For over 90 years now, Owlerton Stadium has been established as Sheffield’s premier destination for greyhound racing. You’d have to go back to 1932 for their opening night of races, an event which reportedly attracted 10,000 visitors, and if you fast forward to the subsequent century, the S6 destination remains a popular night out for groups seeking an exciting get-together.
Naturally, over the years there have been a number of significant developments to both the stadium and overall experience. Today the culinary offering is just as important as the live entertainment and the modern glass-fronted Panorama Restaurant seats up to 300 people, promising a seasonal menu choice from highly experienced chefs. The restaurant package also includes a personal waiting service throughout four hours of racing as well as tote runners who work the tables to take bets. The idea is to ensure that you’re fully taken care of and once you’re settled into your seats everything is in place for a comfortable but exhilarating evening of socialising.
As our party of four were welcomed into the restaurant area, we quickly realised just how popular the place was. Friday night was in full swing and there didn’t appear to be a table spare amidst the sleek, bustling setting. Once seated, we ordered a bottle of merlot from the impressive global wine list and our host explained how things worked – handy as it was the first visit for two of our party. The races began as our starters arrived and the convivial atmosphere picked up a notch or two.
For our starters, we’d doubled up as couples on the smoked haddock and cheddar tart and the pressed gammon and mustard seed terrine. Creamy, cheesy and with a delicate smokiness from the fish, the fluffy pastry was complemented nicely by an accompanying tangy pickle sauce. The super savoury terrines provided a salty, hearty treat spread onto a toasted bloomer and mixed with sides of pickled veg supplying a welcome piquant kick.
Now on to the mains, where three of our number were thoroughly won over by the chargrilled sirloin steaks (truth be told, a sly peek at the orders of the table behind us helped to influence this near-unanimous decision) while our remaining companion chose the welcome vegetarian option of pancake cannelloni. While our mains were being prepared, we could relax and turn our attention back to the conversation, our racecards and the perfect panoramic views of the track, providing a clear eagle-eye angle to proceedings (though we also had handily placed tv screens displaying the action for when things got a bit close to call).
The sumptuous steaks were cooked to medium-rare perfection, served in a velvety, rich red wine jus and topped with a beef bourguignon garnish of sauteed onions, mushrooms and velvety mash. Sides were ample and we could pile our plates further with honey-glazed carrots, roast potatoes, cabbage and red onion. My partner’s indulgent pancake cannelloni arrived in a sizeable dish capped with gooey mozzarella cheese, the pasta inside stuffed with sweet butternut squash and tangy sun blush tomatoes.
The more than generous servings (there’s no question of value for money here!) had almost written us off, but we had enough in the tank to share a tempting cheeseboard with celery, chutney and biscuits, plus the pear and almond tart – a classic sweet pairing elevated with the decadent addition of honeycomb ice cream and Biscoff crumb.
The whole evening seemed timed to perfection as we just finished off desserts in time for the final race. Alas, there were no victors at the table from the racing on show, but when it came to the food on offer and general night out satisfaction, we felt like real winners.
All of the Owlerton Stadium hospitality packages are available to view and book online at owlertonstadium.co.uk
