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Eats

Healthy juice and smoothie bar set to open on Bond Street this September

Get a load of this juicy gossip.

Clementine Hall - 28th August 2024

Bloom Juice Co. aims to bring fresh, wholesome and healthy on-the-go juices to the high street.

The opening comes after the successful opening of Bloom Juice Co's flagship store over in Lincoln this past June.

Bloom's mission is a simple one, to provide a healthier alternative to your usual on-the-go smoothies and juices to the high street.

Serving the local community with delicious, health-focused, fresh juices and smoothies. Sounds pretty great if you ask us.

Image: Bloom Juice Co.

Image: Bloom Juice Co.

Made fresh in-store, it's not just drinks customers will be able to enjoy but a range of tasty snacks too.

From protein cake pops and muffins to overnight oats, perfect for your morning commute into the office.

Popular menu items include a range of cold pressed juices, iced coffees, matchas, thick smoothies jam-packed with your five a day as well as smoothie bowls topped with all the goodies.

You can also grab real fruit frappes topped with whipped cream and sweet sauces if you're looking for a mid-afternoon pick me up.

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Jordan Dodd, regional manager at Bloom, said: “We are so thrilled that the Bloom concept has been given this opportunity to grow and reach new communities.

“After the amazing success in Lincoln it’s clear to us that people are eager for a healthier alternative to what’s currently available on the high street and we remain dedicated to providing a fresh, nutritious option as we continue to expand.”

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Featured image - Bloom Juice Co.

Eats

A Leeds icon has been reborn as The Smithfield opens in former The Reliance site

Daisy Jackson The Smithfield has painted this iconic unit red again

The Smithfield has painted this iconic unit red again

The Smithfield is finally here - and we're pleased to report that it's every bit as special as you were hoping.

This newcomer to Leeds has taken over the site that was home to The Reliance for more than two decades.

The team's transformation of the site started with a paint job - probably the most-talked-about paint job in the city - taking the site's exterior back to its memorable dark red.

That move immediately won over fans of The Reliance, with one person writing: "Seems the team here held the Relly in high regard and rightly so! Hopefully they can recapture some of its magic."

But the efforts to recapture the essence of the iconic old venue go way beyond that.

The Smithfield, a collaboration between Crooked Brewing and Chef James Donovan, is setting out to mix up relaxed hospitality with simple dining.

It's all about connection - to seasonal food, to the heritage of the building, and to the community that will make connections here.

Co-founder Steve Dawson outside The Smithfield

The Reliance has been reborn as The Smithfield — Co-founder Steve Dawson outside The Smithfield

If you're wondering what sort of things will be on the table, allow us to enlighten you.

There are sharing plates like grilled leeks on romesco, pigs head croquettes (a must-order), and whipped cods roe with radishes, all served on charming mismatched plates.

The bigger dishes include a comically massive pie for sharing, packed with chicken, leek, and tarragon. It's a mighty thing, especially paired with their crispy-edged chips.

You can also order a whole wild Cornish seabass for a real feast, or a fantastic beef sirloin with wild garlic butter.

There's a fantastic selection of natural wines from Wayward Wines, as well as (unsurprisingly) great beers.

Steak, pie, and charred leeks

A spread of the plates at The Smithfield — Steak, pie, and charred leeks

Steve Dawson, co-founder of Crooked Brewing, and his business partner chef James Donovan, were drawn to the old The Reliance site and are seizing the opportunity to contribute to the area's dining legacy.

While Steve's focus is on creating a social meeting point, James will focus on the casual, social dining, taking inspiration from the building's reputation as a cutting-edge gastro pub.

They'll be sourcing seasonally and locally, with menus that will change with the seasons.

The space itself inside is still familiar - those huge windows are the stars of the show, with the bar still standing centrally, while the dining room at the back is stripped-back and simple overlooking the open kitchen.

It's very early days for The Smithfield - they're just out of their soft launch period and gearing up for their first 'proper' weekend.

On their soft launch period, they wrote: "We were so grateful to welcome friends, neighbours, and the Leeds hospitality community to The Smithfield. Seeing the bar and dining room full after weeks of cleaning, painting, and graft has truly made it all worth it.

"A huge thank you to everyone who came along, showed their support, and has made this journey possible. Not least the Kitchen and bar teams, whose incredible service has kept the plates coming and the drinks flowing."

We feel pretty confident in saying Leeds will be very proud to have The Smithfield in our city.

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Featured image: The Hoot Leeds

Eats

In pictures – Mexican restaurant Madre opens up in Leeds at last

Madre is one of those few restaurants that has been making us jealous of Manchester for years - but finally, it’s Leeds’ turn.

A couple of months after the launch of Salon Madre, a colourful pool hall and taqueria, it’s time for Leeds to welcome its sister restaurant.

Madre will open its doors on Wellington Place this week, promising to educate us all in the art of ‘sobremesa’, which means to linger at the table long after the meal is over.

And trust us, after popping in for a sneak peek today, you won’t be in a rush to leave this place.

The unit has been totally transformed by the Madre team - it’s all jagged angles on the tables and soft curves on the walls, with a colour palette that goes all the way from deep terracotta to neon green.

From an open kitchen you can see the team constructing tacos and piling oysters with jalapeño mignonette and salsa brava.

The menu is split neatly into four sections - snacks (elote, wings, Caesar salad and guac); raw (oysters, tuna tostadas, and aguachile); tacos (including birria); and parilla (wood-fired dishes like BBQ octopus and slow cooked lamb breast).

Click through the gallery below to see inside Madre Leeds

Madre Leeds

A selection of the Madre Leeds menu — Madre Leeds

Pull up a seat at a tile-topped table and you can expect to dig into everything from rich Oaxacan-inspired moles and salsas to Baja-style mariscos and Sonoran grilled meats.

Pop down on a Tuesday and you can take advantage of Madre’s two-for-one taco deal - we can’t really think of a better evening than tucking into dinner at Madre before heading across the road for happy hour margs and a game of pool at Salon Madre.

Madre is brought to the city by the teams behind London’s famous Breddos Tacos and esteemed Liverpudlian eatery Belzan.

Madre is officially open from Friday 17 April.

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Featured image: The Hoot Leeds