Nothing says autumn like pumpkin picking - which is why we've gone and put together a list of some of the best pumpkin patches in and around Leeds and West Yorkshire.
Now October is finally upon us, it’s time to embrace those shades of burnt orange and brown as we enter into spooky season.
Before the nights start in the afternoon and it becomes too chilly outside, check out our favourite pumpkin patches to collect your Halloween pumpkins.
Bert’s Barrow
Austfield Lane, Hillam, Leeds, LS25 5NQ
Image: Bert's Barrow
Bert’s Barrow has grown 30,000 pumpkins over the past few months and re-opened to the public yesterday. The dog-friendly farm is open to the public from 9 am until 4 pm every Friday, Saturday and Sunday but The LS25 farm are urging pumpkin pickers not to leave their trip too late in the year, so grab your pumpkins whilst you can this year.
No tickets are needed for this event. Bert’s Barrow is located in Hillam (LS25), which is around a twenty-five-minute drive from the city centre.
Temple Newsam will running a pumpkin carving workshop 1-3pm on Tuesday 31 October 2022 to get all of the family into the Halloween spirit over half term. The event will run between 1 pm and 3 pm, but families are also invited to find the ghostly residents of Home Farm and Temple Newsam House throughout the week.
No tickets are needed for this event. Temple Newsam is on the outskirts of the city centre. The LS15 postcode is around a fifteen-minute drive from Leeds city centre.
There’s far more than just grabbing your pumpkin for spooky season here. There’s 18 different varieties to choose from so grab your favourite white, blue, orange, green, warty big or small one and take a tractor ride through the picking fields. If that’s not enough, there’s plenty of photo ops here, an onsite cafe and even face painters to bring your spookiest ideas to life.
Birchfield Ice Cream Farm will be open from Thursday 6 October 10 am - 4pm every day until Halloween, but if you can hold out until half term, you can join the Pumpkin Festival activities. Tickets are free to attend but if you wish to join the additional activities, visit the farm animals, activities, maize maze and carving barn there's a £5.95 charge per person.
It’s ‘go big or go home’ at Farmer Copleys. The Pontefract-based farm has planted over 200,000 pumpkins and claims to have the ‘biggest pick your own pumpkin patch’ in the UK. Take your pick of the rainbow and find your perfect pumpkin, in twenty different varieties. From traditional orange to green, blue and even white pumpkins, each pumpkin is unique and perfect for carving later in the month.
Redwood Farm
Tingley, Wakefield WF3 1EF
Image: Redwood Farm
Head to Redwood Farm's opening weekend event either on Saturday 14 and 21 October or Sunday 15 and 22 October or join the half-term family day-trippers from Saturday 26 October until Halloween.
There will be no bookings required and both cash and card are accepted on site. Redwood Farm is around thirty minutes from Leeds city centre, located near Wakefield.
Yorkshire Pumpkins open their fields to pumpkin pickers on weekends from Saturday 7 October for an early weekend pick before welcoming guests every day from Thursday 26 October until Sunday 30 October 2022. They recommend bringing wellies, gloves (pumpkin plants are covered in spikes), a camera and a very strong bag to carry your pumpkin home in.
Tickets cost £1.50 each and prebooking is required, but the value of the tickets is taken off your pumpkins.
Yorkshire Pumpkins is located in Lodge Farm, Cundall and is around a fifty-minute car journey from Leeds city centre. Due to the remote location, we would not recommend travelling by public transport.
Having planted over 125,000 pumpkins, Spilman’s Farm has pumpkins for everyone across their twenty-five-acre plot. Located on a family-fun-farm, visitors have the choice of picking orange and white pumpkins, gourds and squashes before heading to the new ‘Last Pumpkin’ musical theatre show, which is included in the ticket price. Visitors will also be given a £5 voucher on arrival to spend on your pumpkins or Spilmans activities.
The Spilman’s Pumpkin Festival will be open every weekend in October, just remember to pre book a ticket to avoid disappointment. Spilman’s Farm is located north of York and takes around an hour to reach by car from Leeds city centre.
One of the best days in the foodie calendar is hereand it's time to decide where you're going for the ultimate stack.
Whilst homemade pancakes hit the spot and attempting to flip them is definitely a laugh, it's always a treat to get out and about to celebrate the momentous occasion.
From thin crepes with lemon and sugar to pillowy, thick buttermilk stacks which are showered with a whole host of delicious toppings - there's a pancake dish for everyone to devour this Shrove Tuesday.
Keep reading for our top picks of cafes, restaurants and bars to visit this Pancake Day.
House of Koko
Chapel Allerton , Oakwood and Leeds city centre
Images: The Hoot Leeds
House of Koko are the absolute bees knees when it comes to brunch.
Their pancakes are fluffy, pillowy, light, perfectly formed and just down right delicious. The list of toppings is almost overwhelming and you can mix and match yours to your heart's content, we're talking bacon, biscoff, kinder bueno, toasted nuts, white choc chips, banana and even ice cream, the list really does go on but you'll be here all day.
Moose Coffee
Bond Court
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Given Canadian pancakes are a worldwide favourite, you'd expect the best pancakes to come from Moose Coffee. Made fresh to order, there's a stack of three dusted with icing sugar, dotted with blueberries and served with Canadian butter on offer as well as a Biscoff Stack made from three pancakes, biscoff sauce, vanilla ice cream, white choc shards, lotus biscuit.
Whatever your preference this Pancake Day, your combination of sweet and savoury is pretty much guaranteed to live up to the famous Canadian combination- maple syrup included.
Farmhouse
Lands Lane
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Farmhouse are basically famous in the city for their epic stacks of pancakes, fluffy and loaded with all the toppings it's just what you want this Pancake Day.
If Up North
Call Lane or York Place
Image: The Hoot Leeds
If you're a regular on the If Up North Instagram page, you'll know that these guys are big fans of pancakes. Given their obsession with posting their beautifully decorated variations online, we're confident that these pancakes will be lip-smacking, mouth-drooling good and packed with flavour.
Expect flavours like berry and Biscoff, fruits and cream, bacon and maple syrup as well as a whole host of different variations at any of their Leeds-based cafes.
North Star Coffee Shop
Leeds Dock
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Locally renowned for its coffee roast, North Star Coffee Shop is also a great contender for the best-looking pancakes around. Open from 8am this Shrove Tuesday, grab some fluffy pancakes topped with all the seasonal favourites they have on offer.
Galleria
Armley Road
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Running from Monday 16 February until Friday 20 February, you can bag yourself £1 pancakes with a huge range toppings like classic lemon and sugar, maple smoked bacon, fried egg and sausage, or singular toppings such as blueberries, avocado, IPA caramel and more.
You'll need to pre-book to secure your offer and when you arrive, pick up an order form from your server so you can select how many £1 pancakes you want, alongside your chosen toppings. Yeah, it’s really that flipping easy.
Laynes Espresso
New Station Street
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Everything Laynes touch turns to gold, and their pancakes are of course no exception.
They of course go perfectly with a heavenly cup of coffee served inside their dazzling bright yellow, life-affirming coffee shop.
Six of our favourite cosy pubs in Leeds City Centre to hide away from the rain
Clementine Hall
When the weather is rubbish, there’s nothing better than tucking away in the corner of a cosy pub with a good pint and a bowl of chips.
Thankfully, Leeds is blessed with many.
Roaring fires add extra comfort, as do old-fashioned characteristics like low-slung wooden beams and wood panelling, whilst big windows serve to let in a bit of light on the darker days.
To help you pick where to go, we’ve put together a list of our favourites below.
The Victoria & Commercial
Great George Street, LS1 3DL
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Newest and maybe the most festive is The Victoria, originally opened in 1865 this historic pub has recently been reborn courtesy of Kirkstall Brewery and Whitelock's Ale House.
The interior here is absolutely beautiful, even without the decorations it feels festive. So if you're looking for that Christmas feeling all year round, this is the place to be.
Whitelock’s Ale House
Turk’s Head Yard, Leeds LS1 6HB
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Of course it wouldn't be a cosy pub guide without the iconic Whitelock's Ale House. The oldest pubs in Leeds, Whitelock’s is easy to miss – tucked away down a side alley off the main high street, but once you find it it's well worth the hunt.
A former marketman’s pub, inside you’ll find historic features like an old wooden bar and stained glass windows as well as good selection of beers, ales and traditional British dishes.
Crowd of Favours
4-12 Harper Street, Leeds City Centre, LS2 7EA
This laid back spot in Leeds is the perfect spot to get nestled in, enjoy a few pints and escape the dreary weather.
Food-wise, think lemon and thyme chicken wings, braised beef cheek and hearty stews. As for the drinks, there’s a solid wine and cocktail menu as well as a good selection of beers on draught.
The Highland Laddie
38 Cavendish Street, LS3 1LY
Images: The Hoot Leeds
From the team behind Empire Cafe, The Highland Laddie is one of Leeds' newest pubs but it's as cosy as it gets.
Fabulous traditional interiors with a proper homely feel to it, and of course the food is absolutely banging. Think oysters, ham and chips and belting sausage rolls.
The Lamb and Flag
1 Church Row, Leeds City Centre, LS2 7HD
Housed in a renovated 19th-century building, The Lamb and Flag boast a locally-sourced menu and a strong selection of local ales. A stone’s throw from Leeds Minster, there are two bars – one upstairs and one down. Between them, you’ll find ten different hand pulls pouring some of the best beer in Leeds..
The Brunswick
82 North St, Leeds LS2 7PN
Images: The Hoot Leeds
This absolute gem at the top of town has everything you could ever want in a pub. Great drinks, a warming atmosphere, a pool table and brilliant food.
The staff are always lovely and there's usually an adorable dog knocking about too.
Sophie Smith -
1st October 2023 
