If you want to try making your own bread for the first time, but not sure if you'll enjoy using a bread maker, or you want to cook a one-off meal: there's no longer a need to go out and buy the appliances to do so.
If you've ever bought yourself a cookbook or mixer with good intentions, only to sit it in your cupboard, you're not alone. At Christmas time, we are especially likely to join the frantic queues and panic buy things we use once, if at all, for the sake of impressions, or just good intentions.
Thanks to the Buy Nowt LS6 lending library, you no longer have to make that expensive one-off purchase.
A selection of items that can be borrowed from the LS6 lending library. / Image: Buy Nowt LS6
Buy Nowt LS6 believe we can all make an environmental difference by borrowing instead of buying.
So the idea is you can share resources, meet people in your local community and borrow stuff with a pay-as-you-feel donation. Not only does this lower carbon emissions but it helps your back pocket too.
Since Buy Nowt LS6 opened just eight weeks ago, they have loaned over 155 items over 16 days in total. This equates to saving over £3000 in the local community and approximately 3 tonnes of carbon.
It's not just foodie items you can borrow either: the lending library has everything from Otley Run costumes to hedge trimmers. There are hundreds of items to choose from, all loaned on a pay-as-you-feel basis.
One happy customer has turned their hand to tidying gardens for winter, another made their own raviloi.
The ravioli maker was borrowed to make a homemade vegan dish. / Image: Buy Nowt LS6
"When Headingley gives you #LibraryofThings, make vegan ravioli! Pasta maker borrowed from @buynowtls6, flour from @leedsrefills, pesto made with homegrown basil. Possibly the fanciest sustainable meal I ever made?!"
To see if you can save a trip to the supermarket or hardware store and 'buy nowt', you can check the inventory online at any time before heading over to the Headingley pick-up spot.
Buy Nowt LS6 is open Friday 4 - 6pm and Saturday 1 - 4 pm at Headingley Methodist Church.
If you've got a seriously sweet tooth, then you're going to love this new opening.
It seems like there's been a flurry of new bakeries popping up in and around Leeds recently, and we're certainly not complaining.
Introducing Crumbb, a beautiful new bakery that has just opened its doors on Hyde Park Road just moments outside of the city centre.
Owner Naila started the businesses as a wholesaler six years ago, stocking up local businesses from far and wide with sweet treats.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Since then, Crumbbs opened its first location in Bradford just a few months ago that has been nothing short of a resounding success. So much so, that Crumbbs 2.0 was born right here in Leeds a few days ago.
Right, let's talk you through what's on offer.
For the sweet toothed out there, there's a whole myriad of treats for you to enjoy. We're talking giant NYC-style cookies, fluffy cinnamon buns topped with gooey icing, brownies slices, cookie muffins, rocky road, flapjack, the list is truly endless.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
You can even get warm cookie trays and hot brownies to enjoy in house that can be topped with ice cream or thick custard.
And it doesn't stop there, Crumbbs also whip up freshly baked savoury focaccia slices as well as cheese twists, pizza slices and savoury rolls filled with creamy mozzarella and herbs.
They've also got a fabulous drink selection on offer including matcha, coffee and hot chocolates.
Located in Headingley, we've got a feeling this spot is going to be a huge hit with students and locals alike looking to get their sweet treat fix. But they'll have to beat us to it first.
The hidden Leeds bakery serving giant cheese twists, pickle sausage rolls and chocolate focaccia
Clementine Hall
This spot in the city is baking up some weird and wonderful creations.
But you'll have to act fast if you want to get your hands on them, as it's only open one day a week for all your doughy desires.
Introducing Fold, a focaccia-focused bakery by the talented team behind The Cheesy Living Co.
Rewind to this time last year and with three restaurants flourishing across Leeds, the team needed a space to bake all their bread and sweet treats in-house to supply to sites.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And this is where Fold came in, located underneath the arches of Brussels Street on the outskirts of the city centre - it may take a while to find this spot but once you have, it'll be worth it.
And they're making some of the most inventive bakes that we've seen.
Of course there'll always be a focaccia on offer, with flavours ranging from crispy chilli oil, sesame and spring onion to kimchi, cheese and pistachio.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And it's not just savoury focaccia, you'll even find gooey chocolate and banana focaccia as well as Biscoff waffle focaccia....yep, seriously.
Elsewhere they specialise in gigantic footlong cheese twists with more crispy bits than soft, as well as chorizo and cheese stuffed sausage rolls and a range of freshly baked bagels for you to go home and smear in your cream cheese of choice.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Some seriously spectacular specials have been the gochujang cookies and the 'pickle roll', basically like a sausage roll but with...pickles.
It seems there's really no boundaries for where these bakes will go, and you can guarantee that every visit will be different than the rest.
Only open on Saturdays from 10am - 1pm, Fold are changing the baking game. Pop in and say hello, you won't be disappointed.
Sophie Smith -
3rd September 2023 
