How to spend a Sunday in Sheffield Botanical Gardens

Sheffield Botanical Gardens is one of those places that rewards slowing down. Nineteen acres of Victorian glasshouses, curved paths and quiet corners, tucked away just west of the city centre, and right in the middle of it, our café at Joni.

Start with the glasshouses

Arrive before 11am if you can. The Grade II* listed Paxton glasshouses are at their best in the early light, and you'll have the paths mostly to yourself. Walk the full loop, bear garden, rock garden, the pond with its resident ducks, before the gardens fill up with families and dog walkers.

Brunch on the terrace

Our terrace looks straight out over the lawns, and it's the best seat in the gardens for a long brunch. Order the shakshuka or the smashed avocado if the weather is kind, and always leave room for something from the cake counter, the seasonal specials change often and rarely last the week.

Bring the dog

The gardens are dog-friendly on leads, and so is our terrace. Water bowls are out all day, and the walk down through the rock garden to the pond is a good stretch for restless legs before you settle in for coffee.

Good to know

The gardens are free to enter and open daily from 8am. Our café keeps café hours within that, check the day's times on your way in. If you're planning something bigger, the Botanical Gardens site is also home to our Italian Feast private dining package, held on the terrace with views across the Victorian lawns.