Donuts, Percy Pigs and rainbow coloured bagels and coffee... are we dreaming?
If there's one thing we love in Britain, it's those pink gooey sweets from M&S, so we're all ears when someone finds an imaginative way to incorporate them into a new tasty dish that honours Percy and his farmyard friends.
Doe Bakehouse has plenty of donuts stops near Leeds, with two store in York and one in Harrogate (though this is temporarily closed due to vandalism) and more, the further you head north- but this donut has got us thinking we're willing to travel hundreds of miles just for a single bite.
The Percy P*g, as it's known on the company's social media page (we love some forward thinking ways to avoid copyright problems) is a pink donut with our favourite sweet pig stuck on the top.
But that's not all the rainbow bakery has to offer. Inside each store is an Instagrammable hideaway with every every possible neon colour imaginable plastered on the walls.
You can also get coffees in every possible colour too, and bagels and more.
The Doe Bakehouse reckon they're one of the more colourful bakeries in Yorkshire- and they're definitely right about that. On their website, Doe state that they "have three bright and colourful shops in Yorkshire. One is hidden in the back streets of Harrogate and the two are in the city of York. Come and visit, absorb the surroundings: The rainbow walls, the glitter tassels, the multi-coloured chairs and the eye-catching murals. Escape from reality, oh and enjoy a doe-nut whilst you're there."
You can find usually their Harrogate store on Bower Street (no. 4) and on Church Street in York city centre. If you're in Layerthorpe, you can also grab a donut from Unit 1, 43 Layerthorpe- you'll spot the exterior a mile off.
Unfortunately, the Harrogate store has been subject to antisocial behaviour that has left the store too damaged to open. The bakehouse have stated that "thanks to all of those who told me that claiming “antisocial behaviour” was abusive & stereotypical and that I “knew nothing” as tensions rise surrounding the damage. However, donuts are still available from other stores.
"Our other shops remain open, we’ve had to cancel our Harrogate pre-orders today & have sent all the stock to York, Layerthorpe & Clitheroe. This means they are rammed with donuts. If you’re nearby. We’ve got your sugar fix."
"Harrogate customers: We’ve set up a pre-order for next Saturday - Our only option with this shop is to operate on a “preorder” basis until we work out a plan✨ www.doefoods.com 🎈
York locals, we’ve set Deliveroo to 25% off just because….. Well we now have mass donuts."
There's another new opening in Farsley - this time an incredibly cool listening bar and cocktail bar.
Tucked away in Sunny Bank Mills, Pardon Me is a bar built around 'music, atmosphere, and detail'.
Bartenders here create well-made cocktails and pour natural wines in front of a wall of vinyl records, while a playlist of hip hop, soul, jazz, funk, deep house, and disco soundtracks your evening.
The stylish space features a considered sound system that's been built around Danley speakers.
Pardon Me has opened with the intention of creating a space where 'sound sits at the centre, and everything else supports it'.
It's been launched by Scott Rapson, who grew up in the Scottish Highlands and fell in love with music around the time of the arrival of hip hop in the early 80s.
He then spent time travelling for raves, and visiting venues like Glasgow’s Sub Club and London’s Plastic People, giving Scott an appreciation for how 'music can shape a room, not just fill it'.
Scott and his partner Laurie have then spent the past three years travelling Europe, visiting listening bars across the continent to shape the foundations of Pardon Me.
Inside Pardon Me in FarsleyCocktails at Pardon Me
They say that sound, look, atmosphere, service and style are treated with equal importance.
Whether it's for coffee during the day, or drinks into the evening, they want Pardon Me to be a place to spend time, looking out across Sunny Bank Mills.
Scott says he's built the bar with the support of family and friends, plus Laurie helping to bring the idea to life, already finding a warm welcome within the Farsley community.
Pardon Me is open now at Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley.
Posh bakery chain Gail’s is finally coming to Yorkshire
Daisy Jackson
Gail's has finally set its sights on Yorkshire for the first time, with a new bakery set to open this year.
It's one of the UK's most famous bakeries, launching in London in the early 1990s to supply restaurants, before opening its first retail site and cafe in Hampstead in 2005.
Gail's founders set out on a mission to bake bread as it used to be baked: by hand, using quality ingredients and time-worn artisanal methods.
While Gail's has expanded aggressively into the north, opening around a dozen bakeries in Greater Manchester and its surrounds, it hasn't made the journey across to Yorkshire just yet.
All that looks set to change, with job ads now listed for roles within a brand-new Yorkshire branch of Gail's.
Based on the job advert, Gail's is heading straight to the spa town of Harrogate - which is a fairly predictable move.
It looks like Gail's is heading for HarrogateGail's will make its Yorkshire debut
When it does open, you'll find loaf choices including classic white and brown sourdough, Gail’s ‘wasteless’ loaves (made using a specially-created recipe designed to incorporate unsold bread crumbs), alongside seeded varieties, baguettes and batons.
Must-tries include Gail’s famous cinnamon buns, still-warm cheese and ham croissants, chocolate chip cookies, and – given the weather we’re having this week – iced coffees, all day long preferably please.
Gail's has now confirmed the opening, with a spokesperson saying: "GAIL’s is excited to confirm it is opening a new bakery in Harrogate later this year. The opening will bring GAIL’s craft baking to the community, including creating a number of craft baking, barista, and management roles.
"We will also be donating surplus baked goods through our Neighbourly partnerships. This is part of our ongoing commitment to giving back to the communities we serve and improving access to quality food and drink on the high-street."
But given the number of fantastic local bakeries all over Yorkshire, the question is, does anyone want Gail's?
Sophie Smith -
17th January 2022 
