The government have announced that step 3 of the roadmap out of lockdown will be going ahead as hoped on Monday 17 May, which allows indoor hospitality including pubs for the first time this year.
Covid safety restrictions are still a requirement from 17th May with table service, reduced capacity for social distancing, checking in to the NHS Test & Trace system, wearing masks when not seated, enhanced cleaning regimes etc and maximum group size indoors is six. From the same date the limit of the group size outdoors increases although table service will still be a requirement.
We suggest checking pubs opening hours and whether they are taking table reservations before setting out, you can find links to social media accounts and websites from WhatPub. Public transport information for getting to the pubs can be found at Travel South Yorkshire.
From Monday 12th April, a number of pubs reopened for the first time in six months for outdoor table service, as permitted in the latest stage of the government’s road map out of lockdown.
Many of us have been looking forward to this day, not just to drink fresh cask beer but to get together with friends who we haven’t been able to see in a while.
We’d like to celebrate this week by sharing photographs of folk enjoying a drink with friends at pubs, please feel free to tag your pics on Twitter @shfCAMRA or post them on our Facebook page, alternatively email and we’ll consider it for a piece on this website!
Not all pubs are able to open this week – either they don’t have a suitable outdoor space or it simply isn’t financially viable for them, these are expected to open when indoor service is allowed, provisionally 17th May.
The beer gardens are expected to be popular but only have limited capacity, some of those venues that are taking table reservations are fully booked for the first week of opening (so if you can’t make it to a pub you’ve booked don’t forget to call and cancel so someone else can have that table!) whilst others are offering walk ins
Government Covid safety rules are in force (please be nice to the staff having to make them work!):
you must wear a face covering when you arrive and whenever you are stood up / moving around the premises. You do not need to wear it when sat at a table.
every individual customer must sign in to the NHS Test & Trace system. The easiest and quickest way of doing this is using the app to scan the QR code poster but the alternative of filling in a paper form will generally be available. Staff are required to check you have signed in correctly (minimum £1000 fine to pubs that serve someone not checked in correctly!). They will then direct you to a specific table that has been cleaned ready for you.
Measures are in place to facilitate social distancing. This includes one way walking routes and tables & chairs spaced carefully apart.
Rule of 6 in force as by law the most we are allowed to meet is 6 people or 2 households, therefore the maximum table size available is 6 people.
Table service is in operation – you must be sat at a table to eat/drink, place your order with staff at the table and your order will be delivered to your table. In some venues an app or website will be available to order from your table using your smart phone. Payment at table is also encouraged although where venues cannot facilitate that (for example the signal for the card machine doesn’t reach that far) they are allowed to invite you inside to pay.
Pubs are only allowed to serve customers outside for now, however you may still use facilities like toilets inside (but must wear a face covering when indoors).
Raised voices can project any germs further so conversation at normal level is encouraged by the government guidelines. For this reason any music, TV etc has to be kept strictly at background volume.
Travel to the pub
Buses, trains, trams and taxis are all operating and you are required to wear a face covering on board unless exempt. On public transport you are also asked to observe social distancing guidelines (one person per double seat unless same household and to sit with rows zig-zagged).
James Birkett, who owns Neepsend Brewery along with the Sheaf View, Blake Hotel and Wellington pubs; is launching his latest venture next door to the Wellington at Shalesmoor: the Roscoe Road Liquor Store. This will act as the Neepsend brewery shop stocking the range of Neepsend cans, minikegs and merchandise as well as a wider range of wines, spirits and beers.
A new craft beer bar is opening in Neepsend in a pair of shipping containers with Peddlers and Sheffield Brewery as neighbours! Grafters Bar will be a compact affair serving beers and spirits from the Sheffield area along with some bottled beers from further afield. You can find out a little more on the This is Sheffield website.
The Blue Ball at Worrall have been spending the latest lockdown doing some serious upgrade work to their beer garden which now features an outdoor pizza oven (pictured below).
Also doing some serious work in the beer garden whilst closed is the New Barrack Tavern on Penistone Road, who have been sharing a series of tease shots of the work in progress on their social media.
Spring Yard Bottle Shop, run by the same people as Peddlers Night Market, is offering free same day delivery in Sheffield. Order by 6pm, the deliveries are done in the evening as soon after that as they’ve got the packing done!
The Moor Indoor Market has a new delivery operation, ChefChef.store, where you can order products from many of their traders all in one go for home delivery, with Beer Central being one of those traders. Order direct for next day delivery or via the City Grab app for delivery within the hour by a City Taxi. Note only the regular beers are available through this service, for the more exotic choices you should order a selection box for delivery directly with Beer Central.
On the governments road map out of lockdown pubs cannot open indoors until the end of May* and without restriction until late June*, however outdoor drinking with table service and maximum groups of six people will be possible from 12 April.
Below is our guide listing all the pubs with beer gardens or other outdoor areas in or near Sheffield that have announced they will be opening for outdoor table service this spring – not all pubs will find it viable to do so. Please click through via WhatPub to the individual venues’ website or social media for more details including opening hours and any booking requirements.
Not all pubs on the list serve real ale, click the link to WhatPub to check.
If you are aware of any pubs with an outdoor area that will be opening in April that we have missed off the list, please comment below with the details and we will add them where appropriate. Likewise if you spot any venues on the list that aren’t actually going to be opening after all let us know so they can be removed!
For details of current Coronavirus restrictions visit the government website, a summary of the roadmap out of lockdown is reproduced below. In pubs to summarise all customers are required to sign in to NHS Test & Trace (unless just picking up a takeaway), wear a face covering whenever not seated, sit at a table to eat & drink and be served at table. Please be nice to the staff having to implement these government safety rules!
Also from 12th April pubs are now allowed to include alcohol in their take away sales offering so some will also be selling beer to take home in carry out bottles if you fancy fresh cask beer but not drawn to the beer garden!
Public transport information for getting to the pubs by bus, train or tram is available from Travel South Yorkshire. Don’t forget by law face coverings currently must be worn on public transport and in taxis (unless you are exempt) and services are running at reduced capacity to allow for social distancing.
Looking for news about more than just pubs? The lovely people at This is Sheffield may be able to help with independent shops, cafes and more.
As far as pubs are concerned, the following phased reopening timeline has been announced. Note dates are the earliest it will happen and are subject to review based on meeting targets for vaccinations, hospital admissions etc. Also note not all pubs will find it viable to open with restrictions in place.
12 April
Pubs can do alcohol takeaway sales from the premises rather than just home deliveries
Beer gardens may open with table service and rule of six observed.
17 May
Larger groups permitted in beer gardens
Pubs may open indoors with table service, social distancing arrangements and rule of six enforced
21 June
social distancing rules removed
pubs may open in a normal fashion
nightclubs and live music venues may open and festivals can take place (this may be subject to conditions yet to be decided).
Until pubs can start reopening, they need proper financial support in order to survive and decisions made in the budget announced on 3rd March will be important. A facility to email your MP on the subject is available on the CAMRA Save Our Pubs campaign page.
Comment on the announcement from CAMRA’s national Chairman below.
Summary of steps out of lockdown (graphic from Sheffield City Council).
The Clubhouse sports bar on London Road is now open on Fridays and Saturdays offering cask beer and other drinks along with burgers and hot dogs for home delivery. Each weekend they generally have a choice of three real ales on handpump sold in 4 pint takeaway bottles, order via Uber Eats or Citygrab.
A new off licence has opened in Ranmoor focused on beer and wine. Ranmoor Castle has a range of craft beer and offers local delivery.
Another beer outlet is due to open in Hillsborough this spring. Pangolin Craft Beer will be a specialist bottle shop also featuring a small bar to try the beers they have on tap which will also be available to buy in carry out containers. It is located at Hillsborough Park tram stop on Middlewood Road.
Landlord Jake has handed his notice to Punch Taverns to terminate the lease of the Red Deer in Sheffield City Centre, another good pub to not survive the Covid restrictions, we can only hope the pub company find a new tenant as good as Jake to reopen it. A virtual leaving party will be taking place featuring live music on 13 March and until then the weekly quiz is still taking place online and their beer home delivery service will continue.
In Victorian times, mass-produced flatirons were used in pairs: while one was in use, the other was warmed by an open fire. Their shape is similar to an isosceles triangle: a triangle that has two sides of equal length. The difference is that the equal sides curve outwards before coming to a sharp point. In addition, the third side is less than half the length of the two curved sides.
Across the UK, there are many pubs which have a shape similar to the flatiron. They are usually built on an acutely angled corner site and often have a wedge-shaped corner, not the classic sharp point.
Three Tuns – Open Street MapThree Tuns – interior
One local example is the Three Tuns on Silver Street Head in the centre of Sheffield. Built in 1840, this Grade II listed building was originally multi-roomed, taking on its current internal layout in 1976. It is an exception to most pubs of this shape in that the wedge side is not used as an external door. Instead, as illustrated by both the map and the photo, it is like sitting in the bow of a ship.
Other examples include the ornate Grade II* listed, Barton Arms in Birmingham. Dating from 1900-01, this is much larger than the Three Tuns and has a very large wedge for the corner. Closing in 2000, it was reopened by Oakham Ales in 2003.
Located within a converted RBS bank and opened in late 2017, RedWillow Buxton also exhibits the classic shape. Passing through the double wooden entrance doors, the large original entrance area leads, via a wood-panelled porch, to a further set of double doors and into the bar area. Original ornate carved wood is above your head as you enter. In addition, an original mahogany and glass office space to the right of the bar, holds tables and large leather chairs. Two original brass hooks (for hanging jackets/coats) remain from the days of bank-use. Above the entrance to this space is original carved woodwork.
Across the country are many ‘flatiron’ pubs. Other examples include: the Baltic Fleet (Liverpool), the Black Friar (London), the Central Hotel (Gateshead) and the Tap (Derby).
Many more exist: between us, can we name them all?
Under the new 2021 lockdown rules, whilst pubs can sell take away food & drink they are only able to include alcoholic drinks on home deliveries.
Here is a list of pubs, bars, breweries and specialist shops based in our area that we are aware of doing takeaway and home delivery. Please use the links via whatpub.com to the individual trader’s website or social media for more information on how to order, delivery hours etc.
Note off licences and brewery shops are able to open as normal and a special mention goes to the Archer Road Beer Stop who offer hand pulled cask beer to take home.
Pubs and independent beer shops offering home delivery of alcoholic drinks and/or meals:
If you are aware of a venue that is doing take home orders or delivery that isn’t on the list, please post a comment below and we’ll add them to the list where appropriate. Likewise if you spot any on the list that shouldn’t be please let us know!
La Di Da is a new specialist shop is opening in Chapeltown on 5 December, selling Quality Wines, Rare Malt Whisky, World Spirits, Craft Ales and a selection of Havana and International Cigars.
The man behind the shop is Wayne Griffin, he’s been a manager at Mitchell’s Wines of Meadowhead for 10 years, they have a great local reputation and it is likely Chapeltown will be benefiting from his experience there!
The beer range at La Di Da includes many local breweries plus craft beers from further afield both UK and international along with some of the classic Belgian beers.
As the fight for survival continues across the UK hospitality industry, one speciality beer shop in Sheffield is celebrating 7 years in business and its founder is determined to keep looking forward.
Jules Gray
Jules Gray is not your average business owner. Way back in 2013 she founded Hop Hideout – one of the UKs first ‘drink in’ beer shops – and soon after went on to establish flagship events Sheffield Beer Week and Indie Beer Feast. In fact, Jules has led several significant ‘firsts’ in what continues to be a male dominated industry, and now she’s about to celebrate another – the 7th birthday of Hop Hideout.
2020 has been one hell of a rollercoaster ride for the beer industry. For Jules, the last 12 months have seen her going from the highs of celebrating the booming craft beer scene across her various projects, to the whiplash-inducing pandemic-driven emergency stop and the immensely challenging times that ensued.
She’s always tried to remain positive, though, and through keeping in touch with her regulars and the support of the local community she’s found a way to invest her energy in hope.
Hop Hideout in Kommune – photo by Mark Newton
Jules has big plans for the rest of 2020: “I’m focused on celebrating Hop Hideout’s 7th anniversary in November, which feels momentous given the year we’ve had. We’ve organised a big Zoom virtual party on a beer and cats theme – showcasing a new design we had commissioned. We’ve got yoga, a virtual brewery tour, a beer label art talk by a well-known beer writer and a pub quiz with special guests – plus plenty of cat themed beers!
Looking beyond the birthday, I also want to make sure Christmas is as special as it can be this year. We’ve created some great craft beer and craft cider advent calendars and we have more goodies lined up.”
Jules’ positivity is what’s needed right now. With the hospitality sector experiencing the biggest loss of jobs than any other sector this year, there’s some way to go to get back to any kind of normal. According to UK Hospitality over 90% of fully COVID-secure hospitality and pub businesses are operating at a loss, and thousands of otherwise viable businesses in Tier 3 and Tier 2 areas have already closed. The leading trade association is calling for more Government support to ensure businesses can survive as they believe hospitality – a sector that, prior to Covid, directly provided 3.2 million jobs across every part of the UK, and a further 1 million in dependent supply chains – can lead the revival of the economy in 2021.
As ever, Jules is keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the future. With values strongly rooted in people, beer experiences, good causes, and community she’s already working on plans for 2021.
“Indie Beer Feast usually happens in March but I’m hoping we can maybe bring an autumn edition next year. In terms of Hop Hideout, product-wise we want to continue our focus on fine cider and natural wine which we’ve been investing a lot of energy in recently. I’m genuinely excited for the development of the UK craft cider sector. We also plan to explore new bricks and mortar sites – obviously this just got a whole lot more challenging but I do still have hope and I want to invest in local high streets, so watch this space.”
In terms of the wider industry, Jules is already no stranger to collaboration, peer support, and working to make beer a more diverse and equal space, but she hopes to see much more of this, post-pandemic: “If just some good can come from all this, I hope next year sees an increased collaborative approach across the independent beer sector, using these shared experiences to come together. I also hope that craft beer businesses continue to challenge themselves to be open and welcoming to all – from an actionable and economic foundation, not just marketing talk. There’s not only hope in hops; there’s a real opportunity to do good and help each other.”
