A bird's-eye view of Leeds, Sheffield, and Yorkshire

X

Eats

Horsforth Brewery to takeover and save beloved Ilkley tap house

Clementine Hall - 3rd March 2026

A renowned brewery have announced that they will be taking over the reigns of a popular craft beer bottle shop in Ilkley.

Fuggle & Golding opened in 2015 on Leeds road in Ilkley and quickly grew a loyal following with locals and visitors alike.

Sadly they announced last month that their last day of trading would be Saturday 28 February, news which was met with huge disappointment.

However this is no longer the case, as Horsforth Brewery is set to reopen the venue on Wednesday. Hooray!

Announcing the welcomed news to Instagram, Horsforth Brewery wrote: "When we saw they were going to close we were determined to not lose another great venue from the local beer scene.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Horsforth Brewery 🍺 (@horsforthbrewery)

"We owe a massive thank you to George and the landlord for getting a deal across the line in quick order.

"We’re going to take a few days to put our stamp on the place and then we will be open on Wednesday!"

"Obviously we will be stocking our beers here but as anyone who knows will know, we love the beer scene so we will continue to have a good amount of guest beer on as well. We’ll even been joining in with the biggest beer launches from around the country.

"Want to know the best news? We’re doing this solo. No outside interests, no investors, no debt. In the current climate being able to organically grow like this is so so hard and it’s thanks to all our team that we’ve been able to do this.

"We’ve always been determined to grow our business in a healthy and sustainable way; it may have (absolutely has) been tough over the years but we’ve got ourselves in a position to take us to the next level in a sustainable way."

Read more: Inside Leeds’ newest Italian cafe and gelateria that’s inspired by the streets of Puglia

Featured images - The Hoot Leeds

Eats

British Pie Week 2026 – all the best places to find a pie in and around Leeds

Clementine Hall

Sweet, savoury, filled or plain: pies are a staple in the British diet.

It's the best week of the year...it's British Pie Week, not that we need much of an excuse to celebrate that flaky, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth pastry, but we're taking all the excuses we can this week to embrace all things pie related.

We've rounded up al our favourite spots to grab a pie, as a lunchtime snack or on the go in the city centre - so take your pick, whatever the occasion.

Dave's Pies and Ales

Kirkstall Road, Burley | Open from 5pm

Images: The Hoot Leeds

Images: The Hoot Leeds

Dave's Pies and Ales is locally known as the smallest pub in Leeds - and whilst the menu and seating area might be teeny, what it does do, it does well.

Choose from a range of pies and peas with classic ales on tap to choose from inside this micropub 12-11pm every day of the week.

Whitelocks Ale House

Turk's Head Yard, just off Briggate | Kitchen open from 12pm

Image: The Hoot Leeds

Whitelocks is known in Leeds for its Sunday Roasts, warm fire and homely pub ambience- but their pies are the unsung heroes on the menu.

The beef and ale pie is made from Yorkshire Meat Co. beef, a Wetherby-based supplier that brings beef from the likes of Tancred Grange Farm in Richmond to Leeds. This one is served with chunky chips and sautéed seasonal veg, seat by the fireplace optional.

Pieminister

Duncan Street, Leeds city centre | Open from 12pm

Images: The Hoot Leeds

Images: The Hoot Leeds

Available as a Sunday roast, bottomless brunch or just a plain old (but beautifully presented) pie and mash, Pieminister is famous for its pies for all the right reasons. On the shelves in your local supermarkets and available as a sit-down scran on Boar Lane, Pieminister is a place where pies are guaranteed to make up the majority of the menu options.

Finer Pleasures

Multiple locations

If you don't know about Josh at Finer Pleasures, then you're seriously missing out. Josh is somewhat of a pie-oneer (sorry), and is the master of creating weird and wonderful pie creations from lasagna pies to gammon, egg and pineapple pork pies.

You can find him over in Crossgates most Wednesdays, but you're best bet is to keep an eye on his socials for the best chance on bagging one of his pies. Trust us, they're like gold dust.

Wilsons Butchers

Austhorpe Road, Cross Gates | Open from 7.30am

Image: Wilsons Butchers

Located in Armley, Morley and Pontfract - Wilsons Pies and Pasties is a small indie chain from Wilsons Butchers and crowned champions of the Yorkshire Small Pork Pie Championships.

At lunch time, the shops offer a true Yorkshire delicacy of pie and mushy pies with optional (but essential) mint sauce. All Wilsons pies and pasties are made using locally sourced produce in Garforth, so these a true Leeds pies, and well worth sampling.

Read more: Inside Leeds’ newest Italian cafe and gelateria that’s inspired by the streets of Puglia

Featured images - The Hoot Leeds

Eats

Beloved late night Leeds cocktail bar The Maven announces permanent closure

Clementine Hall

"After years of late nights, strong cocktails, and incredible stories; The Maven will close its doors"

It's a sad day for the Leeds night life scene, as a beloved speakeasy bar has today announced that it will be closing its doors for good.

The Maven has been a firm favourite for many years with those looking to enjoy some experimental and expertly made cocktails.

Hidden behind an unassuming door at the top of Call Lane, it was a great spot to visit if you were looking for something that little bit special.

Announcing the news to their social media, The Maven said: "From the bottom of our hearts we thank you for being our guests over the years and promise that until then, we'll do our best to give you the best nights out on Call Lane."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Maven (@themavenbar)

The post continued: "After years of late nights, strong cocktails, and incredible stories; The Maven will close its doors on the 28th of March.

"Rest assured every booking will be honoured. Every cocktail poured properly. The lights stay low. The music stays on. We’re not done yet.

"Thank you for being our guests - we hope you'll join us for the final chapter and celebrate all things Maven this month."

Comments have been flooding in with fans expressing their sadness and praising them for their 'best spicy margs' and fond memories spent at The Maven.

So make sure to pop by and cheers to The Maven before its gone for good.

Read more:

Featured images - The Hoot Leeds