The rhubarb festival is a Wakefield favouriteand it's back for 2022.
There was once a time when West Yorkshire once produced 90% of the world's winter forced rhubarb after we cleverly constructed dedicated forcing sheds.
Today, Yorkshire is still world renowned for its rhubarb, but we celebrate it slightly differently: with a festival.
The city of Wakefield have confirmed that their annual rhubarb festival will return for the 2022 and is set to include some of the most exciting rhubarb-related activities to date.
From Friday 25 February - Sunday 27 February, Wakefield will be painted pink in anticipation of a full city-wide festival. There will be a food and drink market with over 50 chalets, where members of the public can sample and purchase local and regional delights: lively street entertainment and music, and plenty of workshops to get involved in too.
A programme of chef demos will bring the best of their knowledge to the city too. From 10am - 3pm each day, guests likes food writer Sabrina Ghayour and Great British Bake Off 2021 vegan baker Freya Cox; Featherstone-born GBBO contestant Karen Wright will take to the stage whilst local restaurants like Iris and Fino who will showcase their most mouth-watering rhubarb inspired recipes.
If you're not as obsessed with rhubarb as the rest of us, you can find plenty of non-rhubarb treats too. There's everything from steamed puddings from Little Box Kitchen, gourmet marshmallows from Malvavisco, artisan brownies from The Gourmet Brownie Company and cheeseboards inspired by cheeses from all over the world to choose from.
Image: Wakefield Council
Even plant-based eaters don't have to miss out: vegan street food traders Simply Cheesecake, MoodyMare Patisserie and Really Indian will all be on hand to ensure you have enough rhubarb-based food to keep you going throughout the day.
At the drink's market, let the likes of Rhucello, Howey Nichols and Retro Shots tempt you with their selection of heavenly liqueurs or Then there's cider from Gwatkins, rum from Two Lasses Spirits and Beckford's Rum.
Leeds health nuts assemble, because acai bowls and superfood smoothies are coming to a city near you.
Incase you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, you may not be clued up on the whole acai bowl trend that has been sweeping up the nation.
Acai is a super berry grown and harvested in the Amazon rainforest, and not only is it absolutely delicious but it has a myriad of health benefits.
Acai and the Tribe first opened four years ago in Manchester, and ever since then it's only gone from strength to strength opening up three other locations across the country.
Images: The Manc Group
Next stop? Leeds. And we couldn't be happier about it.
So, what can we expect from this aesthetically-pleasing and ultra trendy female-owned business? Well, loaded acai bowls that look almost too good to eat, superfood smoothies, coffees, matcha and savoury options like avocado toast.
Announcing the very exciting news to Instagram, Acai and the Tribe said: "You asked, we listened. LEEDS… your new lifestyle arrives soon."
They will be opening on 88 Vicar Lane as part of the Vicar Lane regeneration scheme, which has already scene some great new restaurants being announced such as Sticks'n'Sushi and Dishoom.
It seems like this part of town is suddenly going to be the place to be, and we're very happy to see it.
We'll keep you updated with opening dates as and when we know more but for now, you can find out more about Acai and the Tribe here.
Leeds has been crowned the best city in the UK for foodies outside of London
Clementine Hall
It's fantastic news for our city as Leeds has been crowned one of the best cities in the UK for foodies.
It's news that we've been pretty certain of for some time, but it's still nice to be recognised isn't it?
It comes from a new study carried out by credit card brand Aqua who analysed 30 major UK cities across a range of dining and social media metrics, including cuisine variety, restaurant availability, meal affordability, Michelin recognition and TikTok hashtag volumes.
Coming in at number on was, of course, London.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
With 47 cuisines, 22.5 restaurants per 10,000 residents and 81 Michelin-starred establishments, the capital unsurprisingly continues to dominate the UK’s culinary scene.
But in at number two was our glorious city of Leeds, supported by the highest restaurant density in the study, with 38.5 establishments per 10,000 people, and strong affordability compared with cities in the south.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
We will absolutely take that.
Other northern spots to feature on the list include Sheffield and Bradford in sixth and eighth place.
The top ten UK cities for foodies are:
London
Leeds
Nottingham
Edinburgh
Wolverhampton / Leicester
Sheffield
Birmingham / Glasgow
Bradford / Swansea
Preston
Milton Keynes
Here in Leeds we've got so many fabulous food spots, with new openings cropping up every month it's hard to keep track.
From the multi award-winning Bavette Bistro in Horsforth to the highly acclaimed indie Bundobust that started off in Leeds - you certainly won't find yourself hungry or at a loss for somewhere to eat here.
Sophie Smith -
1st February 2022 
