Fairs, Markets and Unique Shopping Events in Sheffield - July, August, September

There are lots of events that happen around Sheffield which are great places for local artists, crafters and producers to share their work...and for customers to find unique treats, do some one of a kind shopping and meet the makers. 

Here are some that are coming up in the next few weeks...

July

4th-7th
The Steel Stage for the Tour de France 
Music, stalls, entertainment, beer festival and lots more. And on the Sunday you get to see the Tour de France go passed too!

5th
Sheffield Country Market
A regular Saturday morning market at Broomhill with locally made food, crafts, plants and produce. Spooner Road 9am-midday.

Sheffield Alternative and Burlesque Fair
A shopping event full of burlesque, rockabilly, vintage, gothic and much more at the Corporation nightclub.

10th, 11th, 12th 
Craft supply sale at Bird's Yard
The designers based in Bird's Yard on Chapel Walk are having a clear out and selling lots of supply based bargains in the shop.

12th & 13th
Kelham Island 1940s Weekend and Vintage Fayre
Lots of wartime themed entertainment including a tea dance, vintage hair and beauty, swing dancing and live music as well as vintage and craft stalls.

20th   
Sharrow Vale Market
The popular street market returns with a mix of food, entertainment and crafts along Sharrow Vale Road. 12-4   

26th
Bird's Yard Craft Fair
A mix of food, craft, art, handmade and other entertainments in the city centre shop on Chapel Walk. 11am-4pm.

Devonshire Market
A mix of food, drink, vintage and handmade at the outdoor market. 11am-6pm

 

August

30th
Devonshire Market
A mix of food, drink, vintage and handmade at the outdoor market and this time it's a Street Theatre Special 11am-6pm
 

September 

6th and 7th 
Art in the Gardens
A two day celebration of handmade, crafts and arts in Sheffield's Botanical Gardens.

14th
Whirlow Farm Fayre 
Stalls, food, entertainment and animals all set on a farm!

Sheffield Antiques Quarter Late Summer Market
Both indoors and outdoors at the Abbeydale Picture house, this market offers vintage, antiques, crafts and food. 

20th
Mary's Marvellous Market 
A mix of vintage and craft at the popular market held in St Mary's church, Bramall Lane.

21st
Nether Edge Market
An outdoor street market packed with food, craft and art. Lots of entertainment too! 12-4, Nether Edge and Glen Roads

27th
Devonshire Market
A mix of food, drink, vintage and handmade at the outdoor market and this time it's a Sheffield Jazz special 11am-6pm 

Lou Lou's Vintage Fair
Lots of lovely vintage clothes, accessories and home wares at the city hall. 

My Weekend...

I had a fun weekend with two different events where I was able to meet people, do some organising and a little shopping too!

Saturday

I helped to organise and run a 'competitive craft fair' at Bird's Yard in Sheffield where customers could vote for their favourite stall from independent designers. We also had live music and tarot card readings!

The winners were My Vintage Sister who make scented candles in vintage teacups and glasses as well as pretty paper creations. They'll be joining the shop in July for free!

Sunday

On Sunday I went to Nether Edge Farmer's Market as part of Sheffield Country Market where I had items for sale along with other local handmade craft and food treats. I also treated myself to lots of local food from the other stalls too including delicious marshmallow from Sociably Sweet, oat and apple bread from Forge Bakehouse, beetroot sour dough from Seven Hills Bakery and some lovely curd made with goat's milk (as well as chutney, ice cream, burgers, stuffed vine leaves, raspberry shortbread, mushroom flan, coconut and rice milk drinks...there's a lot of tempting stuff there!)

Farm Yard @ Bird's Yard

On Saturday 24th May Bird's Yard in Sheffield city centre held a new event - Farm Yard @ Bird's Yard. For those of you who don't know, Bird's Yard is a shop that sells lots of local designers' work as well as unique pieces and now the downstairs has been turned into an event space where their first market was held at the weekend.

I sell some work in the shop and offered to help organise the event (I love organising!) inviting lots of delicious local food stalls and talented musicians to take part. Although the weather was against us (Chapel Walk where the shop is was more live a river than a pavement) everyone who braved the torrents loved it!

Here's what happened...

Cupcake Time even made some farmyard themed cupcakes!

 

And Hollow Meadow Flowers brought a true farmyard touch with their locally farm grown flowers...

There was also face painting and glitter tattoos from Dreams and Screams and food art from Michael Borkowsky (and if you happen to be in Sheffield on Monday they'll be there again!)

Farm Yard @ Bird's Yard 24th May - a Sneak Preview

On the 24th May Bird's Yard is hosting it's first market in its new downstairs event space. The popular city centre shop in Sheffield will be transformed into a farmyard complete with farmers market, live folk music and hay bales!

Here's a little preview of what you'll find there as well as special offers in the shop...

These are just a few of the wonderful treats on offer... join us on the day to to see them all!

Farm Yard @ Bird's Yard

24th May 12-4

Bird's Yard, Chapel Walk, Sheffield

Fairs, Markets and Unique Shopping Events in Sheffield

There are lots of events that happen around Sheffield which are great places for local artists, crafters and producers to share their work...and for customers to find unique treats, do some one of a kind shopping and meet the makers. 

Here are some that are coming up in the next few weeks...

 

April

26th 
Burton Street Spring Fair, Hillsborough
A mix of stalls, activities and farm animals with proceeds going towards the Burton Street Foundation's work. 1pm-4pm

Sheffield Country Market
A regular Saturday morning market at Broomhill with locally made food, crafts and produce. Today they're promoting their 'One Stop Shop'. 9am-midday.

Up Market 
Visit the vintage and craft market in its new location at Sellers Wheel Courtyard on Arundel Street in the city centre. 10am-5pm Saturday 11am-4pm Sunday


27th
Sheffield Antiques Quarter Vintage Spring Market
A mix of Sheffield's vintage and craft sellers to be found at Abbeydale Picture House in the Sheffield Antique Quarter. 11am-5pm

May 

3rd
Sheffield Vintage Fair
The ever popular Lou Lou's vintage fair returns to Sheffield Town Hall. Lots of vintage clothes, accessories and homewares. 11am-5pm

10th 
Sheffield Alternative and Burlesque Fair
Burlesque, vintage and alternative finds of all kinds. Corporation, Milton Street. Midday-6pm.

11th
High Storrs Craft Fair and Carboot Sale
Various ways to shop at High Storrs school! 10am-1pm.

17th
Mary's Marvellous Vintage and Craft Market
They market themselves as 'Quite possibly the best vintage and craft market in the world...ever!' They do have a lot of great stalls there! St Mary's church, Bramall Lane. 10am-4pm

17th - 31st
The Hat Stand
The latest pop up shop in the Winter Gardens in the city centre. This fortnight it focuses on all kinds of headwear. 

31st 
Lou Lou's Artisan Market
Following on from the success of their vintage market, Lou Lou is hosting their first Artisan market in Sheffield with lots of crafts, arts, clothing, food, jewellery and more. Midday-5pm.

Devonshire Market
A popular outdoor market at Devonshire Green. Find foods, crafts, clothes and more. 11am-6pm.

 

June 

3rd
Tapton Spring Food and Craft Fayre
Lots of tempting local foods and crafts on a Tuesday morning 9am-2pm.

22nd
Nether Edge Farmer's Market
A mix of lots of delicious local food with some crafts and entertainment thrown in too! Midday-4pm.

28th
Devonshire Market
A popular outdoor market at Devonshire Green. Find foods, crafts, clothes and more. 11am-6pm.

29th  
Crosspool Festival's Street Market

A mix of stalls outdoors in Crosspool.

Sheffield Country Market - Local homemade food, crafts and produce

Sheffield Country Market is part of a network of Country Markets which offer local food, crafts and produce all over the UK. They have a co-operative approach with a variety of members from all walks of life working together to run regular local markets offering great quality items. In Sheffield these markets are every Saturday morning at Broomhill, but we also join in with other popular markets in the city.

The market in Sheffield offers a range of tasty treats and handmade crafts, as well as locally grown produce when it's in season. There's an array of breads, cakes, savory dishes and preserves (amongst others!) alongside cards, jewellery, cosmetic creams, knitted baby clothes, glass wear and wood turned decorations. I've been attending as a producer for a few months and can't resist coming home with more than I went with!

As well as the regular Saturday morning markets, we also have stalls the very popular Nether Edge and Sharrow Vale markets. Last weekend it was Sharrow Vale's turn to offer up its range of treats and Sheffield Country Market was right there amongst the other talented stall holders who provided Sheffielders with meats, cheeses, breads, chocolate, art, vintage finds, plants, books, jewellery and lots more too.

If you visited the stall you could have got yourself a prettily decorated Easter cake, daffodil decoration and Easter cards (all set for the weekend after!); a baby's cardigan, new baby card and chocolates for the new mum; or venison pie and porter cake for a tasty supper. Or you could visit the market on any Saturday morning in Broomhill to see what you missed!

My Favourite UK Crafter of the Week - Fun Jewellery from Mixed Up Dolly

I think the type of jewellery you choose to wear can say a lot about you. My jewellery box is (very) full of all different types and styles which I can choose from to match my mood - everything from delicate and subtle silver pieces for when I'm feeling grown up and serious; big, colourful and glitzy for a night out; and novelty jewellery for when I'm feeling fun and relaxed. And this is where my favourite UK crafter of the week fits in.

As usual, this post is in no way sponsored or influenced. The crafter featured is genuinely a favourite of mine; all quotes are the crafter's own and the opinions are mine. So, with this in mind this week's UK Crafter of the Week is...

Mixed Up Dolly

I first noticed Mixed Up Dolly's jewellery on Facebook one day when I saw some pictures of fun sweets and chocolate creations which I was instantly drawn to. Not only because they featured a range of sweet treats (I'm rather partial to a little sugar) but also because of the childhood memories that popped into my head. That's what I love about Rachel's (the designer behind Mixed Up Dolly) work, it's pretty to wear but also has a personal meaning and associations. Like this Iced Gems bracelet; I loved these as a child and can't help but smile when I see it!

Iced Gem biscuits charm bracelet £30 Mixed Up Dolly

Rachel says she likes to create jewellery that is 'something of a show-stopping, talking point' and that's exactly what I think it does. How could you resist talking to someone wearing Starmix earrings? They're a fun little quirky piece that fits a fun mood and would be a great stand out feature with your hair up, or a little surprise poking out of your hair worn down. I love the idea of wearing them with a more serious, grown up outfit in this way!

Starmix Earrings £9 Mixed Up Dolly

Something I love about Rachel's range is there are lots of different pieces to choose from. If you're not feeling brave enough to wear an attention grabbing pair of earrings you can always add a little character to your belongings with one of her keyrings featuring classic brands. Born out of a 'passion is for making polymer clay and resin jewellery' Rachel has created pieces that can be worn to show the whole world your fun side or just a little hint of yourself.

Tomato Ketchup keyring £7.69 Mixed Up Dolly

As well as food items Mixed Up Dolly's jewellery and accessories feature other classics too such as these Lego cufflinks to remind you of happy childhood days!

Lego brick cufflinks £10 per pair Mixed Up Dolly

I suddenly have a sugar craving now... I'm off to hunt out some edible versions of Mixed Up Dolly's jewellery!

To see more of Mixed Up Dolly's fun creations take a look here:

Online Shop
Shop on Etsy 
Facebook

South Yorkshire Country Markets - wonderful local produce

I recently discovered a very well kept secret here in Sheffield - South Yorkshire Country Markets. That's not to say it's been a secret with everyone, they've been going for over 90 years! Basically it's a collective of local producers, craftspeople, bakers and cooks who together run regular markets selling their items under one name.

My local one is at Broomhill in Sheffield and has been running for a number of years. I just happened to be chatting with someone one day when it was mentioned, so I had a look on their website and then went along one Saturday morning to find out more. And when I got their I discovered a talented group of local producers and their wonderful produce!

There's a delicious range of food including bakery items such as bread and cakes; preserves and pickles; savoury meals and snacks ready to warm up at home; and locally grown fruit and vegetables. A lot of the prepared foods use seasonal and locally grown ingredients, and after trying a few of them (I had to if I was going to write about them!) I have to say they are wonderful! One of my favourites, which I could easily become addicted to, are these buttermilk and honey rolls with caraway seeds; they're irresistibly soft with a beautiful mix of flavours that I've never found anywhere else. That's what's great about markets like this - such a different range of new foods to try!

Locally made buttermilk and honey bread rolls - delicious!

The food is very popular with local customers, people were queuing up outside before 9am ready to buy! There are baskets available to load up with your choices (which many people did) and a big enough range to make it a great shopping opportunity to stock up for the week. The producers offer regular favourites as well as new and seasonal produce so there's always something different to look at and try - including a sweet potato and lentil dish this week which had sold out before I got a chance to buy one!

Just a small selection of the cakes on offer

Some tempting savoury dishes are available too

Alongside the foods are a range of different handcrafted products. This is what drew me to the market in the first place. I wanted a new place to share my work and hopefully find some new customers so became a member and took along some cards, gift tags and jewellery. They sat alongside the work of talented local craftspeople to create a beautiful table of gifts and treats. You could choose from wooden ornaments, hand sewn decorations, jewellery, greeting cards of all kinds, skincare and knitted baby clothes and toys. Although not as popular as the food (they aren't edible after all!), they offer customers a chance to buy something unique and special for themselves or a loved one.

If you find yourself out and about on a Saturday morning in Sheffield looking for a lovely and unique shopping experience, call into the market at the Scout Hut on Spooner Road, Broomhill (there's a sign outside, you can't miss it!).

There are 5 regular South Yorkshire markets:

• Sheffield - Saturdays 9 - 12 (Spooner Road, Broomhill)
• Doncaster - 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month 10 - 3
• Holmfirth - Saturdays 9.45 - 12.15
• Penistone - Thursdays 10 - 2
• Tickhill - Fridays 10 - 11.45

You can find out more about the markets at their website:

South Yorkshire Country Markets

Bird's Yard Sheffield - My First Day!

For those of you who don't live in, or know, Sheffield you might not have heard of Bird's Yard. But in Sheffield it's a very popular place to find unique items from local designers. I've recently started selling there too! Today was my first shift in the shop and I couldn't resist taking lots of photos to share.



Bird's Yard is on Chapel Walk in the city centre and is a collection of work by independent local designers, makers, crafters and vintage sellers all under one roof - kind of like a continual craft fair. There are so many wonderful items in there including clothes, stationery and home wares - and many more besides. Each creator who sells there has there own space and also spends some time in the shop each month. I joined Bird's Yard just a couple of weeks ago and offer my Uniquely Upcycled range of greeting cards, gift tags, gift bags, stickers and jewellery. This afternoon was my first shift in the shop and I just had to share some of the treasures in there!

That was me today!

A gorgeous selection of goodies for your home are available, from food for the kitchen to the plates to eat it off; cushions; and ornaments both handmade and vintage. I love the plate with a poodle on stilts (who knew they could do that?) from Mellor Ware and the jams, chutneys, honeys and many more tasty treats from Just Deli looked irresistible! There were a few beautiful comfy cushions in there too!

Bird's Yard is a great place for some unique, vintage and locally designed clothing, jewellery and accessories. There are lots of very cute brooches (I can't resist an animal brooch especially this owl, squirrel and deer from Velvet Moth), jewellery made with cutlery from Sheffield by Tea Wear, upcycled clothes and lovely hair accessories, including some very pretty pansy hair grips, by Imogen's Imagination.

The shop is the perfect place to find a gift for a loved one or a treat for yourself! I've made a long list ready for Christmas (and if anyone I know is reading and wondering what to get me for a gift, the Honey Whipped Skin Cream smells delicious!) There are also adorable soft shoes and baby grows from Poco Nido for any little ones you know. And tucked away in the corner is a fabulous library of classic and local interest books.

And not forgetting my handcrafted items too!

So if you're already in Sheffield or happen to find yourself there one day, go and check it out for some fabulous and unique finds!


You can find out more about Bird's Yard here:
www.birdsyardsheffield.co.uk/
To find out more about the shop and its designers

Bird' Yard on Facebook
For latest finds and news

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies - 2 Recipes

If you read my blog on Saturday you will have seen the beautiful retro inspired aprons by Rosie Ann. Writing and looking at that post got me in the baking mood - and was a great excuse to choose one of my many aprons to wear! My first thought was the best combination ever - chocolate and peanut butter.

I have a recipe I usually use to make chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies I got from an American cookbook. It says to use peanut butter chips (which I'd never heard of!) so I substituted them for chocolate chips - and the result is heavenly! I got a craving for them over the weekend so thought I'd treat myself to some and got all ready to bake them - then discovered I didn't have any peanut butter. However, I did have some peanut butter flavouring I bought from Make or Bake's stall at a farmer's market I attended last month so thought I'd try a chocolate chip cookie recipe with this flavouring. Below are both recipes (if you need an excuse to try both!); the pictures are from the recipe with peanut butter flavouring.

Chocolate chip cookies with peanut butter flavouring

Ingredients

75g butter (I use butter substitute)
75g brown sugar
1 egg
A few drops of peanut butter flavouring oil
150g plain flour
Pinch of salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
100g chocolate chips (I prefer dark chocolate)

The peanut butter flavouring I tried in my recipe

1. Heat the oven to 160 C / 350 F. Mix together the butter and sugar until they are creamy.

2. Beat in the egg. Add the peanut butter oil - I used 5 drops which gave a subtle flavour but add more if you like it more peanutty.

3. Mix together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add this in 3 stages to the butter mixture stirring in well each time.

4. Stir in the chocolate chips.

5. Put spoonfuls of the mixture onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. I stretched my mixture to 11 cookies. Leave space in between each cookie for them to spread.

6. Bake in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes until they start going golden brown but are still soft. They will firm up as the cool.

7. When they are a little firmer transfer them from the tray to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Tip - to make them extra chocolatey substitute 40g of the plain flour for cocoa or drinking chocolate!

Chocolate and peanut butter cookies

These are the cookies I usually make when I haven't run out of peanut butter.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of plain flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
A pinch of salt
1/4 cup of butter (I always use butter substitute rather than the real thing and it always tastes good)
1/2 cup of peanut butter (I prefer chunky)
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 an egg
A little milk (if needed)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Heat the oven to 160C/350F.

2. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

3. In another bowl mix the butter, peanut butter and brown sugar. I use an electric whisk or you can do it by  hand.

4.  Add the egg and beat it into the mixture.

5. Pour the flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture and mix until combined. If the mix is too stiff at this point add a little milk. The mixture should be firm but sticky.

6. Stir in the chocolate chips.

7. Line a baking tray with grease proof paper. Drop tablespoons of the mixture onto the tray and flatten it a little. Leave space between each drop of mixture because the cookies will spread as they cook.

8. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes. They should look brown and starting to set. Take them out of the oven while they are still squidgy though as they will firm up as they cool.

9. Let them cool on the tray until they are firm enough to be picked up and then put them on a cooling rack to cool completely (or if you're like me eat a couple while they're still warm and melting!).

Plum Crumble - Seasonal Recipe

When I was little the August Bank Holiday (that's just been on Monday) seemed to mark the end of summer. It was usually the weekend we'd come back from the family holiday and it was only a few days until the start of the new school year. Although it was sad that summer was over, it also meant that autumn was on its way with lots of treats of its own! One of my favourites was (and still is) fruit crumbles. In our back garden we had an apple tree that was starting to fruit and meant lots of lovely tasty treats, but it was a little unreliable and only seemed to share its apples every other year! However, we also had a plum tree which fruited every year and made lovely crumbles of its own.

While out shopping yesterday I spotted some juicy orangy-red plums which are right in the middle of their best season here in the UK. Well, that meant only one thing on my mind - plum crumble! So last night I made one for dessert and here I share the recipe with you.

Plum Crumble Recipe

You will need:

• 6 large plums
• 175g plain flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 90g butter
• 90g brown sugar   

• Optional - cinnamon, nutmeg, crushed nuts or oats for the topping
  

• A baking dish (I used one that was 20cm round)

Serves 4-6 people (depending on how greedy you are! I divided mine into 4 generous portions -because I am greedy...)

Step 1
Turn the oven on and set it to 170C/ 350F. Let it heat up while you prepare the crumble.

Step2
Wash and slice the plums. Arrange them in the bottom of the dish.

Step 3
In a bowl mix together the flour and baking powder. Add pieces of butter and rub it into the flour with your finger tips until it sticks together and looks like crumbs.

Step 4
Use a fork to mix the brown sugar into the flour and butter mixture.

Step 5
Now tip the flour mixture over the top of the fruit in the dish. Pat it down so the mixture covers all the fruit and goes up to the sides of the dish. (The fruit will bubble up as it cooks so this helps to seal it in).

If you want to add any additional toppings, now's the time. I sprinkled mine with a little nutmeg. Cinnamon, crushed nuts and oats also go well either on their own or all mixed together. 

Step 6
Put the crumble into the pre-heated oven and bake for 40 minutes until the top is light golden brown and the fruit is starting to bubble through. If the topping looks like it's getting too brown, cover the dish with foil until the fruit is cooked.

This recipe can be made with any soft fruit you have. Some of my favourites are apple, blackberries or rhubarb.

It's Yorkshire Day!

The 1st of August is officially Yorkshire Day and as someone born and bred here (Sheffield to be exact) I thought I'd celebrate. It originated in 1975 and continues to this day marking all things to do with the UK's largest county.

The white rose of Yorkshire

                                                      

Sheffield city centre - taken by my friend Marion using her fancier than mine camera!

My Yorkshire Pudding Recipe

Yorkshire pudding is one of the first recipes I remember making.  We ate it quite regularly and it's quite easy to make so I think this is why I was trusted with it when I was little! I've tried different variations over the years and this is a mixture of elements of these that never fails to rise. 

Ingredients - Makes 1 big or 8 small puddings
2 eggs
180ml milk
salt and pepper
20ml oil (sunflower, vegetable or olive)
125g plain flour
30ml really cold water
Baking dish approx 20cm square or a muffin tin

Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 230C (440F).

2. Break the eggs into a bowl, add the milk and whisk until they start to go frothy.  Add some salt and pepper to taste.  Leave the mixture to stand while the oven heats up.

3. Add about 1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) of oil into 8 of the holes in the muffin tin or into the baking dish. Put this into the oven to heat up while waiting for the egg and milk mixture.

4. Next add the flour to the egg and milk mixture and stir until well mixed.  It should be of a consistency that when you dribble some of the mixture from a spoon into the bowl the pattern you make stays for a few seconds on top of the rest of the mixture.  If it's too thick add a little more milk.

5. Add a bit of really cold water, about 3 tablespoons (30ml). This is a trick my mum swears makes it rise!

6. Carefully remove the baking dish or muffin tin from the oven.  Pour the mixture into the dish or divide the mixture between the 8 holes with oil in them.

7. Put the dish/tin back in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes until they have risen and are golden brown.

Etsy Yorkshire Team Favourites

I'm a member of the Etsy Yorkshire team on Etsy.com and these are some of my favourite items made by other members. We're very talented here in Yorkshire!

Ice cream earrings by Cute And Quirky Girl - cute and quirky indeed!

Owl print by Peanut n Jellybean - just adorable!

Throw cushions by While Loki Dreams - I love the colours and the bird pattern.

Mohair teddy bear by Strawberry Kitten - a stunning little bear.

Felt Jaffa Cake brooch by The Ladybird Tree - I can't resist a Jaffa Cake!

                                                                                        

Yorkshire photos taken by Marion (with her fancy camera...) 

The very picturesque Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire

Yorkshire is known as the greenest county and Sheffield the greenest city.  This view from High Bradfield shows why.

Inside Kelham Island Museum which shows Sheffield's industrial past. 

Historical buildings on The Shambles in the centre of York. Some of these date back to the 14th century.