If you haven't grabbed yourself a slice yet - this is your sign.
Located inside the beautifully renovated Meanwood Tavern, Well Oiled is truly bringing the speciality slices of Detroit to the suburbs of Leeds.
The menu has been wildly popular ever since opening in Meanwood in October, and the demand for slices isn't slowing down anytime soon.
Offering a carefully-selected menu of delicious Detroit-style pizzas, the popular pizza joint has everything you'd possibly want from a lunchtime snack or dinner time treat.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Detroit pizza is served as a rectangular shape, rather than your usual circular Neapolitan style - and rather than this just being an inventive way to change up the aesthetics, this actually allows the pizza to develop a deliciously crisp cheese crust around the edges.
The focaccia base itself remains light and airy thanks to an extensive proving period of 48 hours - and from there each individual pizza is built up with flavour-packed toppings and oven cooked to perfection.
These guys believe that pineapple belongs on pizza - but turn the age-old dividing fruit debate on its head by offering a moreish pickled version that's covered in a spicy and sweet pickling brine, developed in house, and served on a bed of Well Oiled cheese mix, rich tomato sauce and topped with smoked pancetta, Aleppo chilli flakes and fresh thyme.
Alternatively, plant-based foodies don't have to miss out on this one either - the chefs here replace the pancetta with a vegan fennel sausage handcrafted from plants by a local independent.
It's fair to say regardless of which version you choose, it quickly shuts up any pineapple naysayers with a single bite - the punchy flavours each have their own shining moment, and is just one example of how this pizza joint is putting a new spin on classic dishes- and is loved for it.
And it most certainly doesn't stop there.
There truly is a slice for everyone - choose from XXXL slices or sharer-style plates with everything from salami to chimichurri, roasted red peppers to burratas on the pizza menu to get stuck in to.
The Turbo Peppers is another firm favourite: grab yourself an XXXL slice with Well Oiled sauce and the house-made cheese mix topped with roasted red peppers and Roscoff onions before being drenched in turbo chimichurri and chipotle-spiced maple and pecorino for a sweet, savoury, slightly spiced slice that'll have you licking your lips to get to every last morsel.
The Well Oiled Full Spec is perhaps the perfect sharer. The four-slice special cooked inside the 10"x14" pans, and tuck into Detroit style goodness with Trealy Farm fennel salami, whipped ricotta, pickled mash, finished with hot honey drizzle and oregano.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The garlic bread here also deserves it's own talking point.
The tear-and-share style follows the same two-day-long fermenting process that creates that fluffy dough, before being treated with copious amounts of garlic butter (vegan-friendly) and sea salt, flat leaf parsley.
Grab as a standalone or the Burratini special, which comes with a Puglian burratini in the middle of the donut-style bread, perfect for dipping.
The popularity for the sellout pizzas speaks volumes for itself, but there's never been a better time to head down to Meanwood Tavern and give these slices a taste-test with the return of the Slice Safari - which gives you access to any of the pizzas as a XXXL slice for a fiver.
To find out more about Well Oiled, you can visit their website or head down to Meanwood Tavern, grab a pint and check out what the fuss is all about, slice in hand.
Feature Image- The Hoot Leeds
Eats
Inside Leeds’ new neighbourhood bakehouse from the team behind Silver’s Deli
Silver's Bakehouse is finally here, and it's just as fabulous as we'd hoped.
Just when you thought Leeds’ favourite sandwich spot couldn't get any better, they go and open a bakery.
Silver's Bakehouse has opened its beautiful pastel green doors today over in Farsley to queues of excited fans eager to get their first taste.
So, what's on offer at Silver's Bakehouse?
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Well, as masterminds of the almighty sandwich you'll be happy to know you can still get one here. However, their iconic sub sarnies have had an Italian makeover and are now served in fresh, springy sourdough which is baked onsite.
Elsewhere on the menu you'll find brown butter buttermilk brownies (try saying that three times), a range of delicious cookies, sausage rolls, soft amaretti biscuits and Dark Arts tiramisu.
There's also a fab selection of Italian drinks on offer in a swanky new fridge, as well as a coffee menu so you can pick a brew to go hand in hand with your chosen baked good.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The interior is just as gorgeous, complete with yellow walls, red tiles and a mirror hanging above the baker's table so you can really see all the magic happen.
And trust us, it is magic.
There's a couple of benches outside so you can plonk yourself in the sunshine to enjoy your sarnie, which is what we'll be doing in this glorious bank holiday sunshine.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
You can really tell this is a proper labour of love, and Chris and the team have done a cracking job of keeping that Silver's spirit in there.
Go and say hello to congratulate them on this fabulous new opening, it's a great addition to Farsley and the Leeds foodie scene.
The beautiful West Yorkshire valley walk that ends at a top gastropub
Daisy Jackson
If your idea of a perfect Sunday doesn't involve a stroll in the countryside followed by lunch in a country pub - we can't be friends.
And if that does sound like your idea of a very nice day out, we've found a pretty spectacular walk-roast combo for you, right here in West Yorkshire.
You can start your day by strolling through surprisingly varied and very green countryside, with stunning valley views, before resting your weary legs beneath the table of an award-winning gastropub.
If you haven't guessed it yet - we're off to the Shibden Valley, just outside Halifax, where your gentle hike will lead you straight to the warm embrace of the Shibden Mill Inn.
The walk begins in the car park beside the pub, but don't get tempted in for a pint just yet.
There's an easy-moderate 5.6km circular that will lead you along a country lane, dropping down to cross a brook, then heading back up a gentle incline towards the top of the valley.
The views along the Shibden Valley from here are beautiful - lush green fields dotted with trees as far as the eye can see.
Then the route takes you along some wide open fields, with plenty of wildlife to spot along the way, before heading into peaceful woodlands.
You can take a break here to paddle in the stream before continuing on through farmland, with friendly horses to say hello to.
Views along the Shibden Valley Circular. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Then you'll find yourself back at the Shibden Mill Inn, a pub that's consistently finding itself in the prestigious Top 50 Gastropubs list.
Dating back to the 17th century, it's a pretty white building converted from a former mill, with ivy climbing all up its walls.
There's a sizeable beer garden - with a live musician playing when we popped in - but it's hard to resist the cosy charm of the pub's interior, where staff have to duck beneath the low ceiling beams and no surface feels totally straight.
The Shibden Mill Inn's Sunday roast offering does a set menu, with two courses for £40 or three for £45, changing seasonally.
You'll find pub classics on the starters, like chicken liver parfait and homemade soup, before delving into the main event - the Sunday roast.
We love a pub that gives you both mashed AND roasted potatoes, which the Shibden Mill Inn does, along with roast seasonal veg and a towering Yorkshire pudding.
The Sunday roast at the Shibden Mill InnChicken liver parfait, and soup Chocolate fondant with torched marshmallowInside the Shibden Mill Inn
There's roasted salt-aged sirloin of beef, cooked perfectly pink (though they're happy to give it a bit longer if you prefer your meat to not be blushing); or an excellent wedge of belly pork with crispy crackling.
And on the side, a portion of cauliflower cheese that is actually more cheese than cauliflower. Perfect.
Puddings are a nice mix of heavy winter favourites and lighter, fruitier desserts - but we go full stodge, with a chocolate fondant dessert topped with torched marshmallow, salted caramel, and sugared pecans, and have no regrets.
If you want to replicate this Sunday walk and roast, you can see the full circular route here.
Sophie Smith -
9th February 2023 
