Friends of Ham, Fika North, Honest Burgers and Double D's Hot Sauce have all collaborated with this sauce company this year.
Starting from humble beginnings, Thiccc Sauce is one of our favourite lockdown success stories from Leeds.
Since beginning the sauce company, founder Luca has collaborated with some incredible Leeds talent, including the likes of Friends of Ham, Little Bao Boys, the Savvy Baker, as well as gaining national clients that all want a taste of hot sauce.
Sauces are available for personal use and as giant corporate bottles for mass production. / Image: Thiccc Sauces
Over the last eighteen months, variations of sauces have been repeatedly limited to small batches and sometimes a purchase maximum of one per person- these Thiccc Sauces have been in hot demand.
It all started for Luca in May 2020, when the founder was bored and hibernating in their mum's kitchen, 'until everything blew over, which it didn't'.
Image: Thiccc Sauce
Earlier this year, founder Luca shared the recipe for success so far on Instagram, explaining:
"Previous to starting the project, my love of hot sauce & BBQ sauce came from working in hospitality for 10 years & travelling the east and west coast of America over the years.
I always wanted to put together a combination of the love of sauce & beer from an industry i love into my very own product & then was born Thiccc Sauce.
"What started with 5 bottles of unlabelled, waxed scotch bonnet hot sauce sold over Instagram, then grew and grew to being able to work with some of the best Northern foodies, venues and brands to where we are today, back in lockdown #fullcircle".
Hot sauce with packaging designed by artists around the UK. / Image: Thiccc Sauce
The sauce maker isn't just championing restaurants and bars across Leeds, but uses talent from the city and across the UK to design each bottles' unique design. So far, some of Thiccc Sauces' greatest designs have come from the likes of Drew Millard, Stuart Allen, Bobbi Abbey.
As the year comes to a close, the sauce giant has collaborated with Bundobust, Neon Cactus, Mozzafella, North Brew Co and more, which all come from an original Thiccc Sauce base. Nowadays, there are a range of fast-selling sauces available, including a recent restock of a collaboration with Fika North: Lagöm.
Thiccc Sauce X Fika North. / Image: Thiccc Sauce
The collaboration is all about championing local and international flavours with their Lagöm Lingonberry Hot Sauce. Lagöm meaning “just the right amount, in balance” in Swedish, and contains just the right amount of freshly squeezed Lingonberries, Lingonberry Jam, habanero chilli, bell red pepper, tomato, red wine vinegar, maple syrup and spices.
So what can we expect from the delicious sauce makers in 2022? Luca said:
"I’ve recently just moved into a huge warehouse space in Sheepscar so production will be increasing in 2022 along with loads more exciting collabs and sauces"- we can't wait to hear which.
Thiccc Sauce is available at plenty of foodie pop ups too. / Image: Thiccc Sauce
To get your hands of some of the best sauces in Leeds, you can visit their website or Instagram page, or you can find their sauce in person at Bottle Chop in Headingley, amongst other stockists.
Feature Image- Thiccc Sauce
Leeds
One of Leeds’ most loved sushi restaurants has just opened a second location in the city
Because one Fern Modern Sushi wasn't enough, we've now got two.
And guess what? It's even better than the first.
Fern Modern Sushi located in the unassuming Central Arcade has become a firm foodie favourite after opening just a couple years ago.
Run by the wonderful Chef Fern, who you could say is somewhat of a local celebrity at this point, the restaurant is known for serving delicious sushi with the freshest fish possible and traditional Japanese dishes with modern flair.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Full with hungry punters no matter the time of day, it's no surprise that Chef Fern has just opened Fern Modern Sushi 2.0 on Park Row.
This beautiful new space is serving up all the classic Fern dishes, from stacked donburi bowls and perfectly rolled sushi to miso glazed cod and hearty bowls of ramen.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Different for this location, though, is their exclusive cocktail menu - so you can wine and dine to your heart's content.
The interior has also levelled up, complete with a huge open kitchen so you can pull up a chair and eat whilst watching the magic happen.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And this isn't all that Chef Fern is up to, after opening Tori Nori on Vicar Lane a few months ago this will be her third restaurant in the city centre, and that is no easy feat.
She's even got another restaurant imminently opening in the Central Arcade which will be focused on traditional katsu dishes, and we wouldn't be at all surprised if she had something else lined up in the pipeline.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Fern Modern Sushi 2.0 officially opens on 19 November, but is open now for soft launch with limited bookings.
Independent Leeds matcha stand forced to close by council despite 3,000 people signing petition
Clementine Hall
An independent matcha stand in Leeds has been forced to closed due to council concerns.
You may remember back in August when the whole of Leeds rallied to save Sips Matcha over in Headingley.
The front garden matcha spot has become a firm favourite for students and locals alike over the past year, gaining more than 12,000 followers on Instagram.
The self-proclaimed 'tiniest matcha stand in Leeds' is located in the residential area of Little Woodhouse and is run by the lovely Matt and Julia.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
However, in August their retroactive planning application was rejected by the council and they were given 28 days to remove the shed.
In a published document via Leeds City Council website, multiple reasons were listed for the decision to refuse planning permission for the bright-green matcha shed.
The electronic letter signed by Martin Elliot, Chief Planning Officer, listed spoiling the property's character, increased footfall, and a failure to comply with numerous development and design policies.
In response, Matt and Julia launched a petition urging people to save Sips Matcha, labelling the painted wooden shed-turned-coffee shop as a 'Community Stand'.
Despite over 3,000 signatures, Sips Matcha have announced on their social media today that the shed must be removed by the end of November.
The statement reads: "our retrospective planning was declined, we appealed, and the appeal was dismissed. then the dreaded email arrived: the shed has to come down by the end of november.
"we don’t have all the answers yet, but we’re working out what happens next. over 3,000 of you signed the petition and it meant the world. thank you for every sip, share and signature. come say hi while we’re still here."
We're absolutely gutted for them, so make sure you pop by for a matcha before the end of November to give them a proper farewell.
Sophie Smith -
21st December 2021 
