Leeds Kirkgate Market will be home to the great Yorkshire Vegan Festival this summer.
Taking place in June, there'll be over 80 stall owners in attendance on the day - with products spanning skincare, homeware, food, clothing, toiletries and world food.
The likes of VDogs, Greek Vegan Deli, House of Habesha, There’s No Catch (vegan fish and chips) and Those Vegan Pizza Guys are all confirmed to visit with tasty vegan treats.
There'll be a new event taking place this year, too - providing guests with the ultimate vegan food and camping experience. Titled VFest UK, the occasion will feature some huge headline acts, a club night, circus skills workshops, an assault course, and a zip wire experience.
Naturally, there will be a big focus on food - with plenty of food stalls and caterers on hand, plus appearances from TV Chef Matt Pritchard and Guinness World Record Holder Fiona Oakes.
Vegan doughnuts from Doughnotts laden with plant-based toppings / Image: Doughnotts
But there'll also be opportunities to go boating on the lake, take part in group entertainment, watch fun shows and hear international speakers giving talks on their areas of expertise.
The event is working with a number of organisations including Cats Protection, Four Paws UK, Greenpeace, Plantlife, Ramblers, Viva!, We The Free, Woodland Trust and WWF. All money raised on the day will go to support these organisations.
Non-profit UK animal welfare charity Miracle's Mission is also involved and will attend in the capacity of an organisation that works with sick, injured and difficult animals.
More food stalls confirmed to take part in the festival include Bonnie Yau's Food, Dalton Moor Farm, Doughnotts, Ella’s Instant Vegan Yorky Puds and Pancakes, Just Deserts Yarm, KO-CO Brownies, MKS Food, Telltale Tea, The May Bakery, Tyne Chease, and Vegan Sweet Tooth London.
Skincare, make-up, toiletry, candle and crafts stalls will include Devaiya Oils, Earth's Garden, Lavender and Lilac and Tropic Skincare.
Bo's Book, Jewellery Star, Olive and Hope, Vegan recipes and information, Pet Respect and Trad Collective, and Vegum are also down to attend.
Taking place on Sunday, 20 June from 10am to 4pm, 100% of ticket sales go towards helping the event's partner charities.
Get tickets and find out more information on their website.
Feature image - Geograph.
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Leeds pizza shop hailed ‘exceptional’ and ‘best in the UK’ by major reviewer
A Leeds pizza takeaway has received a glowing review from popular review duo.
Edges Pizza opened up their first permanent spot in Leeds back in June this year, after making a name for themselves slinging out pizzas at multiple pop-ups across the city.
Owners Grace and Edge from Harrogate opened Edges Pizza two years ago, taking inspiration from trips to New York over the years.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Their pizzas are a love letter to the class New York slice, think thin and crispy rather than chewy and floppy. But above all else, think absolutely delicious.
And now, they've caught the attention of a major review page, with Bite Twice Food Reviews (a page with almost 300k followers) paying Edges a visit.
The food review duo of Gerry del Guercio and Paul Delany popped up in Holbeck beneath the arches to get their hands on a pizza, and the outcome is brilliant.
In the video, Bite Twice said that the pizza is 'f**cking exceptional' and up there with 'one of the best pizzas in the UK'.
Before even taking a bite, they said: "On aesthetic, I don't think anywhere in the UK is doing pizza like this".
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Then after the first bite, they go on to say: "There are very few pizzas in the UK that create this, I’m a little bit blown away".
As Londoners themselves, they go on to say that Edges is 'easily hitting with the best that we’ve got down south'.
And if that's not high praise enough, they sign off the video saying: "Leeds has got an absolute gem. I give this a stamp so hard my foot went through the pizza. Edges. Don Level."
Yorkshire-set Christmas film by Leeds director starring Richard E. Grant set to hit UK cinemas next month
Clementine Hall
A brand-new Christmas film is hitting cinemas nationwide next month - and it’s a proper Leeds success story.
Jack Spring directed his first feature film at just 19 years old and has spent the last decade carving out a career in independent film, as well as co-founding Leeds-based production company Shush Films.
His first movie, Destination: Dewsbury, was shot just down the road in - you guessed it - Dewsbury. And after moving to Leeds from Grimsby, Jack became determined to build his business from the city, putting down roots and growing his production company here.
Image: Supplied
Now, after years of working on independent projects, Jack has taken his biggest leap yet with a brand-new Christmas film, Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint.
Set in Yorkshire, Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint follows Aubrey Flint, a reclusive model soldier painter with a lifelong hatred of Christmas, who is sentenced to community service at Willow Lodge - a retirement home on the brink of closure.
Roped into helping with a chaotic production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Aubrey clashes with its interesting set of residents...
And the cast is about as star-studded as it gets, featuring Richard E. Grant, John Bradley, Celia Imrie, Adjoa Andoh, Sophia Di Martino, Adrian Rawlins and Kiell Smith-Bynoe.
Image: Supplied
The heartwarming festive comedy will hit cinemas nationwide on Friday 6 November - a huge milestone for a Leeds-based director and production company, taking a homegrown Yorkshire story to audiences across the country.
You just can't beat a proper wholesome British Christmas film, so you can best believe we'll be watching in the cinema, popcorn in hand.
Georgina Pellant -
7th June 2021 
