Now that the weather's turning, it's definitely starting to feel like Sunday roast season.
Don't get us wrong, we love a good Sunday roast at any time of the year. Pink roast beef or crunchy pork with crackling, giant fluffy Yorkshire puddings, and bountiful jugs of gravy are welcome in any season, they really come into their own once the nights start to draw in and there's that winter chill about.
Strong meat choices are always important, but we've also kept our eyes peeled for the best veggie and vegan roasts Leeds has to offer too.
No matter what your roast preference, trust that we've got you covered - and keep reading to discover where your next Sunday scran is coming from.
Image: Banyan Bar
Banyan
If there's anyone who knows how to put on a proper Yorkshire roast, it's Banyan. With a handful of Leeds-based restaurants, the chain offer a roast every Sunday with either topside or half roast chicken and served with carrot and swede mash, roasties, 'Banyan best' gravy, Yorkshire puds and seasonal gravy. Plus, you can get bottomless booze: what's not to love about that?
Grand Pacific
If you want a fine-dining Sunday roast set to the beat of a classical string quartet: look no further than Grand Pacific inside the Queens Hotel. Serving beef or chicken, roasts come as a grand self-serve platter, silver spoons included. Think savoy cabbage, roasties and creamy mash, giant yorkshire puddings and gravy so delish, you could drink it as a starter.
Offering a good mix of veggie, fish and meat dishes, Shear's Yard has one of the best-looking Sunday roast menus in town. Think truffled leek and potato wellington, tikka marinated cauliflower, or overnight-braised shoulder of pork, and we think you get the idea.
The restaurant has only got a sample menu listed, but trust that you can get a solid roast with all the trimmings or a more adventurous main - with plenty of good options for all dietary requirements.
For a truly indulgent Sunday roast, you can't go wrong with Gaucho. The Argentinian steakhouse is known for its melt-in-the-mouth, wet-aged steaks, but it also serves up a killer Sunday roast with bottomless meat and wine every weekend.
If you're coming here, it makes sense to go for the beef - sourced specially from premium Black-Angus cattle and bred at hand-selected farms in the southern Argentinian province of La Pampa. Cooked in its own dripping, each cut comes topped with crispy roast potatoes, glazed carrots, buttered greens, perfectly stacked Yorkshire puddings and lashings of gravy.
The Mustard Pot
This Chapel Allerton eatery has one of the most popular roasts in the city - and for good reason. Every weekend, you'll find a choice of 12-hour Yorkshire beef rump, Yorkshire rare breed pork loin with crackling, or a Mustard Pot nut roast served with giant Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, mixed seasonal veg, creamy leeks and gravy.
The menu's pretty big, too, so if you don't fancy a roast you can tuck into other pub favourites like fish and chips, lentil shepherdess pie, beef burger or steak.
Dating all the way back to 1822, The Tetley is housed in an old brewery first bought by Johnathon Tetley for just £400. Full of history, as of this summer the kitchen is headed by Connaire Moran, an experienced chef formerly of The Owl and The Reliance.
Options include beer-rested roasted sirloin of beef, roasted pork belly with sage and apricot stuffing, roasted chicken and nut roast. All come served wtih heart trimmings including crispy roasties, loads of gravy, carrots, seasonal greens, and massive Yorkshire puddings.
Sunday lunch with pies? SIgn us up. Think your chocie of big, meaty (or veggie) shortcrust pie, served on a bed of mash then topped with a Yorkshire pudding filled with roasted garlic and rosemary potatoes, carrot and swede mash, pork scratchings, and a pig-in-blanket.
Wapentake Leeds
This cafe bar in Kirkgate keeps it simple on Sundays, with two choices listed on its menu. Choose from either their 'meat roast' with mash, wedges, carrots, broccoli and Yorkshires with gravy, or their "veggie or vegan" roast.
Featured in the Michelin guide and the good food guide, the Ox Club's fire cooking is legendary in Leeds. When it comes to Sunday roasts, they don't disappoint. Think roast rump cap of beef with bone marrow gravy, wild garlic and sage porchetta with smoked trotter and fennel gravy, or roast breast of guinea fowl and confit leg with tarragon gravy - then tell us you're not hungry.
As for the non-meat eaters, there's coal-roasted celeriac with pearl barley risotto and truffle gravy, or a truffle cheese pie served with comte, and truffle gravy. Divine.
Image: The Beehive at Thorner
The Beehive
Located in the rural village of Thorner, for a proper country pub experience you can't go wrong with The Beehive. Think roast Yorkshire 28-day matured sirloin, English pork loin, or chicken breast, served with a variety of different accouterments.
The team here know that people love Yorkshire puddings, so they've made it an option to add more on for just 25p each. We'll take a whole plate, please.
Image: Whitelock's Ale House
Whitelock's Ale House
Often hailed as Leeds' oldest pub, Whitelock's also serves up a cracking Sunday roast dinner. Whether you're after a roast beef topside, leg of lamb or pork loin, trust you will find them all here served with a Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables and gravy.
Cauliflower cheese can be added on as an extra, and as for veggies and vegans there's a lovely nut roast option - also served with all the trimmings.
The ultimate roast takeaway for those who don't want to faff about with washing up, Man V Roast delivers to Headingley, Burley, Kirkstall, and Hyde Park. Choices include beef, chicken, and pork, all served with gravy, roasties, Yorkshire puddings and veggies.
Feature image - Banyan Bar
Feature
The best bakeries in Leeds serving everything from crusty loaves to flakey croissants
If you're got a sweet tooth, then you're going to want to keep reading.
Oh Leeds, if there's one thing we're good at - it's baking.
Just walking around the city you'll bump into delightful bakeries offering sweet treats galore, and you'll find even better gems when you venture into the suburbs.
We've rounded up a handy little guide for you to make your way through when you're looking to treat yourself to a cheeky baked good, which should be every day if we're being honest.
So, without further ado let's dive into the best bakeries in Leeds.
Bake
Mustard Approach, Mustard Wharf
Images: The Hoot Leeds
From the team behind Things in Bread and Doh'hut comes this absolutely beautiful bakery by the water.
Led by mastermind Tom, they're serving up great British bakes but with a refined twist. Think ultra cheesy cheese twists, sticky school cake and unbeatable sausage rolls.
Fat Pigeon Bakery
406 Broad Lane, Leeds LS13 3DF
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Fat Pigeon is a micro-bakery in Bramley that opens every Saturday to queues of adoring fans. And it’s no surprise why, as here you’ll find some of the very best bakes - from croissants to cinnamon buns - that Leeds has to offer. Oh, and owner Ruth is about as lovely as they come too.
Fold
62 Brussels Street, LS9 8AB
Images: The Hoot Leeds
From the absolute masterminds behind The Cheesy Living Co. comes Fold, a hidden bakery serving up from under the arches every Saturday morning.
You can get your chops around their famous focaccia, stuffed sausage rolls, cookies, sarnies, bagels and the creme de le creme for us: the foot-long three-cheese twist.
Underground Bakery
Call Lane
Images: The Hoot Leeds
If you're after a really great almond croissant, then you've got to get yourself to Underground Bakery. They're serving a whole array of baked goods but doing them all really, really well.
Right in the centre of town, it's a great spot to swing by on your way to work because everyone deserves a midweek croissant every now and again.
Laynes
New Station Street
Images: The Hoot Leeds
This one probably doesn't need any introduction, as Laynes bakery are known amongst the city for their exceptional bakes and it's not hard to see why.
They stock a number of coffee shops across Leeds but for the true experience, pop in and enjoy a bake alongside a cup of their fabulous coffee.
Nova
Leeds Dock
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Nova Bakehouse is a beautiful sun drenched spot that serve up irresistible morning buns, chewy cookies and speciality bread.
They focus on 'flavour forward baking' using seasonal ingredients to create monthly specials that'll have you going back time and time again.
Oh, and they've been named one of the best bakeries in the UK by The Good Food Guide two years running now - so you know it's good.
These guys have really made a mark for themselves since opening, and have cured all of LS6’s sweet tooth cravings and caffeine fixes.
You'll find everything from stacked brownies and blondies to incredible red velvet cookie pies, and how could we forget their savoury options too?
Chunk
174 Kirkstall Hill
Images: The Hoot Leeds
If cookies are your kryptonite, then Chunk is where you need to be.
From baking inside her student shared house to opening her very first bakery, the last few years have been a whirlwind for owner Amy Bennett- and there's really no stopping her now.
Her gooey NYX-style cookies are out of this world, served with great drinks to match.
The Savvy Baker
Albion Street
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Again, this one needs absolutely no introduction. A Leeds staple that has been curing sweet toothed brownie-lovers for years, it's The Savvy Baker.
Their new site in the city centre is truly one to behold, baking cookies on site and whipping up speciality matchas from a dedicated matcha bar - you don't want to miss it.
Karpaty Bakery
Leeds Kirkgate Market
Images: The Hoot Leeds
This traditional Polish bakery inside the market is selling some of the cheapest bakes you can get your hands on. Their authentic donuts are as big as your head and the perfect sweet treat that won't break the bank.
Street Lane Bakery
399 Street Lane
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Hidden away just behind Street Lane, is Street Lane Bakery.
These guys have been baking up a storm in the kitchen for over a decade, from their ever-so-famous home-cooked bagels to the sweetest of treats.
Slow Rise Bakery
Sunnybank Avenue, Horsforth
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Can't get over to New York but craving a proper chewy, stacked bagel with all the trimmings? Slow Rise Bakery is the only answer.
Pick your flavour bagel from sesame to everything and then pick your fillings, we'd recommend going for lashings of cream cheese and layers of smoked salmon. Delicious.
The Leeds Chilli Shop selling sauces so hot they come with a warning
Clementine Hall
If you think you can handle your spice, then there’s one shop in Leeds that will put that to the test.
Tucked away on Merrion Street, Chilli Shop has been a staple of the Leeds high street for over a decade.
First opening back in 2014, Chilli Shop was founded by Frank Jay and has built a reputation as one of the city’s most wonderfully niche (and hottest) destinations.
It's basically a shrine to all things hot, a proper haven of everything spicy to get your tastebuds tingilng.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
We're talking everything from chilli hot sauces and jams to chocolate, cheese, dried chillies and even novelty gifts perfect for the chilli lover in your life.
But what they're most famous for is a shelf fully dedicated to the Youtube hit Hot Ones, a show where celebrities are pushed to the limit and served hot wings coated in a variety of hot sauces from mild to blow-your-head-off hot.
So if you've ever watched that show and wanted to have a go yourself, this shop stocks all the sauces so you can be the star of your own Hot Ones episode.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Best of all, you can try before you buy. Free, heat-rated tasters are available, meaning you can work your way up from “that’s got a bit of a kick” to “I can no longer feel my face”.
We can't promise there's any milk or ice cream on hand though, so get tasting at your own risk.
So whether you’re looking for a new sauce, a spicy gift for your mate or simply want to discover exactly how much pain your tastebuds can withstand, the Chilli Shop is one Leeds independent that deserves a visit.
Georgina Pellant -
5th November 2021 
