Thinkyou've done afternoon tea? Think again. Yard and Coop have the ultimate three-tiered chicken feast that's changing the meaning of high tea.
Afternoon tea: usually a rather formal affair, complete with British scones (however you choose to pronounce them), clotted cream and some good old Yorkshire tea. The China is expensive and so are the tickets for a spot at the table.
For many of us, the idea of afternoon tea sounds thoroughly enjoyable, but do we really want to work our way through finger sandwiches and being very polite to our neighbouring tables? Not exactly. We want a chilled out affair to devour some delicious food with our mates.
Yard and Coop must have heard our prayers for an afternoon tea revolution and have the ideal solution: fried chicken afternoon tea.
From the people that brought Leeds ice cream chicken burgers, Yard & Coop are offering a three-tiered buttermilk feast with their signature chicken breast, dirty bird style.
Work your way up the tiers and find a tasty treat on each layer. On the bottom, you'll find a dirty bird made for two: a huge bowl of fries, loaded with cheese sauce, buttermilk fried chicken and crispy bacon. Dip into Dr Pepper BBQ and blue cheese sauces, but make sure there's room for more: this is only course one.
Yard & Coop have truly reinvented afternoon tea, with not a scone in sight. / Image: Yard & Coop
Rather like a middle child, the centre layer of the afternoon tea will grab your attention quickly. Take your pick of mini buttermilk fried chicken burgers with adobo chilli mayo, Grandma's stuffing balls and amaizeballs. Dunk in some homemade chicken gravy and a selection of Korean sauces for the ultimate chicken dinner.
Reinventing the finger cakes and scones from a traditional afternoon tea, Yard & Coop have left their top tier for those with a sweet tooth. An assortment of cupcakes are complemented by fresh strawberries, chocolate dipping sauce and a mountain of marshmallows.
No afternoon tea is complete without a glass of something boozy. With a selection of gin available and included in the price, it would be rude not to take advantage of the varieties available. All drinks are served in a huge balloon glass to ensure that you receive a generous serving.
The Yard & Coop afternoon tea is available every day of the week, costing £25 per person. Just make sure to book in advance to avoid missing out on one of the tastiest afternoon tea options in Leeds city centre.
If you've got a seriously sweet tooth, then you're going to love this new opening.
It seems like there's been a flurry of new bakeries popping up in and around Leeds recently, and we're certainly not complaining.
Introducing Crumbb, a beautiful new bakery that has just opened its doors on Hyde Park Road just moments outside of the city centre.
Owner Naila started the businesses as a wholesaler six years ago, stocking up local businesses from far and wide with sweet treats.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Since then, Crumbbs opened its first location in Bradford just a few months ago that has been nothing short of a resounding success. So much so, that Crumbbs 2.0 was born right here in Leeds a few days ago.
Right, let's talk you through what's on offer.
For the sweet toothed out there, there's a whole myriad of treats for you to enjoy. We're talking giant NYC-style cookies, fluffy cinnamon buns topped with gooey icing, brownies slices, cookie muffins, rocky road, flapjack, the list is truly endless.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
You can even get warm cookie trays and hot brownies to enjoy in house that can be topped with ice cream or thick custard.
And it doesn't stop there, Crumbbs also whip up freshly baked savoury focaccia slices as well as cheese twists, pizza slices and savoury rolls filled with creamy mozzarella and herbs.
They've also got a fabulous drink selection on offer including matcha, coffee and hot chocolates.
Located in Headingley, we've got a feeling this spot is going to be a huge hit with students and locals alike looking to get their sweet treat fix. But they'll have to beat us to it first.
The hidden Leeds bakery serving giant cheese twists, pickle sausage rolls and chocolate focaccia
Clementine Hall
This spot in the city is baking up some weird and wonderful creations.
But you'll have to act fast if you want to get your hands on them, as it's only open one day a week for all your doughy desires.
Introducing Fold, a focaccia-focused bakery by the talented team behind The Cheesy Living Co.
Rewind to this time last year and with three restaurants flourishing across Leeds, the team needed a space to bake all their bread and sweet treats in-house to supply to sites.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And this is where Fold came in, located underneath the arches of Brussels Street on the outskirts of the city centre - it may take a while to find this spot but once you have, it'll be worth it.
And they're making some of the most inventive bakes that we've seen.
Of course there'll always be a focaccia on offer, with flavours ranging from crispy chilli oil, sesame and spring onion to kimchi, cheese and pistachio.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And it's not just savoury focaccia, you'll even find gooey chocolate and banana focaccia as well as Biscoff waffle focaccia....yep, seriously.
Elsewhere they specialise in gigantic footlong cheese twists with more crispy bits than soft, as well as chorizo and cheese stuffed sausage rolls and a range of freshly baked bagels for you to go home and smear in your cream cheese of choice.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Some seriously spectacular specials have been the gochujang cookies and the 'pickle roll', basically like a sausage roll but with...pickles.
It seems there's really no boundaries for where these bakes will go, and you can guarantee that every visit will be different than the rest.
Only open on Saturdays from 10am - 1pm, Fold are changing the baking game. Pop in and say hello, you won't be disappointed.
Sophie Smith -
12th October 2021 
