After the festival's triumphant success in 2022, Leeds’ Corn Exchange is bringing back Leeds Whisky Fest, a one-day festival that champions all things boozy.
A vibrant selection of global and homegrown brands is set to take over Leeds Corn Exchange on Saturday 25 March, bringing an impressive line-up of whiskies from all over the world to our doorstep.
Leeds Whisky Fest will welcome guests for an afternoon or evening of tasting, learning and entertainment. Inside, there will be makers and creators from renowned distilleries, including Jameson, Kilhoman, The Lakes Distillery, Filey Bay, Annandale, Scapegrace and Old Pultney.
Image: Leeds Whisky Festival
The event will mark Leeds Whisky Festival's second year, following on from the huge success of last year's which was a complete sell-out.
The whisky will be accompanied by entertainment, music and delicious food from levantine-inspired kitchen MorMor - providing whisky enthusiasts with an all-round, immersive and fun experience.
In total, there will be over 100 whiskies available on show, but you’ll only need the one entry ticket for all-access to unlimited samples, talks, masterclasses and tastings.
Leeds favourites Latitude Wine & Spirit Merchants will be running the festival bottle shop so visitors can purchase their favourites from the festival to enjoy at home.
Lee Jones, Head at Studio Events says: “It was always a massive goal of ours to launch a Leeds Whisky Festival. Now in 2023, we have the opportunity to build on what we created last year and run with it. There is so much passion in Yorkshire for the World of Whisky, and it’s a joy to bring all those enthusiasts together in one place.
Image: Leeds Whisky Festival
"Whisky can have a reputation as being quite niche, predominantly male and consisting of little else but neat Single Malt Scotch. We’re passionate, but not pedantic. What we want to do with Leeds Whisky Festival is open things up and show that whisky is for everyone. There’s only one way to drink whisky, and that’s however you’d like it!”
Punters that reckon this Whisky Festival will make the perfect addition to their weekend plans can choose to head down to either the afternoon session (12-4pm) or the evening session (5-9pm) of Leeds Whisky Fest, with tickets available for £40 at eventbrite.co.uk.
An award-winning burger chain is coming to one of Leeds' suburbs.
If you don't know Burgerism, then get to know.
The Manchester-based burger chain is known by many for its incredible smash patties and quick, reliable service.
Their concept is simple: good burgers made with quality ingredients and cooked fresh to order. Delicious.
And it's not just burgers, they've also got some great wings and fries available too with a range of homemade sauces on offer for dunking, drizzling and devouring. We're a particular fan of the buffalo wings with their garlic ranch dip.
The chain used to have a dark kitchen on the outskirts of the city where people could order via Deliveroo, however this closed down and since then there's been a Burgerism-shaped hole left in our foodie scene.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Burgerism recently applied to move into a vacant shop unit in Meanwood at 605 Meanwood Road, seeking change-of-use planning permission for the former Papa Johns site which was previously only allowed to serve...well, pizzas.
And the plans have now been approved, which means Burgerism will officially be coming to Leeds. Hurray!
Burgerism's new takeaway will be walking distance from the The Meanwood Tavern, perfect for those looking for some post-pint burgers.
It will be strictly takeaway with no dine-in option available.
The brand-new Burgerism will employ 15 people from the local area with food being served between 11am and 11pm.
We'll keep you up to date as and when we find out more, but for now we're aware that Burgerism Leeds is set to open this summer.
Ireland’s famous fast food phenomenon, the spice bag, has landed in Leeds Kirkgate Market
Clementine Hall
You can now grab the ultimate hangover cure at our very own Kirkgate Market.
And it comes from none other than The Fisherman's Wife - a Leeds institution that has been serving up fantastic fish and chips for over 60 years.
But now, they're turning their attention to spice bags.
If you have no idea what we're talking about then allow us to fill you in. And we'd recommend pouring yourself an ice cold glass of water, because it's about to get real salty up in here.
The spice bag is an Irish delicacy that is often devoured after a few Guinness on the streets of Dublin, for example.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
It consists of shredded and battered chicken, chips, onions and peppers - all deep fried, loaded into a bag and tossed in lashings of salt and pepper seasoning.
Oh, and of course dipped or lathered in a sauce of your choosing. The classic being curry sauce, obviously.
It's been available in Leeds once before at a pop-up in Trinity Kitchen, but now The Fisherman's Wife is here to make them a permanent option for anyone with that salty craving.
You've got a couple of flavours to choose from too, including peri-peri, plain, salt & chilli and of course the classic salt & pepper.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
You can then add a drizzle of sriracha, curry sauce (obviously) or sticky honey if you're looking for that sweet and salty balance.
The best part? They're selling these for just £6.50.
So next time you've had a few too many the night before, get yourself to The Fisherman's Wife inside Leeds Kirkgate Market's food hall and get yourself a spice bag. You'll be cured in no time.
Clementine Hall -
1st March 2023 
