme of chicken or a nut roast. These were generous portions with giant Yorkshire puddings that obviously don’t come with the GF version, but apparently their stuffing is gluten free, so it’s only the Yorkie that’s missing for coeliacs, which makes it a pretty good option. I can see that’s potentially an inflammatory statement here in Yorkshire, but we have to take what we can get, don’t we?

    I opted for the lighter sea bass with samphire, peas, mussels and a white wine sauce, and I shared some tenderstem broccoli with my friend. Lots of greens! A generous portion of fish too, cooked to perfection, I’d say, with a wonderfully crispy skin. No complaints on this either.

    A close up of a white plate. Two crispy skin-on white fillets of seabass are nestled on top of a pile of peas and samphire. All of which sits in a puddle of creamy sauce.

    I like to squeeze in a dessert for the purpose of the blog – very selfless of me, I know. There was only one GF on offer and it was a mango and coconut creme brulee, so I had that and it was very nice. You never get quite the same texture with vegan ingredients so it wasn’t quite as silky as a dairy based one, but it had the flavour and the caramelised sugar crunch nailed.

    A close up of a white bowl of creme brulee with a green rim. It's almost completely covered in slivers of mango, and on top of that are arranged three pieces of crunchy, sugary, oaty biscuit.

    Price-wise, it wasn’t bad at all for the quality of the food. The roasts ranged from £19-£25. My sea bass was a little pricier at £28 but the portion justified it. Caesar salad was the cheapest GF main option at £19 or you could push the boat out on fillet steak for £39.

    The potato selection is also strong here, with fries, mash, truffled Dauphinoise (yes please) and buttery news all GF.

    All in all, it was an excellent meal worthy of our celebration.

    Gillson’s Brasserie
    607-609 Ecclesall Rd, Sheffield S11 8PT

  • Steeliac’s Gluten Free Sheffield map has landed

    Steeliac’s Gluten Free Sheffield map has landed

    After over a decade of grappling with an increasingly cumbersome linear listing of restaurants, I’ve finally gone and built a map to show all the gluten free places in Sheffield!

    Image of a Google map showing green and purple markers for where you can eat out gluten free in Sheffield.

    If you tried to click on that, sorry – it’s just a screenshot. The real thing is on its own new page and you can navigate to it from the menu at the top right.

    I’d love to hear what you think about it so please drop me a comment on here or a message on the socials.

    I’ve added loads more places, so there are now over 100 on there, with a few still to go on. Lots of them don’t have reviews, but I figured it was better to have a more comprehensive map than only places I’ve written about.

    If you know of anywhere I’ve missed, please let me know – it’s super quick to add new places now.

    After wrangling about how to organise the markers, I’ve chosen to split out the ones that are either 100% gluten free or accredited to Coeliac UK. So if you want somewhere really safe, those places are nice and easy to find – just look for the green markers.

    You might notice the site has had a general overhaul, as I’ve bitten the bullet and moved to a more modern theme on WordPress. Because it’s a minimalist design, the navigation is a bit hidden on small screens – you just need to select the two lines on the top right to see it.

    Image showing how to use the discreet menu on tablets and phones. I'm sure screen readers will manage this anyway.

    In a couple of months, I will retire the original listing page, as keeping both pages updated will be quite a lot of work, and regular visitors will probably know I haven’t been completely on top of the listing over the last couple of years. However, now it’s up to date, I’m planning to do an annual check of everywhere on the map to make sure it stays that way.

    If you’ve made it to this point, here’s a link to the map – enjoy and please let me know what you think!

    Please support Steeliac by liking and sharing this post. You can subscribe to me on WordPress, Substack, Instagram and Facebook.

    Thank you!

  • New GF offer at The Cricket, Totley

    New GF offer at The Cricket, Totley

    The Cricket Inn is a great pub right on the edge of the Peak District moorland in Totley. It’s got a wonderful outside space with loads of tables and, beyond the Cricket pitch, a beautiful backdrop of the landscape.

    Over the last few years, the GF offer had dwindled but it’s back and it’s really good. We called in after taking the dog for a scamper in the hills on Sunday and we had a brilliant brunch of sharing plates.

    Looking at the pictures, our selection was perhaps a little protein-heavy and not so balanced.

    But how could I not order salt and pepper squid with sriracha mayo when it’s coeliac-safe?

    And the beef tartare came with crispy shallots. I double checked these as crispy shallots are usually bought in and sometimes a giveaway that the chef isn’t as clued up as you’d hope. But not here – they make their own! So again, a must have for me.

    The scallops were from the specials menu, and were served with caramelised apple puree, celeriac and tomato consommé. An unusual pairing to my experience but it was delicious.

    And the Isle of Wight tomatoes with goat’s curd had a lovely, green dressing and balanced everything out a bit.

    A wide rimmed white bowl containing four chunky scallops, without roe, sitting amongst caramelised apple puree, celeriac and tomato consommé
    A small cast iron skillett on a chopping board filled with assorted coloured baby tomatoes sliced into quarters, scattered with goat's cheese and a little hat of salad leaves
    A cast iron skillet on a small wooden tray on a picnic table. The skillet contains about ten large, deep-fried gluten free crispy squid rings. Also on the tray is a small ceramic bowl of sriracha mayo and a lemon wedge
    A big grey ceramic plate, almost a bowl actually. In the middle sits a majestic looking beef tartare with a crown of gluten free crispy shallots and a few chopped chives. A glistening puddle of green dressing sits to one side

    The food arrived quickly – the service was great – it was fairly quiet at 12ish so a good time to go before the Sunday lunch crowds appear and all the tables are booked.

    Apart from the small plates, the menu includes a variety of gluten free mains ranging from classics like gammon and chips, fish and chips, and steak, to some more unusual dishes like pastrami duck breast with potato and leek pave, and rose harissa roast cauliflower.

    Some of their signature menu items like their pies and burgers are not available gluten free unfortunately , but there’s still enough to choose from. And if you like your chips, there is a rather fine selection, all GF: chunky, dirty, rosemary or truffle and parmesan. Price-wise, the mains range from £18 – £26.

    A quick peruse of the other menus indicates a pleasing selection of dessert options as well, with a crumble and a creme brulee available as well as the ubiquitous brownie and ice cream options. Sunday roasts, I’ve not fully investigated. As usual, they’re marked GFO, which means some elements won’t be available. I can report, however, that their side of cauliflower cheese IS gluten free, which is most encouraging. Drop a comment in if you know more… A gluten free Thornbridge session IPA is available in bottles.

    The Cricket Inn
    Penny Lane, Sheffield S17 3AZ

  • Groke – Coffee and brunch at Kelham Island

    Groke – Coffee and brunch at Kelham Island

    Groke is a very rare gem for coeliac dining – a brunch cafe that specialises in gluten free. I normally avoid brunch out completely, as there are so few places I’ve found I can enjoy it – partly because of the cross contamination risk from a hundred bread products, and partly because it’s one of those meals where you generally end up with something inferior. But not here…

    In owner Tom’s words, “Groke has a brunch menu where coeliacs aren’t an afterthought.” A recently diagnosed coeliac himself, safe gluten free dining has been a priority since the beginning.

    The opportunity for a visit came up a couple of weekends ago, when the weather was lovely and both of my teenagers were away. We decided to take the dog for a walk up the Five Weirs Walk and enjoy a quiet brunch out.

    The cafe’s menu is relatively subtle with its references to gluten free (understandably not wanting to put gluten eaters off), saying all dishes can be gluten free – but all they do is switch the bread out, as all the other ingredients are already GF. I’m told by Tom that the kitchen is mostly gluten free, with a special area for bread with gluten in. As we know, it’s usually the other way round.

    Inside the cafe, the gluten free credentials are a little bolder, with this fabulous selection of home bakes, all of which are gluten free.

    A busy counter top in a cafe. On top of a wooden counter sits a tiered glass display containing a variety of tray bakes, all gluten free. On top of the display unit are a variety of bottled and canned drinks. A couple of plants are in the foreground.

    The weather was lovely, as it’s been for weeks now, so we sat outside on the terrace overlooking the river and ordered a coffee whilst we perused the menu. There are all day breakfasts, brunch dishes, burgers and toasties, which can be served with beer, wine, cider and cocktails as well as coffee – nice.

    Taken at a slightly jaunty angle, this shows a raised decking, with a few steps at the right hand side. On the decking are chairs and tables under some big, black square umbrellas. A man is preparing to take a seat at one of the tables.
    A view inside a cafe, In the background is a patio door with chairs and tables in front. In the foreground, a wooden servery is on the left and a shelf with brightly coloured items for sale. There are plants hanging from the ceiling, on the counter and on the sheles.

    The all day breakfasts are as you’d expect – a meat, veggie and vegan option. Brunch dishes include eggs Florentine, ham hock Benedict, Turkish eggs, hummous toast and bircher muesli. I made a slightly shameful order of huevos rancheros but with the titular eggs substituted for bacon and asparagus. Perhaps another reason I don’t eat brunch out is that I’m not a fan of poached and fried eggs – I can do a scramble as long as it’s got some other flavour with it – but I am a fan of refried beans, smoked tomatoes, coriander, sour cream and chilli oil on sourdough, and these were wonderfully accompanied by my bacon and asparagus. It was all rather divine – once I’d got over the slight embarrassment of ordering it. Perhaps I should come up with a name for it.

    A small wooden tray on a darker wooden table. On it sits a glass of coffee on the left, with a frothy top and a heart shaped decoration in the foam. On the right a black cup of coffee with a swirly plant decoration in the foam two teaspoons sit in between the coffees.
    A white bowl on a wooden table containing lots of refried beans, and on top of that several spears of asparagus some streaky bacon and some small, cooked tomatoes. two pieces of thick, white bloomer toast sit perched on the left of the dish.

    We were full after our brunches and a couple of coffees, so off we went for our walk. On the way back, we called in for a takeaway bake to have in the garden at home. We bought a caramel slice (aka millionaire’s shortbread) and a piece of apricot and pistachio flapjack and had half each.

    A white plate containing two slices of traybakes. On the left a fruity flapjack with raisins and, pumpkin seeds visible in the mix, and a dried apricot on top. On the right is a slice of millionaire's shortbread, although we can only really see the top, which is milk chocolate with a swirly white chocolate pattern. In front, also on the plate, is a sharp, serrated knife

    I’m looking forward to going back here – brunch out seemed particularly decadent for me, and I could definitely get used to it. Or maybe we could go a bit later in the day and try a burger. The halloumi and red pepper stack with slaw, pickles and smoky baharat sauce sounds wonderful. Veggies and vegans are very well catered for here, as Tom is also vegetarian.

    And in case you’re wondering how to pronounce Groke, as I was, it’s phonic and rhymes with broke (rather than broker, which I thought it might be, expecting it to be a Scandinavian word). It’s a word I’d never come across before, an old Scots word meaning to stare at someone’s plate hoping they will share their food. I won’t be sharing any of mine, so you’ll have to order your own!

    Groke
    1a Kelham Square,Kelham Island, Sheffield S3 8RY

  • Silversmiths, a decade later

    Silversmiths, a decade later

    It’s been 11 years since we last went to Silversmiths on Arundel Street in what’s known as Sheffields “Cultural Industries Quarter”. Back in 2015, it was brilliant for gluten free, but it subsequently went through a series of ownership changes and different chefs and for a while lost its gluten free offering altogether.

    The most recent revamp retains their focus on locally sourced ingredients and refined cooking but the menu is more gastro-pub / a-la-carte than fine dining and small plates. Happily, it now has a great selection of gluten free dishes on the menu again, so it was time to give it another visit.

    The summer menu was fairly limited, but I don’t mean that in a bad way at all as sometimes long menus can be a bit overwhelming. This one contained five starters, six mains and six desserts to choose from and just over half of those were marked gluten free, as well as most of the sides (including the beef fat chips). Price-wise, it was quite reasonable, with £7-12 for the starters and £20-25 for mains.

    For a starter, I ordered Korean beef jerky, which came with a pickled slaw and fried shallots. I was absolutely delighted when the waiter came out to say our food would take a little longer than normal so they could be extra careful on the cross contamination. That’s exactly the kind of reassurance I like. And we didn’t even have to wait that long really.

    A pile of beef jerky sitting atop a purple slaw on a grey plate. Sprinkled with bits of crispy onion

    The flavour of the beef was brilliant, with a warming blend of spices that contrasted well with the pickles, although I will say it was maybe a touch too dried; it certainly wasn’t easy to stab – but I still enjoyed it. If ordering again, I’d probably opt for the curried scallop or the braised fennel with goat’s cheese, which I’d struggled to choose between.

    My main course was red mullet, which was cooked beautifully and served with lemon herb potatoes, samphire and a pineapple and red onion salsa. The dish tated excellent, with the fish cooked perfectly, lovely, salty samphire, and the tangy salsa was absolutely delightful. The only problem was that the fish was a bit on the small side – in the picture, those potatoes were not massive.

    A textured plate containing a piece of seared red mullet fillet, some new potatoes that slightly dwarf the fish, samphire and a pineapple salsa
    A white plate with two hunks of steak, one lovely and pink. Sitting alongside two large, crispy cubes of potato, some long thin carrots complete with greenery, a few mushrooms and a creamy Bernaise sauce

    My husband chose the steak, which was also gluten free, and a much more generous portion as you can see in the photo. That came served pink with carrots, mushrooms, potato cubes (not the technical term!) and a Bearnaise sauce.

    I wasn’t planning to say anything about the dinky fish, but my friend took it upon herself to mention it to the staff and they did acknowledge it was a bit on the small side. To make up for this later, they said my dessert would be on the house, which was a nice touch, and much appreciated.

    Here is said dessert – a very rare thing indeed, a gluten free lemon meringue pie, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was a very decent slice, with freshly blow-torched soft meringue on the top. It went down very nicely with my Bakewell tart cocktail to round off the meal and a lovely night out.

    In the foreground, a luscious slice of lemon meringue pie is hiding behind a very beautiful quenelle of pink hibiscus sorbet. Behind the plate is a pink, foamy cocktail in a tall glass and in the background, someone else's pudding is out of focus.

    So a very different experience to last time, but I would recommend it. Great-tasting food, plenty of gluten free options and what felt like a very reasonable price.

    Silversmiths
    111 Arundel Street, S1 2NT

  • Cross Scythes

    Cross Scythes

    We went to the Cross Scythes for a Mother’s Day meal with the teenagers and the grandparents. This is a pub in Totley that’s changed ownership a couple of times recently. It’s now part of a very small chain, having been bought by Northern Collective, who also own The Dore and a few venues in Hathersage (Bank House, and wine bar Vintners).

    It’s a mid-priced gastro pub with quite an extensive menu of mixed cuisines, which is why we picked it – something to suit everyone. And for the gluten free among us, a very decent amount of choice marked on the menu as either GF or GF option. As well as starters and desserts, you can choose from salads, regular main courses, ‘from the grill’, Sunday roasts and sandwiches. They also have pasta and nachos on the menu, but those don’t appear to be GF or GFO.

    As it was a celebratory meal with family, we splashed out and went for the full three courses. Four out of the six starters were GF or GFO. I generally prefer to choose dishes that are GF, as the O bit usually means you’re missing something tasty, but my mum ordered the GFO crab on toast and the only thing that was different from the regular version was the bread. She was very happy indeed – it was a lovely portion, the bread was not from a square loaf, and it was delicious.

    I had pan fried cod cheeks with roasted cauliflower puree and asparagus. It looked and tasted lovely, but I did have to search for the cod. I don’t suppose cod cheeks are massive, but I was expecting more than the few flakes I found.

    A grey plate containing a delicately placed splodge of cauliflower puree, asparagus and peas in a white sauce, and some micro herbs as a garnish. There were flakes of cod cheek in the mix, if you looked quite hard.
    A pretty white and grey plate containing a piece of toast with crab pate on, slices of avocado, a side salad of greens and tomato, and a pretty, green drizzle

    Sticking with the theme of fish in a white sauce with green accompaniments, my main was a pan fried hake fillet with truffled potato gratin, asparagus, courgette and a herb veloute. This was lovely, and I didn’t have any trouble finding the fish, which was cooked well, with a crispy skin. The truffled potatoes were soft and rich, which made this a filling dish even though it doesn’t look that big on the plate.

    My mum chose the roast lamb. As expected, it didn’t come with a Yorkshire Pudding or stuffing but the portions were fairly reasonable so she didn’t mind. She also ordered a side portion of cauliflower cheese, which was a bit of a treat – generally one of the things you miss out on when eating out. Shame it wasn’t part of the main dish.

    A grey plate containing a squat cylinder of potato gratin, upon which leans a piece of white fish with crispy skin, and some long pieces of asparagus and courgette strips. They all sit in a puddle of white sauce with herbs in.
    A brown plate with a classic Sunday roast with some of the trimmings (well, it is gluten free so you can't have all of them). We can see slices of roast lamb and a variety of vegetables hiding underneath it (carrots, parsnips, green beans) and what looks to be shredded celeriac in a white sauce
    A little metal dish of cauliflower cheese

    Having wisely chosen two fish courses, I had just enough room for a pud. It felt like there was a bit less choice here; four out of nine options were GFO, of which one was ice cream and one was cheese. So of the actual puddings, it was just two of seven: creme brulee or cheesecake of the day. I opted for the cheesecake and the gluten free version was chocolate orange, which I think came with chocolate ice cream, so no complaints there. A perfectly stodgy, chocolatey way to end the meal. We also had a cheeky round of Baby Guinness shots on the table as well, as they had an offer on.

    A pretty cream plate with pink splodges, with a piece of chocolate cheesecake (although it looks more like cake) and a scoop of chocolate ice cream.

    Overall, this was a lovely meal with plenty of choice and good service, especially considering it was Mother’s Day. Definitely enough there to go back for. Prices were £7-12 for starters, a wide range of main options from £16-26, and £5-10 for desserts.

    Cross Scythes
    Baslow Road, Totley S17 4AE

  • Iberico

    Iberico

    Iberico is a small, authentic Spanish tapas restaurant hidden away in Dyson Place (just off Sharrow Vale Road in the Ecclesall Road area of town). It has replaced the small plates restaurant Tonco, which sadly closed down in 2024.

    Iberico’s focus is on high quality, home-made food, using imported Spanish ingredients for authenticity. When we arrive, there’s a buzz about the place, with a busy, open kitchen including a barbecue for their ‘fire cooked’ brasa dishes.

    The menu includes small bites or pintxos (pronounced pinchos) at £5 each, hot and cold tapas (£7-13), charcuterie platters (£17-20) and fire cooked dishes, ranging in price up to £22. The vast majority, apart from the obvious bready bits, are gluten free, and the team seemed very clued up on cross contamination.

    To start with, we ordered some olives, Manchego cheese with quince paste, and a wood-fired roasted Galician beef Picanha. This was supposed to come with a micro leaf salad but it came with a regular-looking curly lettuce, and I wasn’t a massive fan of the goat cheese sauce. That’s a personal preference though – my husband liked it. The beef was delightful though – wonderfully soft.

    A plate containing 4 triangular slices of Manchego cheese and 4 small cubes of quince paste. In the background, a small terracotta pot is filled with green olives
    A plate containing very thin slices of barely cooked beef with some lettuce and a yellow goat cheese sauce

    We then had some crunchy belly pork, which was one of the pintxos. Now, this may have been the best belly pork I’ve ever had; I’m not always a fan but I think it had been deep fried and the fat was beautifully rendered down and perfectly crispy. The fish in a sauce with garlic was, I believe, one of the daily specials, and the other two dishes were from the Brasa or BBQ. The mixed grilled vegetables were brilliant and incredibly flavoursome. Unusually, I experienced a second ‘best ever’ moment, and unexpectedly, it was the carrots in this dish: sweet, soft and perfectly seasoned – can I get a wood fired brasa installed in my kitchen please?

    A white plate with three very crispy pieces of belly pork sitting on top of two lemon slices
    A terracotta pot containing a piece of white fish in a buttery, yellow sauce, with slices of crispy garlic scattered on top
    A selection of roasted vegetables (carrot, pepper, aubergine) on a rectangular white platter with a blue pattern
    Slices of barbequed pork on top of some small roasted potatoes with a Padron pepper, on a cream coloured, rectangular plate

    The final savoury dish was the Iberico pork steak, which was perfectly cooked and succulent, and came with some mini roast potatoes.

    We were pretty full after all that and could have happily gone without a dessert, but the menu had two gluten free puds that were crying out to be tried. So we shared an almond based Santiago cake and a burnt Basque cheesecake and had no problems putting them away. Both were delicious.

    Two desserts on separate blue and white plates. In the foreground, a slice of burnt Basque cheesecake and behind, a slice of almond cake with icing sugar on the top

    We really enjoyed this meal. There’s something so sociable about sharing small dishes rather than just tucking into an individual large plate of food, so was a very enjoyable experience, and we’re now plotting who we can take with us next time.

    Iberico
    2 Dyson Place, Sharrow S11 8XX

  • Cosy Club

    Cosy Club

    I have eaten at Cosy Club in other cities so I was really pleased to hear one has opened up in Sheffield. They cater really well for allergens and vegans, so I’ve ended up there on work awaydays a couple of times. Plus, I really like their decor that strikes a balance between opulent and kitsch, which makes a nice change from the stripped-back, industrial style of many modern bars and food halls.

    We were out for a pre-cinema meal on our wedding anniversary, so this was a bit of a treat. So, a celebration called for a glass of fizz, which, for the first time ever, came with an allergy sticker on it! I’ve had this on food before, but never on a drink. It certainly gave the impression they are all over it with the allergens. They also have a separate gluten free menu, which is another good sign.

    A glass of prosecco on a wooden table with an allergy sticker on it. Behind is a glass of beer and to the side a lit tealight in a holder

    We decided to share a couple of small plates for starters – Nocellara olives (really big ones!), burrata cheese and smoked piquillo pesto, and chermoula tenderstem broccoli with caramelised butter and pickled red chilli – and they all came with their little allergen flags! There is an excellent choice of gluten free options, including a few to try next time (tempura vegetables and N’duja glazed butterbeans). The broccoli was my favourite, absolutely packed with flavour.

    Three white serving bowls on a wooden table, containing olives, burrata cheese and tenderstem broccoli
    A side plate containing olives, burrata cheese and tenderstem broccoli

    For main course, I had a Massaman cauliflower curry, which also included sweet potato, sugar snap peas and butterbeans, and a side of spring onion rice. This was also really flavoursome, with just enough bite to the cauliflower.

    A bowl containing cauliflower Massaman curry with a red allergen flag in it
    A bowl containing cauliflower Massaman curry and some rice

    There are plenty of meat options to choose from as well, with Spanish chicken, steamed seabass, and various burgers and steaks. Sides include truffle and parmesan fries, twice cooked potato skins and pan fried green beans.

    I hope this place survives as it’s really quite reliable for coeliacs. Granted, it was a Tuesday in September, but it did seem very quiet for somewhere in the middle of the city. I also noticed they have a private dining room upstairs, which looked rather fun.

    We didn’t have time for dessert, as we were off to a show (Jodie Comer in the National Theatre Live showing of her one-woman play Prima Facie in the cinema, which was astonishingly good – highly recommend) so we had a Magnum ice cream and a glass of wine in the cinema instead!

    1 Holly Street, Sheffield City Centre, Sheffield S1 4AW

  • Delhi in Minutes

    Delhi in Minutes

    We took the kids and grandparents to try out the new Indian restaurant in Dore village that replaced Alma’s. Deli in Minutes was opened in summer by a couple who started a takeaway business during the Covid pandemic.

    It was great to see gluten free items clearly marked on the menu, and there were plenty of options, even for the starters.

    We ordered a selection to share, including onion bhaji, which was a real treat and came with a mint yoghurt dip. We also had Amritsari fish with Indian tartare sauce, tandoori prawns with garlic and tomato chutney, chicken tikka with mint yoghurt, and an Indian take on KFC, Kerala fried chicken. They were all presented very cleanly and were quite mildly spiced. And it was good to try something a bit different as well as some of the classics. I would have tolerated a bit of salad as an accompaniment and to use up some more of the sauces, but I imagine Indian restaurants must constantly be throwing away garnishes that don’t get eaten!

    The main courses were equally as good. Again, we ordered a selection to share so we all got to try plenty of different dishes. I’m a big fan of vegetarian curries and especially paneer cheese, so we had paneer Makhani, chana masala and the classic dal tadka. And for the meat lovers, the classic, crowd pleasing chicken korma alongside a Kerala fish curry and a coconut prawn curry.

    Prices are quite a range, with starters from £7 to £13.50 and mains from £9 to £18, so you can eat quite cheaply here, especially if you enjoy the veggie dishes.

    We couldn’t be sure if the poppadoms were gluten free, so we ended up avoiding those and had more starters instead, which was fine. I sometimes take a pack of GF poppadoms along to an Indian, and nobody ever seems to mind.

    34-36 High St, Dore, Sheffield, S17 3GU