Did you know all University of Sheffield bars, cafes and restaurants are open to everyone?
This means that regardless of whether you're a student looking for a bite to eat before your next lecture or a local that wants a hot drink and cake whilst catching up with friends, the whole community can benefit from the options available.
Each building is unique, but warmly welcoming, and there's always an incredible selection available to choose from for all dietary requirements.
And for climate-conscious foodies, you're in for a real treat.
The University of Sheffield puts the planet at the forefront of its plans, and minimises its environmental impact wherever possible with its 'think local, act global' initiative.
The idea is that as many ingredients as possible are sourced from local butchers, greengrocers, coffee roasters and even dairy farms.
Our Cow Molly is a prime example of this. The local farm is located in Dungworth (S6), and sees their milk go from cow to coffee in as little as three hours. The locality of the business means that delivery emissions are reduced, local people are given jobs within the production line and customers like you and I get fresh free-range milk, served in giant 20 pints churns to minimise plastic wastage.
Now of course it's impossible to source everything from Sheffield but when the university is looking for products like coffee beans for instance, the supply chain is reduced as much as possible to ensure farmers and suppliers have their pay potential maximised.
The development of Roastology, the local supplier UOS uses for its coffee, is currently partnered with researchers from the University of Sheffield to support the development of the co-operative and work to solve problems within the global industry.
Food waste accounts for 9.5 million tonnes per year, but the University of Sheffield is ensuring that not only is all food wastage minimised, but that it goes to a deserving cause.
If there's any sandwiches, veggies or even cake left over at the end of the day, it is placed inside the community fridges at UOS accommodation sites Endcliffe and Ranmoor for students and members of the community to help themselves, completely free of charge. This is saving an average of twenty tonnes of food each year alone.
There's murals all around the cafe documenting the different initiatives across the university campus, encouraging locals to find out more about the reusable cups, electric delivery vehicles and even a 'Save our Sandwiches' campaign that minimises food waste and supports vulnerable people in Sheffield.
Need any more stats to get you thinking? This academic year, across the University of Sheffield, over 100,000 fewer single-use cups will be used across campus.
To find out more about the University of Sheffield's sustainability initiatives, you can visit the WithUS website.
All images - Benjamin Elliott via Unsplash
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Europe’s biggest purpose-built food hall has just opened in Sheffield
Cambridge Street Collective is unlike any food hall you've seen before, and luckily for us it's just a short train ride away in Sheffield.
If you're looking to get out of the city this summer, then we have the perfect day out for you.
And that's because our wonderful nearby city of Sheffield has just become home to Europe's biggest purpose-built food hall, and it is absolutely mega.
Cambridge Street Collective is a spectacular 29,000 square foot venue that can seat a whopping 1,200 visitors, showcasing food from across the globe.
Images: The Sheff
But it's not just about the food, the masterminds behind the new opening have seriously thought of everything.
From a floating stage that hosts live music to a Japanese-themed cocktail bar with a rooftop overlooking the city, you could easily spend hours in here exploring.
But now, onto the food.
Images: The Sheff
Malaysian dosas, Ethiopian cuisine, Detroit pizzas, Mexica tacos, the list goes on - you can take your tastebuds from one corner of the globe to another all under one roof.
There's also an entire room dedicated to traditional dim sum, a kitted out cookery school and a build your own hot pot station.
Drinks wise there are four bars serving cocktails, craft ales and everything in between, three rooftop terraces and a specialist Japanese drinking den serving highballs and whiskey.
Images: The Sheff
And it still doesn't stop there, there's a Korean photo booth and even a sand pit for the kids to play in whilst you enjoy.
Not only is it a great spot to relax with friends and enjoy some food and drink, but it's also a top place to work in during the day alongside likeminded people.
Unlimited coffee for £6? You can't say no to that.
Images: The Sheff
They're open seven days a week, and we assure you it's well worth the 50 minute train over from Leeds.
Yorkshire has been named in top places to live in the UK for first time buyers
Sophie Smith
If you're looking to buy a house this year - this might be some welcoming news.
The Co-operative Bank has revealed the most affordable places to buy a house in the UK and three major Yorkshire cities have made it to the top six.
Both Sheffield and Leeds have average house prices lower than the national average (which is now £264,400 as of December 2023, according to Zoopla), and were thought to be the fifth and sixth best cities for first time buyers.
To find out the best cities for first time buyers, The Co-operative Bank made a list of the 30 most populated cities in the UK. Each city was then scored and ranked according to a range of metrics, including:
Average house price
Average conveyancing costs
Average surveying costs
Average stamp duty costs
Crime safety index score
Traffic index score
Life satisfaction score
This found that both Sheffield and Leeds had a similar crime safety index score of around 43, placing them between Plymouth and Stoke-on-Trent, but when it came to traffic, Leeds was 32 points higher than its South Yorkshire comparison.
House prices differ slightly: £222,570 is the average in Sheffield and £246,026 in Leeds, and both placed a life satisfaction score of 7.3-7.5/10.
Leeds is ranked the sixth best city. / Images: Unsplash
Sheffield is ranked the fifth top place for first time buyers.
London is unsurprisingly the most expensive city for first time buyers in the UK, with the total average spend adding up to a huge £547,560. Bristol is the second-most expensive city (£353,033), followed by Edinburgh (£346,293), Reading (£332,283) and Southend-on-Sea (£327,729).
At the other end of the scale, another Yorkshire city can be found when solely comparing house prices. Kingston upon Hull was found to be the second-most affordable spot, offering a total cost of £140,814 around £5,000 less than, Blackpool with a total average price of £135,995 (including additional costs like conveyancing).
Sophie Smith -
15th December 2023 
