Foodies of Leeds will be excited to hear the news.
The Cheesy Living Co. is an ever-humble lockdown success cheese business that have had a whirlwind few years like no other.
Whether you've met Jake and Soph at the Corn Exchange or whilst visiting the Savvy Baker, The Cheesy Living Co. specialise in bringing top-notch cheese and charcuterie dishes to our doorsteps, and if you haven't heard of them yet- you will soon.
Whilst we wait in anticipation to find out whether these, guesses are correct- and find out when we can grab our next foodie fix from The Cheesy Living Co,. you can find them around Leeds, but you can also grab all things cheese and charcuterie online.
The company create bespoke boxes of cheese, cured meats and accompaniments, as well as selling limited edition stock such as Spanish cheese, sweet rocky road salami and more.
The team of two: Jake Fischer, the ‘big cheese’ and Soph Branowsky, Creative Director, set out to take on the cheese scene after finding a gap on the market for locally sourced products during lockdown.
Image: The Cheesy Living Co.
Founder Jake told us that: “Working in hospitality, when covid restrictions hit hard for the second time we decided that the time was right (and for our own sanity) to pursue a passion and love for all things cheese and charcuterie.
“Having a good product is one part of it of course, but the rest is down to the incredible support we’ve had from family, friends and all of our customers… We have a lot of ambition and seeing that start to become a reality is such an incredible feeling.
“2021 has been such a tough year for so many people, so to be able to do what we’re passionate about on a daily basis is such a humbling feeling.”
We can't wait to hear more about their permanent store opening.
To get your cheese and charcuterie fix, you can visit the Cheesy Living Co’s Instagram page to follow their journey to an official, permanent space and find out where the company will be popping up in the meantime too. Alternatively, to take their charcuterie boards for a taste test- head over to their website.
Food critic Camilla Long visited Leeds for her latest review for The Times with her sights set on Horsforth's finest - Bavette Bistro.
Ever since opening back in 2024, Bavette Bistro nestled in the leafy suburb of Horsforth has made waves across the country for its sheer brilliance.
It's pretty much received five star reviews across the board and been handed awards from left, right and centre. And rightly so.
The Good Food Guide crowned Bavette the best local restaurant of 2024, and Michelin handed them a well deserved Bib Gourmand - so it's safe to say it's not just us who think it's really something special.
So it was only a matter of time until The Times popped in for a review, and this one is truly glowing.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The review labels Bavette as "warm, unmannered and unpretentious" as well as "authentically French".
Long describes the food as "gorgeous, confident, surprising" with a menu that "isn’t too long" and "filled with sturdy, noble dishes, whiffing mightily of the sea and the soil."
It continues: "All of it made with generosity and cheer, served fast by nimble waiters, with a long, if slightly eccentric, wine list. To bang out French dishes with this much fiddly detail and to do it to a full room is not easy. Yet all four courses came in under two hours, for about £75 a head, which in London terms is nothing.
"It’s not that this place was perfect, it’s that it was decidedly not perfect. A bit too much chat about the menus; the oeufs in the meurette not quite runny enough. But the point is: it didn’t matter. All of it came charmingly together. It felt relaxed, just right."
The review is then wrapped up with a pleasing five stars, the cherry on top of the cake.
It's a review only restaurants can dream of, and we can't think of a more deserving team - congratulations Bavette.
Team behind Headrow House and Belgrave to take over and reopen Woodside just one year after opening
Clementine Hall
The foodie-favourite restaurant and bar is now under new management.
The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that Woodside has sadly been closed for a few months.
We certainly have, and ever since December we've had a Woodside Sunday roast-shaped hole in our hearts that's been gasping for one of their glorious Marmite glazed parsnips.
But luckily, it has now been confirmed that Woodside isn't going anywhere as Superfriendz, the team behind Headrow House, Belgrave and many other top Leeds spots will be taking over. Hallelujah.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Woodside opened at the end of 2024 from the owners of The Brunswick and The Melbourne.
Labelling itself as a 'neighbourhood eatery and bar', Woodside quickly became a favourite amongst Leeds foodies and was known for its smoked meats, great cocktails and stellar Sunday roasts (do I need to talk about the parsnips again).
The menu was fresh and innovative, with oysters topped with kiwi granita and an incredibly garish banana split standing out as highlights.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
We hope that the new management continues to maintain Woodside's brilliance, but mainly we're just so glad that it's sticking around.
Superfriendz take care of a whole host of spots in the city, including proper Leeds favourites Headrow House, Belgrave Music Hall and Waterlane Boathouse.
Announcing the news to Instagram, Woodside said: "After a longer-than-expected winter break, Woodside is back and will reopen on Thursday 19th March!
"Your favourite neighbourhood bar and eatery returns with the same warm welcome, but an all new management team.
"We can’t wait to see you so keep your eyes on our socials for news on great food and drinks, big screen sports, quizzes and more.
"We’d also like to thank Sam and the original team for all the hard work that went into setting-up the venue. We hope we can do it justice."
Sophie Smith -
4th March 2022 
