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.”
City Grab, the food delivery arm of City Taxis, have teamed up with their sister company ChefChef.store and event caterers PJ Taste, to create options for those brave or desperate enough to trade through these next few weeks.
Now that a substantial meal is a prerequisite for visiting a pub, the thorny question of how to open properly remains unresolved. Many simply won’t be able to afford the wages of kitchen staff, either at all, or during quieter shifts.
As pubs weigh up their options, City Grab have three opportunities for venues who decide to try and operate but are unable to open a kitchen. For all options we are promoting the idea of a ‘plateage fee’. Allowing pubs to charge a back to front version of corkage – the mainstay of BYOB venues over the years.
One option is to join a buddy system with one of City Grab’s outlets. The bar effectively becomes a broker for the customer and orders meals via City Grab for consumption in the next hour. City Grab will offer a ’99p per mile’ delivery as a two week introductory offer from Go Live. Diners can expect their food to arrive within half an hour, with the pub charging a surcharge for the table. This can help keep two independents viable at the same time.
Alternatively, or to compliment the above, with ChefChef.store and PJ Taste we have developed a lunchtime and evening ready meal package. Lunch time meals are budget frozen meals, with evening meals pre-booked off a five plate menu and delivered ready to heat on the night.
All of the above will be supported by extensive marketing through the City Grab marketing, PR and social media channels.
We know it’s not ideal and it might not be enough – but if it helps one or two venues get through these crazy times then we reckon it’s worth it. if you are interested in joining the scheme or finding out more, get in touch with the team on hayley.hirst@citytaxis.com.
NOTE: This was the old tier 3, which is now tier 2, where pubs can only open if they operate as a restaurant.It will become relevant again if our area is moved to tier 2.
*note this is taken from their Facebook event page
They had taken a break from beer events for a little while but wanted to celebrate a special little weekend held at Shakespeare’s that got slightly overshadowed by a certain global crisis but took a ridiculous amount of work to pull off and produced some incredible beers.
Right on the cusp of everything going doolally and the whole world changing we held a beer festival of 15 beers we had collaboratively brewed ourselves. One of these was the events flagship beer, if you will, Collabracadabra, a honey, vanilla and Apricot pastry braggot brewed at Steel City with help from Abbeydale, Neepsend, Blue Bee, and Lost Industry.
It all seems 5 minutes ago since we had a BBQ and chucked a lot of apricot in this but it turns out it has actually been months – and during those months a little run off has been ageing in a white wine barrel to make CollabracadaBA.
Being Shakespeare’s, we obviously wanted to get the barrel aged braggot in cask, so we did. Along side it we have what we think is probably the last remaining keg of the original beer too so you can quaff them together to compare and contrast.
While we’re at it we’ve stuck with the honey theme and also have Steel City’s Hive Mind honey saison, and stuck with the mad theme with something extra special as a little nod of appreciation to our lovely pals up the road at the Crow Inn. We love our recently acquired pub neighbours all the time but we’re especially chuffed for them getting Zwanze day this same weekend. We’ve got a blend of Collabracadabra and Corvus Corone in Bordeaux – a red wine barrel aged sour brut IPA brewed by the Crow lot. Put them together and what do you get? We don’t know but were hedging bets it will be delicious.
So there you have it, 3 beers with the same beer that are all totally different and one with similar ingredients that is also completely different – genuinely.
This event is at Shakespeare’s on Saturday 26th September from 3pm.
The team from Bar Stewards – the little craft beer bar on Gibraltar Street – have been to True North Brewery in Sheffield City Centre to join brewer Dean produce a special one off beer available in the bar this week.
“God Hates a Coward” is a 5.5% ABV New England IPA brewed with a variety of hops – Sabro, Mosaic, Nelson Sauvin and Loral – and plenty of them!
The beer launched on the Bar Steward’s keg wall on Wednesday 9th September with an exclusive one off cask version dry hopped with Citra following on handpump on Friday.
Another wave of pub re-openings following lockdown has happened in the last week or two, although of course still all a fairly different experience with Covid-Safe measures.
Out at Woodhouse Mill the Oxbow micropub has recommenced bar service for drinking on the premises after a period of operating as an off licence with a couple of tables added outside. Opening hours are reduced and it is contactless payment only, check their Facebook page for details.
Meanwhile in the City Centre Fagans, Beehive and the Washington have now reopened. The Washington now has table service and as government guidelines currently forbids dancing, the dance floor has been converted into a couple of cosy seating areas although a programme of DJs and live music of sorts is still taking place (at reduced volume!).
Down in the Kelham/Neepsend area Church – Temple of Fun has reopened with a bit of a reconfiguration of the venue, new vegan food menu and table service. A cask beer continues to be available on the bar, on the opening weekend this was Abbeydale Behemoth.
The Albion on London Road, run by Stancill Brewery, reopens on 18th September.
The Three Cranes in Sheffield City Centre has closed due to Covid.
The Hanover‘s lease is up for sale due to the current owner expecting a baby.
The Old Workshop bar on Hick Street, Neepsend, reopens on Friday 18th September as a fully vegan venue and will be the new home of Make No Bones vegan fast food, who were previously based at Church Temple of Fun (and before that had a little cafe in Heeley).
The Industry Tap bar in Sheffield City Centre celebrates its first birthday from 17th to 20th September with an extensive and special tap list.
The Fulwood Ale Club have received conditional planning permission for outdoor seating and awning until 9pm.
Pubs and bars have gradually been reopening from 4 July and things will be a little different whilst Covid-19 safety rules are in force. Below is CAMRA’s rough guide to the new way of pubgoing, updated to reflect the September changes to government guidance. Note additional comments at the end regarding changes from 14th October.
Check out WhatPub for all the information we have about which pubs are reopening and when. Links are also provided to the pub’s website and social media for more details, including any changes to opening hours.
If you are using public transport to get to the pub, check out the Travel South Yorkshire website for current timetables and social distancing arrangements and don’t forget your face covering, which is now a legal requirement on public transport and in taxis (unless you have a valid exemption)!
So how do things work now?
As each pub, bar and food hall are unique and different, there are some differences in the way they are doing things but all the basics are the same in line with government Covid-Safe guidelines with the management and staff working hard to ensure they are providing a clean, safe and comfortable environment to enjoy food and drink:
When you arrive you will normally be greeted by a member of staff who will take your NHS Test & Trace contact details (you can either using the new NHS app or the venues own system), ask you to sanitise your hands and show you to a freshly cleaned table. Some venues may require you to book a table in advance, some are walk-in and some a mixture of both.
You must have a table, standing in pubs to drink is no longer permitted and unfortunately once all tables are taken no more customers are allowed in.
Pubs now operate table service (how civilised!). You are asked where possible to look at drinks menus either printed or online rather than perusing pump clips at the bar.
A maximum of 6 people may sit together and you shouldn’t mix with other groups. The same rules now apply both indoors and outdoors.
Social distancing arrangements may be in place such as one way systems, separate entrances and exits and limitations of the numbers in the toilets at any one time.
Contactless card payments are preferred in venues that accept them as this reduces the risk of Coronavirus being spread through cash handling. Some venues are taking orders and payments online either via a website or an app.
You are asked not to move furniture around as the positions are all measured out to comply with social distancing rules.
You should follow social distancing advice at all times including if you are outside smoking or queuing to gain entry as well as within the venue.
Use your “indoor voice”, shouting can potentially spread germs further. Venues will keep any music and TV to background level to ensure raised voices are not necessary.
You must wear a face covering when not sat at your table (so when you arrive and are shown to a table along with when you need to move around the venue such as to visit the toilets for example).
All pubs, restaurants and takeaways must be closed with everyone out by 10pm. It is expected that the bars will stop serving around 9:30pm to allow drinking up time so you should ensure you have your last drink (and any take home purchases) by then.
Please be nice to the staff implementing the new rules. They are government rules designed to keep everyone safe through the pandemic, if the staff do not manage the pub in a covid-secure manner they could be closed down!
FROM 14th OCTOBER – NEW 3 TIER LOCAL RESTRICTION SYSTEM
In Tier 1 areas (Medium Alert) the above applies.
In Tier 2 areas (High Alert) an additional rule of not being allowed to be indoors with people from outside your own household applies (therefore if you go to the pub with anyone you do not live with you will need a table outside, unless they are in your support bubble).
In Tier 3 areas (Very High Alert) you can only go to pubs if you are having a meal
This national government funded initiative runs throughout August on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays with a 50% discount off food and non alcoholic drinks up to a maximum saving of £10 per head at participating cafes, restaurants and pubs when you dine in.
This is a great opportunity to eat out at pubs that do food at the normally less busy part of the week at very reasonable prices – a main course normally costing a tenner will be reduced to a fiver, a meal normally costing £20 will be just £10 and a bar snack normally costing a fiver is reduced to basically some loose change!
A whole variety of pubs are taking part in this dining out scheme from community locals and cosy country pubs through to City Centre bars, food halls and gastropubs; both local independent operators and well known chains.
You can search for participating venues on the government website here. Alternatively there’s a handy map showing the pubs, cafes, restaurants and food halls taking part here.Don’t forget government Covid-Safe restrictions remain in force – if you are sitting indoors you are limited to a maximum of two households sat together whilst outdoors in a beer garden it can be up to any six people sat together. Check with individual pubs for any requirements to book a table, revised opening hours etc. Links to pubs websites and social media are available on whatpub.com.If you are using public transport to get to the pub, all passengers are now welcome but you must by law wear a face covering unless exempt, you should look out for any social distancing measures in place on board and are asked to buy tickets by contactless means rather than cash where possible. Latest timetables for our area can be downloaded at travelsouthyorkshire.com.
The team from 
