A new cake shop opened inside an industrial mill unit in Stanningley, Leeds on Sunday, 23rd May.
Called Soph's Cakes Leeds, it's the brainchild of ex-professional dancer Sophie O'Connell - who's had the unit for over a year but has only just been able to open now.
First beginning life in her family's tiny kitchen in Pudsey, she started baking cakes around nine years ago as a way to relax, and soon started getting requests from friends and family.
A hobby since her teens, it wasn't until she broke her foot dancing that she started to think about it as a serious career.
Today, Soph’s Cakes Leeds is a full-time operation and its founder is in high demand.
In the past year alone, she's single-handedly baked around 1,300 bespoke cakes for her customers: that's an average of 3.5 cakes every day.
Due to skyrocketing demand for her creations, the young ballerina first acquired her unit at Swinnow Grange Mills, Stanningley in early March last year - but her initial opening plans were put on hold when the pandemic hit.
Having already moved in, she started making bread and other essential bits on top of her usual cakes in order to provide essentials for those shielding or isolating.
These were then delivered out to those in need to replace items that weren't available in the shops, earning Sophie some extra brownie points with the local Pudsey community.
Now, with the return of indoor hospitality, she's finally been able to open her doors to the public.
Customers can enjoy a good range of sweet treats like cupcakes and full-size creations, alongside coffees and savoury pastries from 2-6pm Monday to Wednesday, and 9.30am-2pm on Saturdays.
Speaking to the YEP, Sophie said: "I can't wait to open to the public. I love chatting to people and getting to know my local community through the means of cake!"
Find out more about Soph's Cakes Leeds on her website.
Eats
Award-winning Sardinian restaurant Domo announces Leeds opening date
Domo will officially open the doors to its Leeds venue this summer.
Get ready for Domo Leeds, a Sardinian independent 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 from homemade pasta dishes to show-stopping grills.
They've also got a banging cocktail menu full of signature serves and refreshing spritz, perfect for enjoying with friends over some delicious sharing plates.
Images: The Sheff
Domo has confirmed it will officially open the doors to its first Leeds venue on Friday June 5, so we really don't have long to wait.
Located at the iconic Tower Works development, Domo Leeds will offer a vibrant new canal-side destination, perfect for the summer months.
Alongside the main restaurant menu, there’ll be a dedicated bar food menu designed around relaxed dining and carefully crafted small plates designed to pair with the drinks offering creating a more informal way for guests to experience Sardinian flavours.
Domo co-founder, Sarah Elliott-Busceddu, said: “We’re incredibly excited to finally open the doors and welcome people into Domo Leeds. From day one, our vision has been to create a space where everyone feels welcome and somewhere that brings people together in the true spirit of Sardinian hospitality.
“Whether it’s an evening out with friends, a relaxed catch-up over drinks after work, or a big family celebration, we’ve designed Domo to feel warm, inclusive and full of life. We can’t wait for people in Leeds to experience not just the food and drinks, but the atmosphere and sense of community that sits at the heart of everything we do.”
The Sheffield institution serving the city’s favourite sandwich for over 60 years
Clementine Hall
Of course, it's the one and only Béres.
It all started back in 1961 when Hungarian butcher Sandor Béres left his home city of Budapest during the 1956 uprising against the Stalinist government.
After the government took control of his father's butchers shops, Sandor set out to establish the chain once more and so, Béres was born.
And thank god it was, as for over 60 years now their iconic pork sandwich has been fuelling the hungry people of Sheffield, and we'd go as far to say it's one of the best sarnies in the city.
Images: The Sheff
Hot roast pork, herby stuffing, crispy crackling and fruity apple sauce all crammed into a soft bap - it really doesn’t get much better than that.
But, what makes it so special? Béres claims it's all in the preparation and quality control.
Being a traditional butchers, their pork joints are traditionally roasted and cured in house to give that succulent texture and crispy crackling every single time.
They use around seven tonnes of pork and four tonnes of flour per week to feed us hungry lot, and it's no surprise when you see the queues forming outside your local Béres every lunch time.
Images: The Sheff
The very first shop was born at Wadsley Bridge where they quickly built a reputation for their sandwiches, this then allowed them to become a proper Sheffield household name after expanding rapidly through the 2000s.
They now have 14 sites across Sheffield, and each site is as good as the next. Not only are the pork sandwiches class but if you're ever faced with a hangover no matter how severe, their stacked breakfast baps are always there to save the day.
But why we love Béres most of all is the lovely staff who are always there to offer a smile and a chinwag, but what else do you expect from the people of Sheffield hey?
Georgina Pellant -
26th May 2021 
