Thiccc Sauce is behind (almost) all of Leeds' best sauce combos, but the local independent has now secured a huge collaboration project with burger chain Honest Burgers and Makers Mark Whisky.
Starting from humble beginnings, Thiccc Sauce is one of our favourite lockdown success stories from Leeds. Since beginning the sauce company, founder Luca has collaborated with some incredible Leeds talent, including the likes of Friends of Ham, Little Bao Boys, the Savvy Baker, Mozzafella and more.
Now the independent sauce company is involved in a huge collaboration project with Makers Mark whisky and Honest Burgers.
The national restaurant chain will be stocking a special Thiccc Sauce from Tuesday 3 May - Monday 30 May 2022 and have even created a burger featuring Leeds' own sauce.
Honest Burgers have said: "If you're going to make a BBQ sauce burger like no other, you have to start from scratch. For us, that meant calling our friend Luca, aka Thiccc Sauce and jumping on a train to Leeds to work on a recipe.
"We created a fine sauce- sweet and smoky- adding chipotle peppers and a slug of Maker's Mark Kentucky bourbon for woody vanilla complexity... The result is fruity and tangy with a kick of chilli heat: it's addictive stuff".
There's even a special burger to go with it: the BBQ Sriracha Burger is an irresistible combo of Honest beef patty with candied bacon, double American cheese, Bourbon BBQ Sriracha sauce, crispy onions, confit garlic mayo, lettuce and pickles.
All burgers comes with homemade rosemary chips, coleslaw or salad from Tuesday 3 May - Monday 30 May 2022.
Image: Supplied
Thiccc Sauce has explained how the concept came to life: "So it’s been a year in the works. Honest Burgers reached out as they started their plans to open a leeds venue so wanted to work with a local indie business. Myself and Adam from Honest stayed in touch and carefully and slowly planned what sauce we wanted to make. He then came up to Leeds early this year and we developed the sauce together.
We wanted to blend two of our favourite styles, BBQ and sriracha [so] I then travelled down to London to help develop the burger with the sauce on. The partnership with makers mark join along the way to amplify the flavour of the sauce. [I'm] Extremely happy with how the whole project has turned out and an honour to work with two such amazing brands and give Honest a very warm welcome to Leeds."
Big collabs = big mixing pots. / Image: Thiccc Sauce
This month, Honest Burger announced that the Camden-born burger joint would be expanding over into West Yorkshire and opening their first branch in Leeds. Little information has been released, other than the company plan on joining Leeds' Cloth Hall Street in the near future.
You won't have to wait too long to try out Honest Burger for yourself though. The chefs have just taken over the kitchen at Northern Monk refectory over in Holbeck and will be serving up their famous beef patties for the next three months.
As for the Thiccc Sauce burger: there's no update just yet to say whether it'll be on the Leeds menu, but the home-grown indie sauce will be featured in over 50 of their restaurants across the UK- including nearby cities like Manchester.
Image: Supplied
Read More: The best Leeds indies X Thiccc Sauce collaborations in 2021
To try out Thiccc Sauce's other delectable creations, you needn't travel too far: the indie sauce company regularly features at pop-ups across Leeds or you can find their sauce in person at Bottle Chop in Headingley, amongst other stockists.
Feature Image- Supplied
Eats
Look inside MADE as viral matcha spot opens up in Leeds
Leeds’ matcha scene is about to get a serious upgrade, because MADE, the viral Sheffield favourite, is officially ready to open its second site right in the heart of the city.
Taking over a spot on Lower Briggate, the new café lands on Thursday 30 April, and if its Sheffield success is anything to go by, it'll be pretty popular from day one.
Since launching less than a year ago, MADE has built a loyal following thanks to its aesthetic drinks, inventive flavours and a menu that goes far beyond your standard coffee shop offering.
This pastel-toned, checker-floored, light-filled space brings something genuinely fresh to the table in Leeds.
At its core, MADE specialises in hand-whisked matcha, with a rotating lineup of seasonal specials that are as photogenic as they are drinkable. Think strawberry shortcake matcha, sticky date lattes, and the much-hyped banana bread matcha that’s already gained a cult following over in Sheffield.
Alongside that, you’ll find iced coffees, 'split cups' for indecisive sippers, and smoothies inspired by the cult-favourite Erewhon.
Acai bowls at MADE in LeedsInside the new MADE in LeedsMatcha at MADE Leeds
MADE is also serving up generous açaí bowls, fresh sandwiches (including their popular tuna-cado option), and other grab-and-go bites.
Taking over the former Nice Things unit, the arrival of MADE brings a new energy to Lower Briggate just in time for summer.
And judging by the queues they regularly draw in Sheffield, it’s safe to say Leeds locals are about to become very familiar with that signature green hue.
The North Leeds Food Festival returns for 2026 and special anniversary edition
Danny Jones
The much-loved North Leeds Food Festival is back for 2026, and its spring return marks a very special anniversary.
We're getting hungry just thinking about it.
Taking place in less than a fortnight, North Leeds Food Fest marks its 10th birthday early next month, with this year's programme set to be one of the biggest yet.
We're lucky enough to see a lot of wonderful things within Roundhay Park every single year, but this might just be one of our absolute favourites.
Not to speak for all of you, but we're sure plenty of West Yorkshire would agree.
Held on the expansive Soldiers' Field section of the stunning outdoor space, more than a full decade on from the very first iteration of the festival, punters can expect free-flowing drinks, music rolling across the park, and LOTS of food to be enjoyed.
Both dog and family-friendly, too, it's already shaping up to be one of the best fun-for-all-ages weekends of the entire year.
Writing in a teaser on socials, the organisers said: "We’ve been working away behind the scenes to bring a fresh look and feel for 2026, so you can expect some surprises for our big birthday."
Consider our interest piqued and our tummies already rumbling...
The same spotlights will be shining on native independents serving up some of the region's best street food, and you can expect some top-notch drinks from Leeds locals, too.
It's pretty hard to believe it's been 10 whole years since this first started and how far it's come. Here's a longer look at how the last edition went down:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqSxSj-dQsA&t=2s
Some of the indie enjoyment being teased includes wood-fired pizza, crispy fried chicken, fresh cocktails and a full 'Ale House' pouring from start to finish, as well as "vibrant curries and desserts worth saving space for".
There'll also be artisan markets, a live cookery theatre hosted by Yorkshire chef, consultant and Great British Menu star, Stephanie Moon, lots of live tunes, a whole host of kids' activities, stand-up comedy and tonnes more.
Scheduled for Saturday, 9 May 2026 from 10am and wrapping up on the following (10 May) around 7pm, the doors will be open from 10am on the first day, so you'd better make the most of the celebrations.
Sophie Smith -
2nd May 2022 
