The Botanist has officially created its very own in-house lager and to celebrate the launch, they're giving away a year's supply of the brand-new beer for free.
Teaming up with the Tiny Rebel brewing company, the bar and restaurant chain has just started serving their 'The Botanist Lager', a 4% ABV brew that you can now find exclusively in all 24 of their sites across the UK — including at their Leeds Trinity site.
Labelling it a simple but tasty session lager "infused with botanical notes [get it?...] and fruity aromas", the refreshing new beverage is another great addition to their already solid lineup of popular draughts and craft beers.
Sounds delicious but, to be honest, you had us at free beer — as for those of you who are hoping to get your hands on a year's supply of it for free, it couldn't be easier to put yourself in the running.
To cop a free pint of the new beer every day for 365 days, all you need to do as well as tagging a friend in the comments section and follow both The Botanist and Tiny Rebel on Insta, tag a friend and repost the competition on your own story. Simple as that.
Kelly Harrison, Head of Bars at The Botanist said: "We came together with Tiny Rebel over a shared love of doing things differently.
"Our innovative cocktail list explores unique combinations of fruits, florals, herbs and plants and we wanted to combine this expertise with their innovative craftsmanship to produce a great quality 4% lager, unique to us. What we’ve created is a refreshing light liquid suited to anyone who enjoys a cold pint!"
As for the award-winning brewers, Head of Wholesale and Field Sales, Alex Smith, said: "This lager is the result of things we both know and love – good beer, good food and great hospitality. A true collaboration, unique to The Botanist, which encapsulates style, flavour and good times. I for one cannot wait to grab a cold one at our local Botanist!"
The competition closes at 12pm on Friday, 24 November, where one lucky sod—sorry, 'winner', will be selected at random and contacted directly by The folks over at The Botanist.
Whoever does have good fortune will then receive a personal branded black card for the bar and restaurant which can be used at any of their various locations.
As always with this sort of thing, terms and conditions apply and you can find all the details in full HERE.
Good luck to you all and to whoever wins — no need to thank us, you can just get a round in for us one day. They're not the only ones giving away freebies this year either...
A new Souvlaki Corner is set to open in south Leeds.
If you're a Leeds local who loves food, then you'll have most likely heard and dined at Souvlaki Corner.
It's an absolute gem of a restaurant and takeaway, situated in Wortley selling fabulous authentic Greek food at a great price.
And now they're opening a new site in the nearby town of Morley which is going to be even bigger and better. Get in.
The new site will feature a bigger space with more seating, offering both dine-in and takeaway options, as well as a brand-new bar.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Now you're talking our language.
Souvlaki Corner told The Hoot: "We’re excited to confirm that Souvlaki Corner will be opening a new site in Morley, Leeds. Our targeted opening is in around four weeks, although we don’t have an exact opening date yet and will confirm this closer to the launch.
"One of the highlights of the new restaurant will be a traditional Greek spit where we will cook whole lamb in the proper Greek way. It will be cooked over charcoal to give the authentic Greek flavour that people would experience in Greece.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
"Our chefs are Greek, bringing authentic knowledge and experience from Greece. The interior design will also reflect the style of the Greek islands, so when people visit they will feel like they are stepping into a little part of Greece."
They continued: "Souvlaki Corner was created to bring authentic Greek street food to Leeds, focusing on freshly grilled souvlaki, gyros, and traditional flavours served quickly and affordably. Since launching our first location, the response from customers has been fantastic, and Morley felt like the natural next step as we continue to grow."
Neighbourhood Leeds bistro hailed as ‘a bit horny’ and ‘brilliant’ by national critic Camilla Long
Clementine Hall
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.
Danny Jones -
21st November 2023 
