If there's a supermarket character that's been making headlines- it's Colin.
The caterpillar cake has long been a British tradition, and whilst we all know how the M&S vs Aldi #FreeCuthbert played out- it's fair to say that any form of chocolate-covered animal is welcome at the dinner table for birthdays and barbecues alike.
Now, joining the party of Colin lookalikes, Yorkshire's own Doe Bakehouse has created a unique concept that reminds us just a little of the namesake.
Kolin the Caterpillar is a donut caterpillar devised by the locally-renowned bakery- and we're truly obsessed with the concept.
Costing £30 each, Doe assembled each donut cake with 5 filled ball donuts.
One of the many advantages of ordering from a Yorkshire independent is the breadth of choice you'll have, no Kolin is the same here and you can tailor your caterpillar to your taste.
Kolin is available to pre-order online. / Image: Doe Bakehouse
Choose from fillings of jam, cream, Biscoff, Oreo or chocolate cream in any combination before adding a chocolate coating and drizzle, again you can choose from three different types of chocolate for this (white, milk or dark chocolate).
The popular bakehouse also shared a video of mini Kolin eclair cakes on their Instagram page, which will be available to purchase in store.
It's not the first time that we've been drooling over Doe Bakehouse's creations inspired by the popular supermarket.
The Percy P*g, as it’s known on the company’s social media page (we love some forward thinking ways to avoid copyright problems) is a pink donut with our favourite sweet pig stuck on the top.
But that’s not all the rainbow bakery has to offer. Inside each store is an Instagrammable hideaway with every every possible neon colour imaginable plastered on the walls.
You can also get coffees in every possible colour too, and bagels and more.
The Doe Bakehouse reckon they’re one of the more colourful bakeries in Yorkshire- and they’re definitely right about that.
On their website, Doe state that they “have three bright and colourful shops in Yorkshire. One is hidden in the back streets of Harrogate and the two are in the city of York. Come and visit, absorb the surroundings: The rainbow walls, the glitter tassels, the multi-coloured chairs and the eye-catching murals. Escape from reality, oh and enjoy a doe-nut whilst you’re there.”
If that's not enough to pique your interest, the Yorkshire bakery was responsible for the rude-looking donuts shown on Channel 4 star Steph McGovern's shared on social media as the post-show snack after filming at Leeds Dock.
Image: Doe Bakehouse
Writing “Interesting choice of post show treats in the @PackedLunchC4 green room today…….”, the Channel 4 TV presenter shared a photo of a box of Doe Bakehouse’s now infamous ‘vulva nuts’ with her 420,000 Twitter followers, attracting national attention- and a lot of comments.
To get yourself any of Doe Bakehouse's donuts, you can pre-order online, or you can find usually its Harrogate store on Bower Street (no. 4) and on Church Street in York city centre. If you’re in Layerthorpe, you can also grab a donut from Unit 1, 43 Layerthorpe- you’ll spot the exterior a mile off.
Feature Image- Doe Bakehouse
Eats
The Leeds bakery serving up fresh pastries straight from their backyard
In case you missed it, a bakery in Bramley has received lots of attention recently after people have sampled some of its impressive bread and pastries before raving about it online.
Since then, Ruth, the mastermind behind it all, has generated queues from her summer house-turned bakehouse with people coming from far and wide to sample her flaky favourites and doughy delights.
Baking for more than 10 years and opening The Fat Pigeon just outside of Leeds city centre three years ago, there's no denying that the pastries and more produced here are some of the best.
This micro-bakery has a mighty menu and although Ruth's personal tastes might lean more savoury, the menu heavily favours sugary baked goods.
Anyone who loves a good sweet treat will be glad to know there's croissants, traybakes, cinnamon buns and the star-studded kouign-amann, a French-originating buttery pastry that covers all bases as it's sugary, sweet and slightly salty - heaven in baked form.
Ruth posing with a pigeon statue alongside some of her delicious golden creations / Image Credits: The Hoot Leeds / The Fat Pigeon
There's plenty more dough-based delights that cater to the savoury palate too. Think sourdough loaves, baguettes and focaccia that's oozing with perfectly paired herbs and generous amounts of oil.
What makes this place even more special is the fact that not only the products being created and consumed made by a Leeds local, most if not all of the offerings are made using Yorkshire produce.
Ruth has made sure to keep local produce at the heart of all her bakes with Met's in Farsley who providing cheese, Whiteley's contributing fresh vegetables like parsley and rhubarb, flour from East Yorkshire's own Stringers and The Organic Dales for any dairy items - it really doesn't get more Yorkshire than this.
Enough from us, social media user's are singing this bakery's praises too as one commented "Delicious. Delicious. Delicious" and another going as far to say, "Beats every pastry I had in Copenhagen".
The sourdough loaves and bloomers at The Fat Pigeon are homemade and look as good as they taste / Image Credits: The Hoot Leeds / The Fat Pigeon
Hopefully you're reading this on a Friday or early Saturday morning, otherwise all I can do is apologise for tempting you with all this bakery's homemade golden goodness so far in advance.
The Fat Pigeon is open from 9am to 12pm every Saturday meaning you can stock up on some of Leeds' best bread and pastries to tie you over until the next weekend, depending on your will power.
Five of the best new openings in Leeds recently – from ice bath cafes to listening bars
Clementine Hall
It's been a brilliant couple of months for new openings in Leeds.
We don't know about you, but we think our city is really thriving with all it has to offer at the moment.
There's been a flurry of new spots opening up, and if you haven't visited them then we urge you to check them out.
But first, allow us to tell you all about them...
Domo
Tower works, 2 Globe Rd, Holbeck, LS11 5QG
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Introducing Domo, an independent restaurant born in Sheffield that is loved by many for its delicious food, inviting atmosphere and stellar service.
Run by Raffaele Busceddu and Sarah May Elliott, Domo serves a range of traditional Sardinian specialities that aren't often seen outside the island, all made entirely in-house.
Located right on the water's edge, we've got a feeling this is going to be our go-to spot this summer for long lunches fuelled by spritzes.
Also born in Sheffield, this one's for the matcha lovers and we know there's a lot of you. Think iced banana bread matcha, superfood smoothies and refreshing acai bowls served in a super cool setting.
Kontrast
84-86 Railway Street, Saxton Gardens, LS9 8HB
Images: The Hoot Leeds
After already making a big name for themselves over in Manchester, Kontrast has brought its popular sauna and ice bath cafe concept over to Leeds. Located under the railway arches, Kontrast features two traditional saunas, one infrared sauna, and four ice baths, each varying in temperature between three and 13 degrees. It's the perfect space to enjoy solo or with a group of like-minded wellness-loving people.
Scott and his partner have opened the coolest, 70's inspired record bar that is full of his massive record collection alongside a carefully curated cocktail menu with a twist. With the best view of Sunny Bank Mills, Pardon Me is just the most chilled out place to watch the world go by whilst sipping on a coffee or a glass of wine whilst hearing everything from hip hop and soul to deep house, and disco. We loved our visit and we know you will too.
We all know and bloody love Silver's Deli over in Bramley, but now they’ve branched out to Farsley and opened the wonderful their very own bakery which is already a sell-out.
The all-new neighbourhood bakehouse is slinging out the likes of homemade focaccia, buttermilk brownies, sausage rolls, cookies, tiramisu and, of course, the ever-so-famous sandos but this time in homemade, fluffy focaccia.
Sophie Smith -
13th July 2022 
