A charming new French cafe has opened its doors in Sheffield, bringing a little je ne sais quoi to the Steel City.
Aux Bon Vivant comes from Zara and Pierre - partners in both business and life - and is promising all-day drinking, dining, and deli.
The new Campo Lane business opened its doors at the tail end of 2025 and has already become a local favourite, thanks to its varied offering and Pierre’s exceptional cooking.
As you enter the cosy space you’re faced with a huge deli counter, packed with meats, cheeses, fresh French sandwiches (including a 10/10 jambon-beurre), and pastries, including enormous flaky croissants and homemade tarts.
So far, so French - and that continues with the decor of the main restaurant, which features pendant lights made out of wine boxes, a wall of wine, and plenty of personal trinkets.
Even the gravel outside is French - Pierre has arranged blue, white, red pebbles beneath the windows.
Inside Aux Bon Vivant
The couple, who welcomed a brand-new baby boy into the world around the same time they opening the business, want Aux Bon Vivant to feel like a welcoming home for everyone who pops in, whether you want to sit with a coffee and get some work done, or while away an afternoon eating hearty food with a great glass of wine.
The plan is to recreate the French village way of life here in Sheffield, with welcoming hospitality that extends all the way to the end of your meal when Pierre comes at you brandishing a gigantic bottle of Chartreuse.
As for that menu - it centres around a traditional plat du jour, dreamt up by Pierre based on whatever the best produce he can get that day is.
Expect French favourites like galette, French onion soup, and an almighty croque monsieur, where top-quality bread is layered with ham, cheese, and bechemal sauce.
When we popped in, Pierre also served up whole roasted onions stuffed with pork and herbs, and a phenomenal gnocchi dish with a mushroom cream sauce, baked so the edges are all delightfully sticky.
Pierre says the restaurant is all about 'generous food, simple, and everyone can understand what we're doing'.
He added: "We're not chasing the trends, we need to be more home comfort.
"You come, you enjoy, you relax. It's like a break on your day, and after you can restart."
Aux Bon Vivant is now open on Campo Lane, serving coffees and pastries through to takeaway lunches and full bistro meals.
In an important milestone for Andy's Man Club (AMC), they have announced one of their biggest and most important partnerships to date, teaming up with Sheffield United FC, who will be renaming their part of Bramall Lane stadium after them.
That's right, for the duration of the 2026/27 campaign, a key Sheffield United stand will be known as the Andy's Man Club Stand - and not just any old stand, either.
As part of their commitment to AMC helping people struggling up and down the country, they've chosen the most vocal section where fans get behind their club week in, week out: The Kop.
Confirming the collaboration on Thursday evening, 13 August, the much-admired mental health organisation shared the news by reacting the same way many Blades supporters and many others outside the club did, simply stating, "THIS IS HUGE."
Continuing in the caption, they said: "The famous Kop Stand at Bramall Lane is being renamed in support of ANDYSMANCLUB for the season. Thousands of football fans, every home game, seeing one simple message….
"Football has an incredible power to reach men, start conversations and bring people together, and this is exactly what partnership should look like. Massive thank you to everyone at Sheffield United and Datagraphic for making this happen.
"From 9 men in a small room in Halifax to our name on the Kop at Bramall Lane…"
Started a whole decade ago, this equally beloved Club was created by locals Luke Ambler and Elaine Roberts in memory and in honour of 23-year-old Andrew Roberts, who sadly took his own life.
We would encourage you to find out more about their full backstory, but since then they've gone on to save countless lives.
The reaction in the comments has been just overwhelmingly positive too, with one person writing, "This is awesome. How do we get Andy’s Man Club on the shirt?", while another went on to add: "Chuffed to see this, to be honest, even as a Wednesdayite. Great stuff."
Now that's the kind of response we love and expect to see from a city that always looks after its own; we couldn't think of a better fit to help promote AMC's important work up and down the country.
As it happens, you can already see their name hanging proudly above the historic Steel City as we speak.
The charity, which offers multiple male support groups each and every week, may have been founded in Yorkshire, but their vital messaging and efforts have gone truly nationwide over the last few years.
Nothing short of a well-known and game-changing UK movement when it comes to mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention - especially when it comes to intersecting with the world of sport (where plenty of stigmas around reaching out for help still sadly remain) - we here at The Sheff couldn't be prouder to see the regional success story deepen its ties here in Sheffield.
Whether you sit in the ground yourself, watch the Blades from home, you're an Owl or even a complete neutral, we're sure you'll join us in looking forward to seeing their name sitting in pride of place above The Kop.
And last but not least, if you need to talk to someone, you can find your nearest Andy's Man Club and become one of the hundreds of new people starting meaningful conversations every week right HERE.
Beloved bookshop Novel is finally reopening – but this time, there’s booze
Clementine Hall
Sheffield's much loved bookshop is reopening with a brand-new look.
You may remember back in January when Novel sadly had to close its doors due to circumstances beyond the team’s control.
Since opening in Crookes in 2024, co-owner Katie and the team had experienced ongoing intimidation and harassment, eventually leading to the decision to close the much-loved bookshop and bar indefinitely.
It was a heartbreaking turn of events for a business that had quickly become a much-loved part of the Crookes community. Katie, alongside her husband and business partner Joe, had ‘tried everything’ to keep Novel open, but with their safety becoming a growing concern, they were ultimately left with no choice but to step away.
At the time, it felt like that might be the end of Novel. Thankfully, it seems it wasn't.
Daisy Jackson -
26th January 2026 
