November 2023. Sheffield.
The short trek from central Sheffield’s industrial quarter, between the Moor and Bramall Lane, is spookily quiet on Friday night.
It’s one of the real points of contrast between Sheff and Manchester; less folk on the streets,
but the pubs and diners still seem packed.
We’d missed the Christmas market, including the big wheel with views of 108 brewery taps from the top,
and had to make do with an early end to the night in the Benjamin Huntsman.
One of my favourite JDWs, with high quality (non-GBG) beer, exposed ducts,
minimalist Christmas decorations (I think that’s what those wires hanging down are),
and Christmas that starts on 15 Dec and takes you through to New Year !
Being a beer smellier, I expertly matched the salted caramel brownie (non-Xmas) with a £3.66 can of craft.
Not quite a spotless glass, but you can’t expect a quality dishwasher at that price.
Odd to see old traditionalists Nethergate at the 7.5% cutting-edge of craft, but this was stunning. The Mudg(i)es would hated it, mind.
My only gripe was the cup of slop masquerading as Tetley tea that emerged having put the teabag and milk in before the hot water.
An hour later nothing outrageous had happened, you have to go to Manchester for real Spoons drunkenness, and no-one had leaped the barrier to the fairground.
Ahead lay the Cathedral, and the Easyhotel, and a 6am alarm to wake us up for the plumber in the morning.
retiredmartin 
How did I miss that one last April ?
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I blame your host.
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Beer smellier. Nice one!
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Well if you will put the teabag and milk in before the hot water, what do you expect? I use these machines to make tea in Spoons up and down the country and I can produce a perfectly palatable result every time. But then I do know what I’m doing. First, scald the cup with hot water, then add the teabag and pour on the hot water. Allow to brew to taste, then add milk. I bring my own teaspoon to stir and squeeze out the teabag—avoid the wooden stirrers at all costs as they taint the tea.
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Show-off.
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Spoons Crimbo starts nice and early on the 15th November for the purist. I’m looking forward to my turkey roast at our old boys Christmas party in Woking Spoons where the longest serving
Manager in one of Tim’s pubs looks after up to 30 of us royally ensuring that at least 2 dark beers are on for us all.
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My niece who’s doing a postgraduate course at Sheffield University is in student accommodation just off the Moor. I sent her this and she found it very funny, especially the bit about the view from the top of the wheel at the Christmas market, which she is yet to go on but will try to verify when she does.
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A great place to be a student, Matthew. We find the students round here rather more grounded (and more sensibly dressed) than those in other large northern cities !.
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