DerbyTup

Yes I'd agree with you about that. The pizza's at Napoli Centro are less expensive than Proove as well, from what I recall. I think if you start adding extra toppings at Proove it can become quite pricey. The only thing I would say is that the range of pizza's at Napoli Centro is a bit more limited than at Proove. I like a simple ham and mushroom, "prosciutto et funghi". I can't get that at Napoli Centro. I can get "funghi" for £8, but they don't do prosciutto or even just plain ham as an additional topping. You can have Parma ham, as an additional topping, but I'm not so keen on Parma ham tbh - and it's £2.50 extra if you go for that option.

This little gem just off Sheffield Road at Whittington Moor, (just after the big roundabout with James's Cycles) is technically not in Sheffield of course - but as many of us may travel up and down that A61 between here and Chesterfield I thought it worth pointing out. http://www.margarets-chippy.co.uk/index.html Only open at lunchtimes, Wednesday through Saturday. Downside: Big queues - can take half an hour to get served! Upside: Delicious fish and chips done the traditional way and not expensive.

Which one?

I think you're right, but for some people, places like Pizza Hut and Domino's are their standard reference points for pizza. They probably wouldn't appreciate what authentic pizza looks or tastes like. The pizza's produced by the two places you have mentioned are so far removed from the mass produced rubbish that Pizza Hut and Domino's make, that they probably wouldn't even like them. Freshly made dough from Italian Caputo flour, fresh ingredients, cooked rapidly in a wood-fired oven. It's a whole different proposition to chain restaurant/take-away pizzas. I spent a few days in Naples a while ago and that's famous for its pizza. I think the ones from Proove and Napoli Centro are the closest thing I've had to that in the UK. Absolutely delicious! As to the closing of the branches: I think the reasons for that are obvious - they aren't making enough profit. And that's a combination of reduced foot-fall and high operating costs. These decisions aren't taken lightly or at random. It's nothing to do with how busy they were when you last went in!🙄

Allow me to just add a little perspective to what you've put... The French, have seen a sharp increase in new coronavirus infections, from 500 a day in July to 7,000 a day last week. Despite this huge increase, the numbers of patients becoming seriously ill or dying from it had remained stable until about a week ago. In the last week there has been a small increase in the number of patients admitted to intensive care and the number of deaths attributable to the virus. Whilst the increase is not large, it does appear that there is a general trend of slight increases in both. Considering the huge increases in the number of new infections seen, the increases in patients admitted to intensive care and deaths are very, very small indeed. I would have expected to have seen far greater numbers than that, if the virus was causing serious illness in those who have contracted these new infections. It further underlines that the majority of people contracting the infection, will not suffer serious illness as a result. A very small minority will - and those are the same ones that we know about, with other co-morbidities and underlying conditions. These same people will remain vulnerable even if, and when, a vaccine becomes available. Do we restrict everyone on the pretext of protecting the few? Or do we make the few fully aware of the risks and get them to protect themselves and let everyone else get on with their lives? If we believe that it is better, morally, medically, whatever, to restrict everyone because of the threat from this coronavirus, then should we do the same for seasonal flu, which killed 12 times more people than coronavirus in the UK last month? And where should we draw the line? At what point do we consider what the implications are for people with other health conditions by having such a focus on coronavirus, and what damage will be done to people's lives because of the economic impact on society? So, we are not going to open our theatres then? OK fine. Personally, I think we should. I think we should get on with life and allow people to make their own choices.

You'll have to tell us where that one in Manchester is? Not the one on Liverpool Road is it by any chance? This one does - open 11am - 9pm. I've tried it twice and the quality is good. https://www.whitbysrestaurant.co.uk/ And if you should ever get the wanderlust to explore the outer reaches of the Peak District, then this little place in the charming village of Longnor is well worth a visit, as I think you can tell from the photo (link below). Opens lunch and evenings (not Monday, Wednesday or Sunday unfortunately) and turns out excellent quality fish and chips - you can sit in as well as take away. https://www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x487a3af2d0728bb3%3A0xf9a0497f5c292317!3m1!7e115!4shttps%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOn7EIazDWQFDuWlgusoQvDLXXfvY0wsHE6Vy88%3Dw120-h160-k-no!5slongnor fish and chips - Google Search!15sCgIgAQ&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipOn7EIazDWQFDuWlgusoQvDLXXfvY0wsHE6Vy88&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiUt-u699PrAhWIC-wKHbJ3B_4QoiowCnoECBgQBg#

I expect it will be. I think there was a problem with the lease or something on the building in St Paul's place. It would be great if they could resolve that because it was such a nice restaurant in a very nice part of the city centre. Just what Sheffield needs. Although I think they said they were moving out to other premises. The Oisoi gathering place on Boston Street isn't anything like on the same scale of course. It's quite small, but they've done a good job with the decor all the same. I suspect it's something to do with "KH Oriental" as they have a super brand new oriental supermarket in the same building. I used to go to the previous KH oriental supermarket when it was in the old building around the corner - that's all been demolished now. I'm sure someone mentioned that the whole area around there was going to be a bit of a Chinatown? I don't know if that's still on the cards, I suppose like everything else, the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted a lot of plans. But again, that would be great for Sheffield if so. I enjoy visiting Chinatown in Manchester. Just wandering around those streets and seeing all these oriental shops, with ducks hanging in the window and the smells of oriental food in the air.

Yes us too. We had a table for 10 booked on the Saturday evening for a family get together - they phoned us on Saturday morning to say they'd closed down. They offered some vouchers or something for the inconvenience, but of course it's never re-opened. Which is such a pity because it was fabulous food in what felt more like a top end London restaurant.

That name rings a bell. Didn't he run the Beauchief Hotel a few years ago? I seem to remember reading something about that. All I know is, they wanted to revive it as a nice restaurant and they did a very nice job of the decor and stuff, but the food and the service let it down. I thought at the time that it was a shame because the place had so much potential. Of course, it's now being made into residential homes. Pity.

Yes. It's on Boston Street. If you know where "CandyTown" is (or was) on London Road, then you'll know Boston street, it's the street with Sainsbury's local (used to be Tiffany's nightclub) at the London Road end. Go down there, passing Aldi on your left, and it's in the next block right at the end. A new building. There are escalators up to the KH Oriental supermarket on the first floor and Oisoi "gathering" is up there. I had a take away from there two weeks ago and it was really excellent. I was most impressed by the cartons it came in as well! Not your usual take-away foil things, but very professional job. I tried to book in for a meal this week but fully booked. It's good. Very good. A cut above most other oriental restaurants in this city I'd say.

I think the OP is probably looking for a cafe that serves cakes, rather than a restaurant?

I'm not certain, but you may find it here? http://www.publicpublic.co.uk/index.php It's one of the best bars in Sheffield for cocktails - so maybe? The thing about Sangria is, it's not such a straightforward cocktail to make. It's not like mixing 2 or 3 spirits/liquors and that's it. There's a fair bit of preparation that needs to go into it if you want to reproduce something similar to what you may get on holiday in Spain. And it really needs to be made in quantity - the fruit needs to stand and macerate in sugar and cinnamon for a while to get the full flavour. So, the idea of going into a bar and them just knocking up a glass of it, whilst not impossible, means it's not going to be much like the real thing. I occasionally make my own because the bought stuff is just rubbish imo. If you've never had a go at making it then it's worth the effort. Here's a good recipe from the BBC Good Food website: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/sangria

This is great! Thank you for the tips.

I've not tried Cintra's, although I was parked up outside it only last week and I thought it looked a nice place. I usually go to Coleman's deli if I'm looking for a sandwich and coffee in Hathersage. That's also very nice, although they have a limited selection at present - all the sandwiches are pre-packed - it's still good but not the same experience as before. A favourite of mine in that area is the cafe at David Mellor's cutlery factory at Hathersage. That's also a lovely place to eat, especially in summer when there is outdoor seating on the terrace. They do really nice food and some of the best home-made soups I think I've ever had anywhere. Unfortunately they are closed until further notice, due to the pandemic. I've not tried it myself, but the Hathersage Social is also supposed to be really nice. It sounds like a working man's club, but it isn't! It's a very nice place just next to the Little John pub.

Just to let you know Mr Bargepole, I paid a visit to the Beestro at Troway Hall the other day, as a result of your recommendation. It is a lovely spot I agree. The food looked nice too, although I only stopped off for a pot of tea for two, but I may try the fare on offer another time. Regrettably, due to current circumstances, a "pot of tea for two", is two paper cups filled with tea, with two cartons of UHT milk and two lollipop sticks to stir it. £5. I was expecting a nice hot tea pot, with china cups, a little jug of fresh milk, and maybe even another little jug of hot water to make a refill. If this is what they have to do to abide by the restrictions imposed upon them due to the coronavirus, then I'm not being critical of them at all. But, like a lot of places we go to now, we come away slightly disappointed because the experience is not what it should be. Hopefully normal service will be resumed as soon as possible for all of us.

I think you have to be a bit careful what kind of thing you are going to offer, relative to what the majority of potential customers in that area want. I don't think it's a bad idea to try and offer something a bit different, but if the majority of your potential customers are wanting simple, "old-school", Indian food, onion bhaji's, poppadoms, korma, bhuna, madras, vindaloo, etc., and you are offering something rather less familiar then you could run into some difficulties. You need to understand your local market - wherever you set up. For example if you were opening up in a student area you'd probably want to consider low-cost, special offers for students, type fare. If you were opening up in a bohemian, new age, type area you'd want to perhaps be offering lots of veggie/vegan, superfood, type options. If you were going to open up in a more well-to-do area, where there are lots of professional residents, then something more high-end, featuring things like duck, quail, seafood, might be good to have on the menu. The other thing is understanding what the competition are offering in that area - because you are going to have to be competitive with them. If you are going to offer similar then you have to do it better - whether that's price, service or product. If you are going to do it different then make sure your customers want something different. Understanding what your local clientele is actually looking for is going to be even more important than the premises I think. But good luck to you anyhow - just make sure you do your research thoroughly before committing to it.

Many thanks. I know Troway Hall, that's the place where they sell honey, but I didn't know it had got a cafe, looks very nice! I didn't know about the Ward's place though. Both look worth exploring. As a kid I'd walk from Eckington through Bramley Woods, down onto the Ford, on a regular basis. From there you can go up the hill towards Ridgeway and off left down Sloade Lane, to the little hamlet of Povey, then down towards Troway. You've just given me a very good reason to re-discover that walk!

Some good tips there Bargepole! I've not tried the Komoot app, but funnily enough I was out walking last week in the Manifold Valley and two young ladies stopped to ask me directions - they were using the Komoot app but had lost their bearings a bit! No reflection on the app itself - in fact they were going in the right direction, but just wanted reassurance I think. Either that or they may have been trying to chat me up - you never know!😉 I second the routes you mention above. It's lovely around the Holmesfield/Millthorpe area. There's a footpath that runs from just opposite the Royal Oak pub, a bit further down (where Coughlan's restaurant used to be) that takes you up onto top of the moor. It's quite a steep narrow path - I've done it many times on my mountain bike. From there you can drop back down the hill into Barlow and come out next to the Peacock, and as you say, you've got Hackney House tea rooms there, which is a lovely place to stop. They do very nice food and on a nice day it's a lovely spot to sit outside. Nowthen, Moss Valley and Troway are places where I spent a lot of my childhood. You've surprised me though by saying there are multiple refreshment stops at Troway? I don't know of any, apart from the Gate Inn, if indeed that place is still going? There never used to be much there, but it is a long time since I was in that area. I'd be interested to learn more about that.

Hard to answer that without knowing what sort of things he'd enjoy/you'd enjoy? I'm not clear on whether you are looking for some form of "entertainment", i.e. pubs, bars, cafes, restaurants, museums, or something else? If my lad was vulnerable I'd be thinking of outdoors as opposed to indoors and there's absolutely no shortage of places to go around here. The Peak District is on your doorstep and a 15 minute drive from the city centre opens up a whole world of possibilities if you enjoy the countryside? If you have a bicycle, or would be willing to hire one, there are some wonderful (flat) trails to ride along, on old disused railway lines. Like the Trans Pennine trail, north of the city, or High Peak, Tissington, Monsal, etc., to the South. Check out Hassop Cafe as a starting point for the Monsal Trail. I think you can hire bikes there too. That's a lovely cycle, through disused, but well illuminated, old railway tunnels, all the way to the outskirts of Buxton - and the cafe at Hassop is a lovely place to stop for refreshments - free parking too in the field opposite. The only downside to these "popular" trails is they do get very busy, especially at weekends. I've been doing a lot of walking in Derbyshire and it's very easy to find some lovely walks, through the less well-known dales, and see very few people. Some examples: Hartington to Biggin Dale, back through Beresford Dale and Wolfscote Dale. Tideswell to Litton Mill via Water-cum-Jolly Dale. Calver to Stoney Middleton via Combs Dale. Wetton - Thor's Cave - Manifold valley - Ecton Hill. Closer to Sheffield, you've got the Sheffield Round Walk as someone has already said. But there's infinite numbers of other places as well. How about a short drive up over Ringinglow Moor, parking up there and taking a walk over Burbage and down to Fox House? Or Fox House down through Padley Gorge to Grindleford - lunch at the cafe there? or maybe on to Hathersage then get the bus back up the hill to Fox House? Or maybe take the train to Grindleford, have breakfast, and walk back? Redmires, Stanage Edge, Ringinglow is another nice walk. There are just so many! I've signed up for the following: https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/ I think it's absolutely great! You can download a map of the local area (or anywhere in the country) and see where all the footpaths and bridleways are. You can plot a route yourself, and it will tell you how many miles it is and how long it will take you to walk, run, or cycle it. Then you can just save the route and access it on your smartphone whilst you are out walking.

I thought it was very nice and quite funny to read TinHat's adaptation of W. H. Auden's "Funeral Blues" poem. Why that should be offensive to anyone I really don't know? I thought it was quite creative myself and all done light-heartedly in a bit of fun. I'm not a regular shopper at Argos. I have bought a few things from there in the past couple of years though strangely enough, because when I've done a search for something online they have often come up as being the most competitive on price and the products are available to collect conveniently in local stores, like Sainsbury's for example. I've never gone into store and gone thumbing through catalogues - I cannot see the attraction in that. So, to be clear, the Argos catalogue is not dead. It's just not being printed anymore. It will still be available online. I think that's absolutely fine myself. Much easier to find things online than by thumbing through a book.

Whoever you see first, needs to be able to make an accurate diagnosis. That's the key point. And I agree that taking painkillers isn't the solution, although it makes sense to do that in the short term if you're suffering a lot of pain. I've had a lot of exposure to physiotherapists, in fact my sister-in-law is one. She specialises in neurological physio, which is to do with the head, neck and spine. So a lot of her patients are people with neurological damage, like stroke patients for example. Other physio's may specialise on different parts of the body. They will all have had general training, but some may specialise on certain things, so it's worth looking into that before you select one I'd suggest.

We are agreeing (I think)? I gave some examples in a previous reply about situations where I would go directly to a physio and have done. That's involved payment though as I wasn't aware that it is possible to refer oneself to a NHS physio directly so I paid to go privately. If it is the case that you can refer yourself directly to an NHS physio, for something that appears pretty uncomplicated, then why not? But it's not clear whether that is available in this area and it depends on which CCG you are under. How would you find out? Ring the relevant CCG I suppose and ask. Or maybe ask at your local doctor's surgery? If it's the case that you can't refer yourself directly for NHS physio, then your GP certainly can and that means your physio treatment would be free.

I was thinking of the legend of Excalibur and the Kings of England when I read this. Of course, as far as we know, that is just a fictional story about the sword in the stone. There is, however, something rather more pertinent and real to research, if it's the history of the English monarchy that takes your interest. And it's here on your doorstep in Sheffield. You may, or may not, be aware that events leading to the first official King of all England occurred here? A very important part of English history, which for some reason, does not get much attention, locally or nationally. I'm sure if this was in America there would be a museum and theme park around it. Thank heavens it's not. But it's right here, in the village of Dore - it's easy to find - and it's definitely worth a visit if you are interested in English history. Link below: http://www.dorevillage.co.uk/pages/a-brief-history-of-dore

That’s poor form on the Consultant’s part but he’s probably expressing his frustration at the GP for what he considered an unnecessary referral. I’d always see my GP first if it was something that wasn’t obvious and may have multiple different causes. That’s really what they are there for. They know a little about a lot. But they could, or should, be able to refer or suggest your next best possible point of contact. They may also discover something else that is more serious. A mate of mine presented with aches and pains in his bones. He thought it was probably arthritis of some sort. I suppose he could have just gone straight to a physio? The GP performed some tests and it turned out to be something more serious.

No problem. I only saw the rest of the thread after I'd posted. I didn't realise you could refer yourself to an NHS physio - I thought you had to be referred by a GP? It used to be that way before, but I do know that there have been lots of initiatives to reduce the burden on GP consultations so maybe this is to do with that? The NHS website confirms what you are saying, but it says it depends on which part of the country you live in as to whether you can self-refer directly. I can't see any further information specific to Sheffield on the CCG site - but if I need physio again I'll certainly look into it. Thank you for the tip!