Can you eat one of the biggest Yorkshire puds in one sitting?
If you're looking for a Sunday roast with a difference, The Crooked Billet in Saxton have something special in store for diners.
The popular pub and restaurant have designed giant yorkshire puddings to serve their roasts in- and they come with all the trimmings and gravy you need.
Image: Crooked Billet
The portions are so big here that Beard Meats Food made a trip to visit and is just one of the competitors the LS24 pub has had in over the past few years- need we say any more?
The challenge itself is three courses of yorkshire pudding goodness where every item on the menu is inspired by the God's Own Country creation.
There are seven different varieties to choose from. / Image: Crooked Billet
For starters, competitors can warm up their stomachs with a simple homemade yorkie with a meat and onion gravy before moving on to the main course: a huge yorkshire pudding are made from scratch and filled with mashed potatoes, gravy and your choice of filling.
Choose from traditional fillings like sausages, roast meat, steak and kidney or branch out and try out original flavours like Caribbean jambalaya, chili con carne or even a chicken curry.
Sausage, mash and gravy- what more do you need in your Yorkshire pud? / Image: Crooked Billet
Still got room? There's still a yorkshire pudding on the dessert menu to get through. This sweet variety is filled with creamy vanilla ice cream and sticky toffee sauce.
Controversial? Absolutely. Delicious? We're sure of it.
The giant yorkshire puddings are all made from scratch. / Image: Crooked Billet
All three courses cost just £19 and if you complete the challenge then you'll make it on to the Crooked Billet 100% Yorkshire Pudding Challenge wall of fame, along with famed Youtubers Beard Meats Food and Mrs Beard.
Back in 2018, the couple filmed the challenge as Lindsey's, aka Mrs Beard's, first ever foodie challenge. Viewers were astounded to see her make an appearance on the video and left warm comments about the couple on their YouTube channel.
Image: BeardMeatsFood
One said: "The smile on your wife shows how much she enjoys yorkshire pudding! My kind of gal!", whilst others left suggestions for future food challenges to do as a couple.
"I think you should do a series of lindsey trying different foods, it would be interesting to see her perspective on taste. Taste buds do change in time and that's why you adapt to different flavors once you're older. Maybe she'll be surprised in what she really likes".
Image: Crooked Billet
The country pub is just half an hour from the city centre, located in the village of Saxton. For more information, including how to book your place on the gravy train, visit the Crooked Billet website.
Food critic Camilla Long visited Leeds for her latest review for The Times with her sights set on Horsforth's finest - Bavette Bistro.
Ever since opening back in 2024, Bavette Bistro nestled in the leafy suburb of Horsforth has made waves across the country for its sheer brilliance.
It's pretty much received five star reviews across the board and been handed awards from left, right and centre. And rightly so.
The Good Food Guide crowned Bavette the best local restaurant of 2024, and Michelin handed them a well deserved Bib Gourmand - so it's safe to say it's not just us who think it's really something special.
So it was only a matter of time until The Times popped in for a review, and this one is truly glowing.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The review labels Bavette as "warm, unmannered and unpretentious" as well as "authentically French".
Long describes the food as "gorgeous, confident, surprising" with a menu that "isn’t too long" and "filled with sturdy, noble dishes, whiffing mightily of the sea and the soil."
It continues: "All of it made with generosity and cheer, served fast by nimble waiters, with a long, if slightly eccentric, wine list. To bang out French dishes with this much fiddly detail and to do it to a full room is not easy. Yet all four courses came in under two hours, for about £75 a head, which in London terms is nothing.
"It’s not that this place was perfect, it’s that it was decidedly not perfect. A bit too much chat about the menus; the oeufs in the meurette not quite runny enough. But the point is: it didn’t matter. All of it came charmingly together. It felt relaxed, just right."
The review is then wrapped up with a pleasing five stars, the cherry on top of the cake.
It's a review only restaurants can dream of, and we can't think of a more deserving team - congratulations Bavette.
Team behind Headrow House and Belgrave to take over and reopen Woodside just one year after opening
Clementine Hall
The foodie-favourite restaurant and bar is now under new management.
The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that Woodside has sadly been closed for a few months.
We certainly have, and ever since December we've had a Woodside Sunday roast-shaped hole in our hearts that's been gasping for one of their glorious Marmite glazed parsnips.
But luckily, it has now been confirmed that Woodside isn't going anywhere as Superfriendz, the team behind Headrow House, Belgrave and many other top Leeds spots will be taking over. Hallelujah.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Woodside opened at the end of 2024 from the owners of The Brunswick and The Melbourne.
Labelling itself as a 'neighbourhood eatery and bar', Woodside quickly became a favourite amongst Leeds foodies and was known for its smoked meats, great cocktails and stellar Sunday roasts (do I need to talk about the parsnips again).
The menu was fresh and innovative, with oysters topped with kiwi granita and an incredibly garish banana split standing out as highlights.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
We hope that the new management continues to maintain Woodside's brilliance, but mainly we're just so glad that it's sticking around.
Superfriendz take care of a whole host of spots in the city, including proper Leeds favourites Headrow House, Belgrave Music Hall and Waterlane Boathouse.
Announcing the news to Instagram, Woodside said: "After a longer-than-expected winter break, Woodside is back and will reopen on Thursday 19th March!
"Your favourite neighbourhood bar and eatery returns with the same warm welcome, but an all new management team.
"We can’t wait to see you so keep your eyes on our socials for news on great food and drinks, big screen sports, quizzes and more.
"We’d also like to thank Sam and the original team for all the hard work that went into setting-up the venue. We hope we can do it justice."
Sophie Smith -
4th January 2023 
