Brand-new ‘Hot Milkshakes’ and loads of vegan options are just some of the items forming part of Costa’s 2024 winter menu.
The popular coffee shop is known and loved for its limited-edition menus every time a new season rolls around – and it looks like this year will be no different, as Costa has already decided to kick-off 2024 in style, just a few days into January, by announcing that a whole host of new and returning drinks and food options.
After waving goodbye to its much-loved festive favourites for another year, the new winter menu will be launching at Costa branches all across the UK from tomorrow (4 January).
And one of the stand-outs on the menu has to be the all-new ‘Hot Milkshakes’.
Image: Costa
Already being described by the chain as “groundbreaking” and “game-changing”, the indulgent range of new Hot Milkshakes are exactly what it says on the tin, and are designed to “tantalise your senses and provide an unforgettable experience”.
Available in three flavours – White Chocolate and Strawberry, Salted Caramel Coffee, and Chocolate Hazel – each Hot Milkshake is topped with Costa’s signature ‘Light Whip’, and depending on what flavour you’ve chosen, either a choice sprinkles, sweet caramel vermicelli, or chocolate brownie crumbs.
Another one of the highlights forming part of the company’s 2024 winter menu has to be the extensive lineup of new vegan food and sweet treat options.
With the first month of the year now also synonymous with Veganuary – which is an annual challenge to promote and educate about veganism by encouraging people to follow a vegan lifestyle for the month of January – Costa’s lineup of new vegan options are ideal for anyone looking to cut back on their animal product consumption.
Thanks to Costa’s new collaboration with popular plant-based foodies, BOSH!, customers will soon be able to tuck into the new Plant-Based Saucy Chicken Fajita Wrap, and the new Plant-Based Smokin’ BBQ Chicken Panini.
Not only that, but the popular Plant-Based Crackin’ Ham and Cheeze Toastie, and the Plant-Based Smashin’ Sausage Bap, will also be returning with new and improved recipes.
For vegans with a sweet tooth, there’ll also be the new Caramelised Biscuit Rocky Road, and the new Double Chocolate Cookie – which can even be served warm – to try out for size, on top of the beloved fan-favourite Chocolate and Pecan Slice, which is also making a comeback.
Image: Costa
For those who aren’t always looking for meat-free options though, Costa has also got you covered thanks to two new brunch options – the new Pork and Apple Sausage Roll, and the new Raisin and Almond Granola Pot.
A handful of customers’ favourite comfort food toasties are also returning for the colder months, including the Hog Roast Toastie, Heinz Beanz and Cheese Toastie, and Roast Chicken and Bacon Toastie.
The new and improved recipe Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake, and the all-new Banana Loaf Cake, and Orange and Raspberry Victoria Sponge are the three newbies to the sweet treats lineup, alongside a trio of returning muffins – Rolo Chocolate & Caramel Muffin, Blueberry Muffin, and Sicilian Lemon Muffin – and the cocoa indulgences of the Chocolate Cornflake Cake, and the Salted Caramel Brownie.
Costa’s new 2024 Winter Menu will be launching tomorrow (Thursday 4 November), and will be available at the chain’s over 14,500 branches all across the UK.
You probably walk past it without realising, but tucked away in Woodhouse Lane is a tiny Japanese kitchen serving up seriously good food.
This small, low-lit Japanese spot has been quietly building a following with its menu of proper Japanese comfort food, from crispy karaage and handmade takoyaki to loaded yakisoba, donburi bowls, and Japanese curry.
Oishi started life back in 2022 as a Japanese street food trailer before finding a permanent home in Leeds. Today, it has kept that same street-food feel, with just seven seats inside and an open kitchen where you can watch the craft and care that goes into every dish.
Behind it all are Cyrus and Katrina, who share the day-to-day running of the kitchen. Rather than trying to turn Oishi into a huge restaurant, the pair have kept things small and personal, putting the focus firmly on the quality ingredients and making sure customers get that warm, friendly experience.
And you can really feel that when you're there.
Credit: The Manc GroupCredit: The Manc Group
Oishi isn't trying to be the biggest or flashiest Japanese restaurant in Leeds. It's a small, independent kitchen where the focus is on big flavours, generous portions and seriously comforting food.
It's also the sort of place that feels like a proper local find, somewhere you could easily walk past for months without knowing what's happening inside.
Step through the doors and, for a moment, it feels like you've left Leeds behind.
With its small, intimate setting and Japanese-inspired details, Oishi has the kind of atmosphere that makes you feel like you've stumbled down a side street in Japan and found a tiny neighbourhood kitchen tucked away from the crowds. It's cosy, unpretentious, and all about the food - the sort of place where you can imagine grabbing a quick bite, settling in with a bowl of steaming curry or noodles and watching the world go by.
And when it comes to the menu, there's plenty to get stuck into.
Credit: The Manc GroupCredit: The Manc Group
It's packed with dishes made for sharing, from crispy golden takoyaki and juicy karaage chicken to gyoza, tempura, and calamari. For something more filling, there are steaming bowls of Japanese curry, loaded yakisoba noodles, and don rice bowls topped with everything from crispy chicken to fried eggs and katsu.
It's hearty, flavour-packed and the kind of food that has you eyeing up everyone else's plate while you're halfway through your own.
So, if you're bored of your usual Leeds food rotation, fancy trying something different, or simply have a serious craving for Japanese comfort food, Oishi Kitchen deserves to be on your radar.
Because sometimes the best food in the city isn't hiding in the middle of town... it's tucked away in Woodhouse instead.
Featured Image - The Manc Group
Eats
Free pho is coming to Leeds as popular restaurant announces new city centre home
Clementine Hall
Leeds pho fans have got something to look forward to this September.
Why? Because the popular Vietnamese restaurant Pho is swapping Trinity Kitchen for a brand-new city centre home.
The beloved restaurant group has recently announced it will be opening at 50 Boar Lane, with a rather tempting way to celebrate the move - a whole day of free pho.
Image: Pho (Supplied)
But before we delve into that, let's reminisce...
Pho was founded by Stephen and Jules Wall in 2005 and has since grown into a restaurant group specialising in Vietnamese street food, including its famously slurpable bowls of pho.
Pho first arrived in Leeds back in 2013, opening in Trinity Kitchen in a kiosk-style format.
Image: Pho (Supplied)
Now, almost 13 years later, the restaurant is preparing to close its kiosk and move into a new, bigger location on Boar Lane.
The Trinity Kitchen restaurant will close this Sunday 6 September, before the new Boar Lane restaurant officially opens its doors on Friday 18 September.
So although you have just under two weeks of a pho-less Leeds, it'll be worth it.
Firstly, you'll be given the chance to bag 50 per cent off their food during a soft launch by signing up here via Pho’s Leeds website before 7 September to be among the first to receive the dates and booking link.
Image: Pho (Supplied)
And then comes the main event.
To mark the opening of the new restaurant, Pho is hosting a FREE PHO DAY on Friday 18 September, starting from 12pm.
The offer will be available on a first come, first served basis, while stocks last, so anyone hoping to get their hands on a free bowl might want to get there early.
So, if you’ve been waiting for an excuse to swap your usual lunch for a steaming bowl of Vietnamese noodles, 18 September might be the day to do it.
Emily Sergeant -
3rd January 2024 
