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Independent gift ideas for Leeds’ foodies from the city’s best small businesses
Food and drink related gifts are always a winner, so we've rounded up our favourite foodie gifts from Leeds indie sellers that you can pick up this weekend
If you've not had a chance to cross off your Christmas shopping yet this year, we've got you - especially when it comes to finding the perfect gift for the foodie in your life.
It really does feel as though Christmas crept up on us this year, either that or we've all just been too busy with dealing with whatever the world throws at us to find the time to go out and buy those all-important gifts.
Whilst Amazon might seem like an easy option, chances are your local indie brand will appreciate your custom much more - and even better, there's a genuine human smile at the end here.
Given the insecurities for small businesses over the last two years, it's important now more than ever to support our locals, and what better opportunity than just before Christmas?
Food and drink-related gifts are always a winner, so we've rounded up our favourite foodie gifts from Leeds indie sellers that you can pick up this weekend, so all you have to do is go from A to B to collect all your Christmas shopping.
Their rum business has gone from strength to strength in 2021, but the team has stayed humble, promising to help everyone get the gifts they need. The company recently stated that "you can count our ambience to either help tick off that Christmas list with military precision or think 'oh s**t I better get going'. All welcome no judgment here."
Find them in Victoria Gate until Thursday 23 December.
Who doesn't love a cheese board around Christmas time? The Cheesy Living Co. is one of Leeds' best lockdown success stories and their small business truly deserves some love over the festive period.
It's the only time of the year when it's acceptable to eat cheese for breakfast, dinner and tea, after all. You'll find them at the Leeds Briggate Farmer's Market on Sunday 19 December, but you can also easily order all their products online.
Stuzzi, an authentic Italian restaurant, and a very good one at that. Listed in the Good Food Guide 2020 no less, the team here is offering fans the chance to buy pre-packaged Christmas hampers to help share some festive cheer this season.
Each hamper is individually priced at £35 – £100 and comes with all you need for an Italian feast at home. The popular hampers can be designed to suit your needs or you can choose from premade packages created in-house by the staff.
It turns out that even your dog can support a local Yorkshire business this Christmas. These beer biscuits from Brewski's are made from leftovers from Brewdog's Punk IPA but the treats contain no hops or alcohol, so they’re perfectly safe for your dog to eat.
The Doggy Deli in Beverley stocks two variations of the tasty dog treats, including the original Punk IPA and a 'Hoppy Xmas' version.
If you're really pressed for time, there's nothing like a last minute Deliveroo order to sort out those Christmas gifts.
The Savvy Baker recently launched on the delivery platform, so you can get those orders at the very last minute and nobody will know. Choose from gooey brownies, brookies and more, all available as festive sets or standalone gifts.
If you're looking for a gift that will keep on giving well into 2022, Grön, like many other cafes around Leeds is offering out gift vouchers this year for Christmas. You can also take away their coffee for those friends and family that need caffeine to get through the days- they will certainly thank you for this present once they're back at work.
Simply choose your blend and the staff will wrap it up in store. But whilst you're there, you may as well grab a festive mulled wine or boozy hot chocolate to get you in the Christmas spirit,
One of Leeds’ most iconic buildings is set to be brought back to life.
Plans for a brand-new padel and leisure destination at The Roundhouse on Wellington Road have been approved by Leeds City Council’s West Plans Panel.
Consent has been granted for Ollo Padel to transform the Grade II* listed Roundhouse into a state-of-the-art sport, fitness, food, drink and community venue subject to conditions and completion of a Section 106 agreement.
Built in 1847 for the Leeds and Thirsk Railway Company, The Roundhouse was once home to the steam locomotives that powered industrial Victorian Leeds. In recent years, the building has stood largely unused.
Image: Supplied
The approved plans will restore and protect the landmark building and give the site a new, long-term future as one of the city’s most distinctive leisure destinations.
The three-acre site, located on the edge of Leeds city centre, will include nine outdoor doubles padel courts under a 10-metre canopy, plus a dedicated indoor coaching court within The Roundhouse itself.
At the heart of the site will be the Ollo Clubhouse; built around an all-day kitchen and bar, it will combine a comfortable lounge and co-working space, meeting rooms and live sport and events spaces.
The kitchen and bar will be run in partnership with Southbank Provisions, the independent Leeds hospitality team behind Headrow House, Belgrave Music Hall and Galleria whilst the gym will be operated by fitness and performance specialists Northbound, who will bring strength and conditioning practice, Hyrox training and pilates classes to The Roundhouse.
Image: Supplied
Construction is expected to begin later this year, with the venue aiming to open in early 2027.
Luke Gidney, Founder & CEO Ollo Padel: "This is a huge day for Leeds, for The Roundhouse and for Ollo. The Roundhouse has been part of the city’s story for nearly 180 years. It’s an incredible building but it needs people, energy and purpose again. Our plan is to bring it back to life as a place where people can play, eat, work, meet friends and feel part of something.
"Padel is growing so quickly because it’s fun, social and easy to pick up. But for us, this is about more than just the courts. We want Ollo to become a proper community destination for Leeds, somewhere welcoming, joyful and full of life.
"We’re incredibly grateful to Leeds City Council’s planning team, our case officer, the wider council team and everyone who has supported the project to this point. This has been a complex project but the sport and engagement throughout has been brilliant. Now the real work starts and we cannot wait to open the doors for you.”
New study crowns Leeds as one of the friendliest cities in the UK
Clementine Hall
New research has revealed a global ranking of cities with the best customer service, with Leeds taking one of the top spots.
If you've been wondering which cities across the world are the friendliest of them all, then look no further because MoneySuperMarket have done the work for us in a new study.
In a world where social media culture plays a huge part in people's lives, online customer reviews are pretty important to local businesses.
To uncover the global locations that are home to the best customer service, the businesses insurance experts analysed over 100,000 reviews of leisure and hospitality businesses in 107 cities worldwide.
They looked at the language in the reviews to see how often friendly workers and staff were mentioned, building a global ranking of the cities where customer service truly stands out.
Out of a whopping 107, Leeds came in at a very respectable number 12. Now we think that's pretty good going.
Outside of the UK, Hanoi, Paris, Montreal and Abu Dhabi were highlighted for their friendly customer service whilst Edinburgh tops the global ranking, with Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol also making the world’s top 10.
The top 10 cities in the UK with the best customer service are as follows:
Edinburgh
Liverpool
Birmingham
Bristol
Belfast
Leeds
Glasgow
Cardiff
Manchester
London
Alicia Hempsted spoke on the study: “As businesses grow and engage with more customers, it’s important to make sure they’re protected. Public liability insurance is an important safeguard for those working with the public, helping to cover costs if something goes wrong, while also showing customers that their experience is taken seriously - from the moment they walk through the door to long after they’ve left.”
Sophie Smith -
16th December 2021 
