Looking for a January treat to wash away the dreary skies and cold nights?
If you're looking for a pick-me-up comfort food that combines your favourite sweet and savoury treats, you're in luck.
Lockdown success story and Leeds favourite charcuterie business, The Cheesy Living Co. have been treating customers to sweet salami with flavours like cookies and cream, peanut and caramel and rocky road.
It goes better than you think. So much so that the cheesy caterers are selling out fast of these sweet tasting delights.
Take the rocky road for example, it's a 250f rolled up slab of contrasting flavours that just work. It's a handmade Belgian chocolate salami with honeycomb, toffee, fudge and marshmallow covered in an ultra smooth creamy milk chocolate- what's not to love about that?
If you're looking for something a little less meaty, The Cheesy Living Co. have variations like the Cookies and Cream Salami, which comes as a dark chocolate shell containing a white chocolate ganache with crushed cookie pieces, a perfect snack to enjoy with a glass of milk.
The Peanut and Caramel Salami, on the other hand, is 250g of sweet handmade chocolate salami with a milk chocolate peanut butter ganache, whole peanuts and Cornish sea salt centre and coated in a caramelised milk chocolate- so similar but with sharp flavours for fans of nuts and crisp and tangy sensations.
Image: The Cheesy Living Co.
The Cheesy Living Co. is full of surprising flavours like this and it's their attention to taste buds that has allowed the company to make a considerable stamp on the Leeds foodie scene, despite opening less than a year ago.
Keep an eye on their website as "the chocolate salamis will be making a return to our online store soon" and we're sure they'll fly off the (virtual) shelves as soon as they do.
Whether you met Jake and Soph at the Corn Exchange or whilst visiting the Savvy Baker, or this is the first time you've heard of the new company, The Cheesy Living Co. is the small independent bringing a whole world of sweet meats and cheeses to Leeds that you need to know about.
At present, you can find the sweet salami online (when restocked), but it is hoped that the company will be moving into a permanent property soon where their selections of cured meats and cheese will be available for collection in Leeds city centre.
The duo are hoping to secure their first proper site where they can work from on a permanent basis. The pair have “found a location that provides an exciting opportunity for us to take the next step with the business” and we can't wait to hear more about their new project- but for now we'll settle with ordering online or spotting them at the next independent pop-up in the city centre.
A new Souvlaki Corner is set to open in south Leeds.
If you're a Leeds local who loves food, then you'll have most likely heard and dined at Souvlaki Corner.
It's an absolute gem of a restaurant and takeaway, situated in Wortley selling fabulous authentic Greek food at a great price.
And now they're opening a new site in the nearby town of Morley which is going to be even bigger and better. Get in.
The new site will feature a bigger space with more seating, offering both dine-in and takeaway options, as well as a brand-new bar.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Now you're talking our language.
Souvlaki Corner told The Hoot: "We’re excited to confirm that Souvlaki Corner will be opening a new site in Morley, Leeds. Our targeted opening is in around four weeks, although we don’t have an exact opening date yet and will confirm this closer to the launch.
"One of the highlights of the new restaurant will be a traditional Greek spit where we will cook whole lamb in the proper Greek way. It will be cooked over charcoal to give the authentic Greek flavour that people would experience in Greece.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
"Our chefs are Greek, bringing authentic knowledge and experience from Greece. The interior design will also reflect the style of the Greek islands, so when people visit they will feel like they are stepping into a little part of Greece."
They continued: "Souvlaki Corner was created to bring authentic Greek street food to Leeds, focusing on freshly grilled souvlaki, gyros, and traditional flavours served quickly and affordably. Since launching our first location, the response from customers has been fantastic, and Morley felt like the natural next step as we continue to grow."
Neighbourhood Leeds bistro hailed as ‘a bit horny’ and ‘brilliant’ by national critic Camilla Long
Clementine Hall
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.
Sophie Smith -
7th January 2022 
