The unpolished charm of Sheffield’s Kelham Island quarter has made it a favourite amongst pub crawlers since way back when, and it's the industrial soul of the place that’s now attracting restaurants and eager foodies.
Enter award-winning gastropub, The Milestone. Set at the tail end of Green Lane, next to where some of the first large scale cutlery works stood in the city, it’s a welcome beginning (or end) to any local ale guzzler’s session in the area – an area you can find out all about in our Sheffield Ale Trail.
Priding itself on locally sourced produce, grown-up, earthy flavours and a warm, low-lit atmosphere, there’s a reason this place was named Gordon Ramsay’s best British restaurant in 2010.
And when we say grown-up flavours, we’re talking about the dishes that leave your mouth wondering what just happened. The dishes that have been served to the good people of Sheffield since its opening, alongside British bottled ales and garden-inspired cocktails. From the presse of slow cooked pigs head with toasted sesame and miso caramel, to the treacle cured salmon served with cucumber, pickled shallot and furnace hill shoots, the interesting romance between ingredients is sure to leave a lasting impression on your tastebuds.
We’re pretty sure that’s why The Milestone folks’ affection for distinctive grub is seeping across each corner of the city with its family of venues – city centre pub The Wig and Pen and, more recently, artisan pizza place-cum-craft beer haven Craft and Dough, where they put crisps on pizzas. Enough said.
Menu wise, the restaurant is fit for any meat eater looking to sample locally sourced cuts, which include Derbyshire loin steak with black pudding puree and pan roasted market fish with cockle butter. However, chefs have been diligent enough to treat vegetarian diners with the same kind of imaginative aptness in the kitchen. One option is the lusciously light whipped goat’s cheese with beetroot gel and wafer thin circles of Yorkshire beetroot balanced delicately on top.
When it comes to desserts, expect similar expertise in the pud department. Warm treacle pudding, a milk chocolate brownie with lavender cream or the indulgent "tasting of puddings" for two will all be a tasty end to an adventurous meal here.
If you’re after something special, The Milestone's eight course taster menu, "Flavours of the Season", celebrates British produce in a feast that takes place on the first Friday of every month.
One for a treat or just a taste of local heritage – make sure The Milestone's on your Sheffield hit list. If not for the calibre of food, for the fact it’s a stone’s throw away from hidden real ale pubs The Fat Cat and Kelham Island Tavern.
- Words by
- Lorna Dockerill
- Images by
- Will Roberts
