Welcome back to The Date Edit, our weekly series of pre-planned dates for queer women (and allies) to spare you the endless ‘well, we could go here…’ on a date. This one, set in Sheffield City Centre, might not be particularly pretty, but it will still be a date to remember! Just avoid looking too closely at the sheltered doorways. Look into her eyes, instead.
Vibe: Laid-back, casual
Area: Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Best For: Early days
Budget: ££
Length: 3–6 hours
The Day Thing
Hygge
Hygge is a cafe popular with students in particular in Sheffield, which means that it’s relatively low cost. It’s a unique, Scandinavian based setting with an unusual layout and a whole range of alcoves and comfortable furniture, perfect for a little bit of privacy without being totally alone together. For a more unusual setting, it’s a great way to begin the date.
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Price: £
The Afternoon Thing
Tenpin
A little bit generic but a fun way to get to know each other with no awkward questions, and something to get the conversation going. There are a range of activities – you could hunt your date down with a laser gun, or try to win them a teddy on the arcade games. Pick up a bowling ball that’s too heavy for you. It’ll either work in your favour or it won’t.
Price: ££
If It Goes Well
Forum
Forum is a gorgeous little pub with a European feel to it, mostly open-air with a large field beside it, and a surprisingly pretty street of primarily independent shops running down from it. It sits on the quieter side of the city centre without feeling like you’ve wandered off the map, and on a sunny day the open-air setting and the stretch of independent shops nearby make it a decent place to let the afternoon run on longer than you planned. They’ll even give you apple juice in a wine glass, for those of you who are teetotal but want that little bit of extra sophistication.
Price: ££
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Wrap Up/Bonus
Orchard Square
Orchard Square is a little shopping square smack-bang in the centre of the city with two stories of places to eat and shop. There’s a gay bar, a variety of food stalls in one building (to save on the ‘what the hell do we both like’ dilemma), and a Waterstones, as well as a friendly atmosphere and pretty surroundings. What more does one need?
See you next time for the next instalment of The Date Edit.
Nonchalant x
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Jenny (They/Them) is a freelance journalist and writer based in Sheffield, England. Their work focuses on themes of choice and identity, which have absolutely nothing to do with the five-year-long gender crisis that was their secondary school years, and they spend most of their time writing stories about gay little aliens.
