Cambridge Street Collective: We check out Europe’s biggest purpose built food court and see why Sheffield could be Yorkshire’s new foodie capital
I grew up in Pitsmoor, Sheffield which was often viewed as one of the “roughest areas” of the city, synonymous with crime.
Our area's redeeming feature to outsiders was the famous The Kashmir Curry Centre on Spital Hill. There were a number of cafes too serving up a wide range of multicultural cuisine. Sadly it was hard to attract trade from outside the area, because we were wrongly known as a ‘no-go area.’
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Hide AdPeople would head to the periphery of the area, grabbing a curry from The Kashmir or scaling the nearby Ski Village until it burned down.


It was their loss because the Pitsmoor community is incredible with a plethora of local cooks serving up an array of cuisines from Caribbean dumplings to pakoras and Middle Eastern delicacies. You only had to attend a local event to taste this array of food.
Wicker Arches at the bottom of Spital Hill attaches our oft-forgotten area to Sheffield city centre. The Wicker is home to Marcia’s Caribbean Food and Kebabish which is open 24/7.
The rest of the area was surrounded by closed down factories where folk would have proudly participated in Sheffield's world renowned steel industry.
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Hide AdThis bygone industry gave Sheffield the accolade of being the Steel City due to us being the industrial capital of the world when it comes to steel, cutlery and toolmaking.


In recent years these derelict buildings have become an integral part to Sheffield’s bourgeoisie skyline. Our Steel City is often described as the food capital of the UK for its range of food halls and festivals.
Cutlery Works became the largest food hall in the North of England when it opened near to Sheffield’s Peddler Market - close to Krynkl Space which is home to the Michelin recommended Joro restaurant - all based in and around Kelham Island at the bottom of Pitsmoor.
Kelham Island is the former industrial heart of the city with The Fat Cat, the city’s first Real Ale pub, Yellow Arch Studios and The Milestone restaurant proving popular prior to the area’s full regeneration into a foodie Mecca.
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Hide AdOver the years I still can’t believe that my route from where I was born into the city centre is now seen as trendy with people desperate to acquire a residential property in nearby Neepsend.


Sheffield's thriving food scene has now spread from Kelham Island on this side of the city - as well as from London Road and Ecclesall Road on the other side of the city - into the city centre which also boasts Sheffield’s annual festival of food and drink.
Whether you want fine dining style British cuisine from the stunning Silversmiths, the new Moor Market vendors or a hot pork sandwich from Beres, there is plenty to choose from.
Sheffield Plate food court stands proud in Orchard Square serving up street food and more upmarket chains are adjacent in Leopold Square.
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Hide AdNow there’s yet another food hub in town. An epic new venture from Blend, the people behind Cutlery Works, called Cambridge Street Collective.
It’s Europe's largest purpose built food court featuring 20 traders. Most are local businesses, showcasing the city’s wide range of cuisines and cultural influences.
From Nepalese food to Italian and Ethiopian, Blend Family’s Matt Bigland said the three-storey venue showcases Sheffield’s “multicultural DNA.”
I love the fact that at least 85 per cent of the stands will be for local traders, giving them a central platform to combine the trendy aspects of Kelham Island with independent cooks which I grew up with, trying their cuisines. There’s everything from Dosas to Roti Canai and a vendor dedicated to eggs.
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Hide AdLike a lot of food halls now you order from a QR code. Prices are fairly standard starting from £8 to £16 for a main.
While it’s great they have a small children’s play area as a nod to being family friendly, with its 1,200 capacity and all the buzz around the opening, I wouldn’t find it the most relaxing place to take my kids but that’s the same with most food halls.
I’m yet to eat here but it will certainly be on my ‘places to eat’ list next time I’m visiting family in Sheffield and hopefully if it’s nice weather I can eat it in the nearby Peace Gardens as my family all like different things.
That said, there’s no beating Sheffield when it comes to the food. We already make the best cutlery, I think now we can also say we make the best grub to use it with.
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