This has got to be one of the most exciting Sunday roast options around.
Whether you're seeking a new spot to enjoy the best meal of the week and tired of the usual selection of meat and two veg, or a cheese-lover looking for any excuse to dip anything into a gooey pot of fondue- the Cheesy Living Co. has got the ultimate new treat.
Starting this Sunday, you'll be able to grab a seat inside the Corn Exchange eatery at either 12pm or 2pm for a fondue Sunday lunch - and it's unlikely to be anything you've seen, or tasted before.
The Fondue Sunday Lunch is truly a feast for the senses. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
£20 per person gets you a fondue for two (or more) filled in the classic Swiss style with melted cheese, then your table is filled with roast dinner staples like rosemary potatoes dusted in paprika, half roasted garlic and of course, Yorkshire puddings.
Then you can build on your roast selection as you see fit to make up the ultimate roast dinner, adding a board of Lishman's cold cut roast ham and beef; honey roasted carrots and parsnips; stuffing balls or even a DIY cauliflower cheese offering to dip into the Alpine-style fondue pot and cover in as much cheese as possible.
After you've filled up on as much cheese-covered goodness as you can, dessert is served as a sharer warm quadruple chocolate cookie and squirty cream - a classic.
Half roasted garlic and roasted veggies. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Selection of cold cut Lishman's meats. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
For those that can't get down on a Sunday, there's a much-loved alternative that the Cheesy Living Co. offer a delicious fondue serving Thursday’s at 7pm and then all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The menu varies from the Sunday roast but offers the same gooey melting pot of Swiss cheese- and is a welcomed option for those looking to 'fondue' their dinner a little differently.
The Cheesy Living Co. has made a considerable stamp on the Leeds foodie scene after opening less than a year ago. Whether you met Jake and Soph at their Corn Exchange store or at a pop-up, you're likely to have sampled their selection of carefully-curated cheeses, meats and deli items around the city.
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, and haven't looked back since.
The Sunday fondue is just one example of the foodie offerings here.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The pair continue to offer seemingly unlimited foodie options for cheese-lovers and for locals wanting to taste and support the work of Yorkshire independents, this is truly a one-stop-shop.
By night the indie store inside the Corn Exchange turns into a pop-up restaurant, with a host of activities to get involved in. Aside from the signature fondue nights, there's also cheese and clay workshops, fine dining support clubs or BYOW cheese clubs nights- and many of which include one-of-a-kind menus that are cooked up by some of the city's finest.
The 'A Night of Fine Dining' pop-ups with No Fixed Abode come highly recommended.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
To find out more about the brand new fondue Sunday lunch and bag yourself a fun-filled afternoon or evening of cheese-dipping goodness, visit the Corn Exchange eatery or visit book your trip on the Cheesy Living Co. website HERE.
Feature Image- The Hoot Leeds
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The 42-year-old Kirkgate Market stall serving freshly shucked oysters for £1.90 a pop
Tucked away in Leeds Kirkgate Market you'll find a wonderful seafood stall selling freshly shucked oysters for £1.90 each.
It's places like these that remind us why we love Leeds so much.
Established in 1880, Hayes Seafood is widely regarded as the oldest trader within the historic Kirkgate Market.
For the past 42 years, it has been run by Cliff and Michelle, the loveliest couple who welcome every customer with open arms.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The menu here is small but perfectly formed, focusing on fresh, ready-to-eat seafood that you can enjoy with a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of mayonnaise at most.
Delivered fresh every morning, there's pre-cracked crab shells, brown and white crab meat, cockles, crawfish tails - all perfectly prepared for you to eat at their bar or high tables opposite.
But, it's the oysters that you'll see people queueing for. And rightly so.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Everything here is prepared to order right in front of you, and for no extra fee. You can choose from two types of oysters: super salty Lindisfarne oysters or the slightly sweeter English Loch Fyne.
We recommend having a couple of each, pulling up a stool right by the counter and getting stuck in. If you ask Cliff nicely, he might tell you a bit about the history of the place - but you may have to order a couple more oysters for that.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
You're left to dress them yourself, whether you prefer dash of fiery tabasco or a few pickled shallots. But to be honest, they're delicious just as they come.
This spot is a real piece of Leeds history, and the queues at lunchtime as well as the repeat regular customers proves just how special it is.
All it's missing is a champagne stall next to it...now wouldn't that be perfect?
Yorkshire-set Christmas film by Leeds director starring Richard E. Grant set to hit UK cinemas next month
Clementine Hall
A brand-new Christmas film is hitting cinemas nationwide next month - and it’s a proper Leeds success story.
Jack Spring directed his first feature film at just 19 years old and has spent the last decade carving out a career in independent film, as well as co-founding Leeds-based production company Shush Films.
His first movie, Destination: Dewsbury, was shot just down the road in - you guessed it - Dewsbury. And after moving to Leeds from Grimsby, Jack became determined to build his business from the city, putting down roots and growing his production company here.
Image: Supplied
Now, after years of working on independent projects, Jack has taken his biggest leap yet with a brand-new Christmas film, Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint.
Set in Yorkshire, Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint follows Aubrey Flint, a reclusive model soldier painter with a lifelong hatred of Christmas, who is sentenced to community service at Willow Lodge - a retirement home on the brink of closure.
Roped into helping with a chaotic production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Aubrey clashes with its interesting set of residents...
And the cast is about as star-studded as it gets, featuring Richard E. Grant, John Bradley, Celia Imrie, Adjoa Andoh, Sophia Di Martino, Adrian Rawlins and Kiell Smith-Bynoe.
Image: Supplied
The heartwarming festive comedy will hit cinemas nationwide on Friday 6 November - a huge milestone for a Leeds-based director and production company, taking a homegrown Yorkshire story to audiences across the country.
You just can't beat a proper wholesome British Christmas film, so you can best believe we'll be watching in the cinema, popcorn in hand.
Sophie Smith -
24th February 2023 
