Viral bakery Get Baked will be closing the doors of its Headingley bakery at the end of next month.
It’s safe to say that Get Baked is a proper Leeds success story, opening five years ago and fast becoming one of the most viral bakeries in the UK.
Customers had their fingers on the pulse to grab a slice of that oh so mighty chocolate cake week in, week out, and us locals felt very lucky to have a Get Baked on our doorstep.
But unfortunately, this won’t be the case anymore as today the bakery has announced they’ll be closing their Headingley site for good.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Owner Rich took to Instagram to announce the sad news, he said: “These are words I never envisaged myself writing, but I must share with you all the news that at the end of February, our Headingley store will be closing.
“When we opened the site 5 years ago, it was a requirement of the landlord that the lease was personally guaranteed — at the time I had little to lose, and didn’t think twice.
“Now our lease is up for renewal, with the same requirement for me to personally guarantee it — the difference being that I have a lot more to lose, and with a significant rise in rent and rates, paired with the obvious strains on hospitality that everyone’s more than aware of — I can no longer personally guarantee the lease.
"The new lease would mean that the price we lay out in Headingley would exceed the amount we pay for our site in Manchester City centre, which for the style of business that we are, is just madness.
"Being busy is no longer enough to make most hospitality sites work, you have to squeeze so hard to the point where there’s no real fun left — record sales weeks become less of a joy, and more of a necessity.
"For complete transparency, the business has grown to a point where we have to take £500,000 a month to break even — it’s very scary, but it’s all a result of the rapid growth that we’ve undergone over the last few years.
"We are extremely lucky to have a very strong online business. We serve thousands of customers every week delivering desserts all over the country — online is very much the future of GB.
"I have an enormous amount of gratitude for the teams that we’ve had in Headingley over the last five years — we’ve employed some incredible people that played a pivotal role in the businesses success.
"Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are — I’m extremely grateful. I must also thank our customers — when we relaunched the business from nothing in 2021, we were welcomed with open arms.
"OG customers from the previous iteration of GB came back like it had never left, it was truly remarkable. I’m conscious that Headingley serves some of our most loyal and regular customers, and I am so grateful to you all for your support over the years. We will close the doors on Saturday the 28th of February."
If you’re still looking to get your Get Baked fix, you can either order online or take a trip across the Pennines to visit their bakery in Manchester City Centre.
The BBC is currently casting for the next series of The Traitors, and is looking for some deceptive Yorkshire folk to take part.
It's safe to say that The Traitors is pretty much a cultural phenomenon at this point.
Pretty much everyone and their dog is tuning in to watch The Celebrity Traitors on Thursday and Friday evenings, but this time it's not about the celebs.
Producers describe The Traitors as a ‘game of trust and treachery’, and there’s always plenty of twists, turns, shocks, and surprises along the way – but do you reckon you’ve got what it takes to play?
If so, the BBC is currently casting for the next series of the popular show, and is calling on people in Yorkshire and across the UK to apply.
Applications are currently open to players who are over 18 years of age and have the right to legally reside in the UK.
The first series of the smash-hit BBC reality competition show proved pretty popular when it premiered back in 2022, but the second series took things to a whole new level, and truly seemed to capture the attentions of the nation like no other – with millions of viewers tuning in to watch the three episodes each week.
But in case you haven’t seen it, The Traitors is, put simply, a competition series that’s built on strategy, suspicion, and deception, where a team of players are tasked with competing in a series of missions – with the more missions they complete successfully, the bigger the prize pot gets.
However, hidden among the players are the ‘Traitors’, who meet in secret and decide who to eliminate from their fellow players known as the ‘Faithfuls’.
The aim for the ‘Traitors’ is to stay undetected until the end, while the aim for the ‘Faithfuls’ is to banish all of the Traitors before the game ends.
Up for it? You have until 31 May 2027 to get your applications in online here.
Leeds Christmas Market is getting two brand-new themed bars for 2026 – including a Scottish Highland Lodge
Clementine Hall
Organisers of the Leeds Christmas Market have announced it will host two new bars for 2026.
Yes, we know it's only October...but is it too soon to be getting excited about Christmas? We think not.
The Leeds Christmas Markets are going to look a little bit different this year, as the owners of Thor's Tipi will be running the festivities at City Square for 2026.
Completely new for this year, the market on City Square will introduce two bars with different themes - a Scottish Highland Lodge and a Folie Ski Bar.
Image: Supplied
Firstly, the Highland Lodge will welcome visitors into a spacious tipi filled with snug seating, twinkling lights, roaring fires and plenty of tartan.
Designed to welcome large groups, the lodge will have space for 280 guests inside and a further 100 outside, whilst the drinks menu will feature Highland favourites including Scottish beers and ales, a selection of whisky and even Iron-Bru.
Over at the Folie Ski Bar on Quebec Street, expect a relaxed festive retreat with the feel of an alpine chalet, complete with rustic wood detailing, fairy lights, faux fur throws and roaring fires.
The bar can accommodate 180 guests inside and 50 outside, serving mulled wine, boozy hot chocolates, Kirkstall Brewery beers and a selection of low and no-alcohol drinks.
Image: Supplied
THORS’s director, Amanda Monaghan said: “We’re excited to bring two new bar experiences to Leeds Christmas market this year. Having hosted THOR’s tipi in the city for many years, we’ve had plenty of practice creating festive spaces and entertainment, so we know what customers love.
“We’ve listened to lots of feedback on what people would like to see at the market and we want to make sure we give visitors and residents of Leeds plenty of reasons to stay with us long after they’ve finished their shopping or a day at the office.
“The new venues have been created to cater for all ages and tastes and will be perfect for passing visitors, after work drinks or planned Christmas get-togethers. From the lively Scottish spirit of Highland Lodge to the cosy alpine atmosphere at Folie, there’s going to be a spot for everyone to settle in and enjoy drinks by the fire and plenty of festive fun.”