Kelham Island Food Tours is a new food and drink experience based in the Sheffield district of Kelham Island, recently crowned ‘hipster capital of the north’.
The tours provide a fun guide to one of the fastest-growing areas in Sheffield, showcasing the best food and drink that Kelham Island has to offer.
Founder Sophie Barber spotted the opportunity after returning home from 20 years of living in London and Brighton. “Even a few years ago you wouldn’t have considered Sheffield a food and drink destination. The area is well respected for its beer heritage, but when I discovered that there were cheese and chocolate producers, coffee roasters, and a number of independent restaurants and bars all within a close proximity of each other, I thought it would be an ideal location to run tours, showcasing everything the area has to offer.”
Hannah Soar
Each venue will provide food and drink samples and talks from the professionals who will educate participants about the processes of producing food and drink, such as cheese, chocolate, wine and beer. The area’s history will also be weaved into the experience. “I think there is still a bit of a stigma attached to the Kelham Island and some uncertainty about what is here,” Sophie added. “It is also off the beaten path for visitors to the city, so the tours should give people unfamiliar with the area a good starting point to explore further.”
There has been a huge response to the tours from the public, local businesses and the media, which is an indicator that there is a real appetite in Sheffield for something of this nature. Tour stops confirmed include: Sheffield Cheesemasters, Foundry Coffee Roasters, Bullion Chocolate, Pie-Eyed, Camm Street Bakery, Elm Natural Wine and Kelham Island Brewery with many others in the pipeline.
Scheduled food and drink tours will run on Fridays and Saturdays, with tailored private tours for parties and corporate events also available to book. Dates for The Artisan Food Tour (9 March) and Afternoon Beer Tour (8 March) have now been announced.
Full details and dates are available at kelhamislandfoodtours.co.uk
