Kelham Island Tavern, Kelham Island, Sheffield

On a recent Wednesday evening I paid a long overdue visit to the much lauded Kelham Island Tavern which was comfortably busy with a mixed crowd. To the left of the entrance a banquette runs under the front window and there’s a fireplace on the left wall, both faced by the front of the L-shaped serving counter found mid-way up the left wall. Banquettes also run under the right-hand front window and up the right-hand wall either side of the kitchen door. At the rear are some windows that look into an open plan rear seating area. I ended up sitting in this area at a high table, I moved the stool off the centre of the cellar hatch just in case. There were 12 cask ales on, which included three from Blue Bee Brewery and a couple from both Fyne Ales and Abbeydale. There’s also a craft keg selection, but I went for a pint of Acorn’s Barnsley Bitter which was excellent. This place is a must visit for any real ale fan and I’m glad I’ve finally ticked it off.

Another busy bustling traditional pub with a wide range of real ales, every table was gone on this Thursday evening visit. Very popular with large groups of students.