Just around the corner from Leeds train station, this new underground cocktail speakeasy is well worth checking out.
Called Underbelly, it's tucked away underneath Friends of Ham - a little gem in its own right with a delicious menu of cheese toasties, delicious things on toast, charcuterie, and cheese boards.
Open on the weekends only, this gorgeous little drinking den is easy to miss but well worth seeking out.
Underbelly can be found underneath Friends of Ham / Image: Friends of Ham
Serving up some fabulous cocktails that you just can't get your hands on in the restaurant upstairs, choices on the menu include classics such as espresso martinis, daiquiris, margaritas and negronis alongside some signature 'Underbelly twists'.
The twists menu features a twist on the classic French martini, or as they're calling it here a 'Parisienne martini', made with plantation pineapple rum as the base alongside raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice.
There's also a divine sounding Pedro's iced tea, perfect in a heatwave, made with Element 29 vodka, Portobello Road gin, curacao, lemon and smoked cola and Pedro Ximinez sherry.
The Delirium Old Fashioned, made with Wild Turkey Rye and a Delirium red syrup / Image: Underbelly
Give it to me now. We also like the look of the afternoon tea, a sweet tea infused gin concoction made with added lemon, apple presse and soda. The perfect long and fruity drink on a hot day (and let's be honest, we've been having a lot of those lately).
Not for you? How about the Herbie's pub - another rum heavy cocktail made with Plantation Fiji, alongside watermelon, lime and pineapple juice, or the El Damasco, a tequila-based drink with apricots, lime and agave?
Last but not least, we have to talk about their Delirium old fashioned, which blends a red syrup made from the iconic Belgian beer with Wild Turkey's rye to create a distinct finish.
An example of some of the delicious charctuerie and cheese places on offer both upstairs and down / Image: Friends of Ham
Of course, if cocktails aren't for you (or maybe they're not for your friends), there is also a handful of beers on tap here including some bits from local brewery Kirkstall. Starting from £4.80 a pint, you should be pretty happy with the craft selection on offer.
Out favourite thing about Underbelly, though, has to be the fact that you can also order food from the restaurant upstairs - a charcuterie board and those bar snacks are the perfect set-up for a night of drinking if you ask us.
Find Underbelly underneath Friends of Ham at 4-8 New Station St, Leeds LS1 5DL.
Feature image - Friends of Ham.
Eats
A new cocktail and record bar has opened in the former mills at Farsley
There's another new opening in Farsley - this time an incredibly cool listening bar and cocktail bar.
Tucked away in Sunny Bank Mills, Pardon Me is a bar built around 'music, atmosphere, and detail'.
Bartenders here create well-made cocktails and pour natural wines in front of a wall of vinyl records, while a playlist of hip hop, soul, jazz, funk, deep house, and disco soundtracks your evening.
The stylish space features a considered sound system that's been built around Danley speakers.
Pardon Me has opened with the intention of creating a space where 'sound sits at the centre, and everything else supports it'.
It's been launched by Scott Rapson, who grew up in the Scottish Highlands and fell in love with music around the time of the arrival of hip hop in the early 80s.
He then spent time travelling for raves, and visiting venues like Glasgow’s Sub Club and London’s Plastic People, giving Scott an appreciation for how 'music can shape a room, not just fill it'.
Scott and his partner Laurie have then spent the past three years travelling Europe, visiting listening bars across the continent to shape the foundations of Pardon Me.
Inside Pardon Me in FarsleyCocktails at Pardon Me
They say that sound, look, atmosphere, service and style are treated with equal importance.
Whether it's for coffee during the day, or drinks into the evening, they want Pardon Me to be a place to spend time, looking out across Sunny Bank Mills.
Scott says he's built the bar with the support of family and friends, plus Laurie helping to bring the idea to life, already finding a warm welcome within the Farsley community.
Pardon Me is open now at Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley.
Posh bakery chain Gail’s is finally coming to Yorkshire
Daisy Jackson
Gail's has finally set its sights on Yorkshire for the first time, with a new bakery set to open this year.
It's one of the UK's most famous bakeries, launching in London in the early 1990s to supply restaurants, before opening its first retail site and cafe in Hampstead in 2005.
Gail's founders set out on a mission to bake bread as it used to be baked: by hand, using quality ingredients and time-worn artisanal methods.
While Gail's has expanded aggressively into the north, opening around a dozen bakeries in Greater Manchester and its surrounds, it hasn't made the journey across to Yorkshire just yet.
All that looks set to change, with job ads now listed for roles within a brand-new Yorkshire branch of Gail's.
Based on the job advert, Gail's is heading straight to the spa town of Harrogate - which is a fairly predictable move.
It looks like Gail's is heading for HarrogateGail's will make its Yorkshire debut
When it does open, you'll find loaf choices including classic white and brown sourdough, Gail’s ‘wasteless’ loaves (made using a specially-created recipe designed to incorporate unsold bread crumbs), alongside seeded varieties, baguettes and batons.
Must-tries include Gail’s famous cinnamon buns, still-warm cheese and ham croissants, chocolate chip cookies, and – given the weather we’re having this week – iced coffees, all day long preferably please.
Gail's has now confirmed the opening, with a spokesperson saying: "GAIL’s is excited to confirm it is opening a new bakery in Harrogate later this year. The opening will bring GAIL’s craft baking to the community, including creating a number of craft baking, barista, and management roles.
"We will also be donating surplus baked goods through our Neighbourly partnerships. This is part of our ongoing commitment to giving back to the communities we serve and improving access to quality food and drink on the high-street."
But given the number of fantastic local bakeries all over Yorkshire, the question is, does anyone want Gail's?
Georgina Pellant -
23rd July 2021 
