CAMRA Sheffield & District
Sheffield & District branch of CAMRA
we were at the Rambler Inn at Edale on 11 August to present Jo, Chris and their team with a well deserved Pub of the month award. A fantastic range of cask beer was on the bar, the pub was busy with a mixture of locals, guests and visitors and a delicious buffet was laid on!
All the CAMRA branches that have a Pub of the Year winner in the East Midlands region enter their winner into this competition which initially get judged in a county round, with the county winners judged against each other to name an East Midlands regional winner which goes forward into the national competition.
Sheffield & District branch is spread across South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, as our winner (The Kelham Island Tavern) is in Sheffield ours went into the Yorkshire competition rather than East Midlands this year. In the past before the system changed we’ve had success in Derbyshire judging with the Red Lion in Litton which was our branch’s area pub of the year for the “District” (Derbyshire) part this year.
The East Midlands winner is the Railway at Ketton, in Rutland near Stamford. This is a Grade II listed traditional village local in the shadow of the impressive church and is described as serving good wine and beer in a welcoming and friendly atmosphere.
The runners up were the Final Whistle (Southwell, near Newark), Dead Poets Inn (Holbrook, Derbyshire) and Crown Hotel (Holbeach, Lincolnshire).
Just a few minutes on foot from Edale station in the western reaches of our branch area is the Rambler Inn. Originally built as a farmhouse in the 19th century, the Rambler was subsequently converted to a pub. They have 9 en-suite rooms which are often used by walkers on the Pennine Way National Trail or Kinder Scout, and a self-catering cottage onsite too.
There are 2 fair sized snugs off the main bar, which have log fires during the winter. There is a larger dining area with a smaller room to the rear, which can also be used for dining – or for meetings, like our July branch meeting. We received a warm welcome from the pub and it went on to win the pub of the month award for August, in our special summer ‘Derbyshire’ edition of the award.
The outside has superb views taking in hills and the Hope Valley railway line with lots of benches to the front and a large garden and covered terrace to the side. Dogs are welcome in the garden and bar rooms, though not the upstairs guest rooms – the Rambler operates a ‘muddy boots and paws welcome’ policy.
Operated by the Dorbiere Pub Group under the management of Jo and Chris Doyle, the Rambler features five handpumps in total. The permanent options are Timothy Taylor Landlord Abbeydale’s Deception, and house beer Kinder Downfall (Theakstons). At our July branch meeting these were complemented by Titanic’s Plum Porter and Squawk’s Pavo.
Special events are organised from time to time including folk music, quiz nights, themed dining and a family fun day is planned for 16 August with bouncy castle, tug of war and more!
Please join us at the Rambler Inn on Tuesday 11 August at 8:00 PM for a few drinks and to present the team with their well-deserved certificate.
Our branch Chairman Paul Manning presented Chris and the team at Shakespeares on Gibraltar Street with their well deserved Pub of the Month award certificate.
The pub our members have voted for as Pub of the Month for July is Shakespeares, on Gibraltar Street in the north of the city centre.
The building began its life in 1821 as a coaching inn, and retains much of its original layout. There is a central bar with several rooms surrounding it, the newest of which is the converted driveway to the right of the building, now a long room with seating. To the rear is a courtyard paved with stone ‘setts’, and the original stable area provides some undercover seating. Upstairs is a games room and a larger room used for events. Shakespeares is on CAMRA’s local inventory of historic pub interiors.
Shakespeares closed in 2010 and was reopened by its current owner, William Wagstaff, in 2011 following a refurbishment. It made quite an impression on the local pub scene as in 2012 it was awarded Sheffield & District CAMRA’s Pub of the Year award.
The bar always serves Abbeydale’s Deception – rebadged as ‘Dave’s Deception’ after a regular – and around 6 guest ales from around the UK, always in a range of styles. They also always have a wide range of up to nine craft keg lines, alongside ciders, bottled beer, mead and wines and spirits. Since its opening in 2011, Shakespeares has kept track of the number of beers it has served, and as of the time of writing they’ve sold 8830 different cask beers, and 2670 kegs.
The larger upstairs room is regularly host to events, primarily music, and the pub often holds beer festivals. All events are advertised on a board outside the pub and also on social media. At this year’s Sheffield Beer Week the pub brewed a large number of beers in collaboration with local brewers, resulting in their own tap takeover.
Join us on Tuesday 14 July for a drink from 8pm where we’ll present them with their well-earned award (presentation is around 9pm).
Our branch treasurer and beer festival organiser Paul Crofts presenting Maurice Champeau of Crookes Social Club with their Club of the Year award. This was followed with a few games of bingo, a quiz and a buffet! Cask ales from Thornbridge and Bradfield were on the bar.
Our branch chairman Paul Manning presented our East Sheffield Pub of the Year award to the Chantry Inn at Handsworth, photographed with Paul is landlord Terry, his partner Alison (right) and bar team member Marie (left). The presentation evening was enjoyable with a choice of Chantry Brewery ales and a buffet.
June Pub of the Month at the Fargate
The Fargate opened in the centre of Sheffield in October 2025, to much fanfare. It is a joint venture between Bakewell-based brewery Thornbridge, and York-based beer importer and pub operator Pivovar.
The building was constructed by the Yorkshire Penny Bank, and opened in 1889. The upper floors were occupied by the Albany Hotel, a ‘temperance house’ which provided an alcohol-free environment. Fortunately for us, well over 100 years later you can now finally purchase real ale from one of ten pumps on site.
A lengthy £1m renovation was undertaken on the building prior to the Fargate opening. The ground floor is high-ceilinged and decked out in dark wood with an impressive central horseshoe-shaped bar. There are several booths, banquette seating and a snug, all with leather seats. A spiral staircase leads upstairs to a rather different space with more contemporary seating and reclaimed wooden-panelled walls. A pizza kitchen upstairs serves food to the whole pub. In the basement, on the way to one of the bathrooms, you can spot the former bank’s vault which is still in place and used as storage – the Fargate is home to perhaps the safest beer in the city. In May they added several outdoor tables to the front, where drinkers can catch some afternoon sun.
A staff of around 25 under manager Adam Swithenbank and deputy Kieron Lake serve the 300-capacity pub. Across the ten cask lines, six are Thornbridge’s own with the remainder being guests. The 16 keg lines are split with Thornbridge having half, and the remainder divided between some guest craft beer and other lagers or wheat beers.
The Fargate is a welcome addition to the town centre, in an area which is still undergoing major renovations. Join us to celebrate their award on 9 June from 8pm.
Your Beer Matters magazine has won an award, this year we are officially the best!
As none of us from Sheffield & District could make the national Members’ Weekend in St Albans, our regional Director Kevin Keaveney picked up the award and presented it to editor Andy Cullen at our branch AGM.
Thanks go to all those that contribute towards what makes Beer Matters possible – Robin who does the design, all the advertisers that help cover the costs, all of you that contribute news and articles, the volunteers that distribute copies to pubs and the Dog & Partridge pub for providing a base for the printers to deliver to and for distributors to collect from!
[And of course thanks and congratulations to our editor Andy, who has now compiled the magzine for over 200 issues!]
The Blake Hotel has been voted by our members Pub of the Year 2026 (North Sheffield). This is the third time it has won the award since our regional awards were started in 2019 (previous wins being in 2022 and 2024).
Their range of guest beers from small/independent breweries include a stout or porter and always includes several beers from Neepsend Brewery (former operator of the pub). They also have real cider and both local and continental keg beers. In addition the pub provides a large selection of whiskies.
At the top of the infamously steep Blake Street (pedestrian handholds provided), this community pub reopened as a free house in 2010 after seven years of closure. In 2022 it became part of the Trust Inns estate (along with Sheaf View).
Extensively restored, it has many Victorian features, including etched windows and mirrors. At the rear is a large decked garden. No electronic games, TV or jukebox.
Join us for the award presentation and to celebrate the win with a few drinks from 8pm on Thursday 18 June.
