We're onto our final Trinity Kitchen residency for the year, and there's plenty of familiar faces to choose from...
Back to draw the 2023 kitchen season to a close, you'll find festival favourite Eat Like A Greek alongside Yorkshire Cheese Grill and Big Mouth Gyoza. Jimmy Macks return this year with those viral birria beef tacos and Nelly's Barn has some wonderful winter warmers to check out.
Open for the next nine weeks, Trinity Kitchen shared the announcement this morning, stating "These friendly faces will be serving up their finest festive feasts until 14th Jan 2024".
Keep reading to find out The Hoot's recommendations for all the Trinity Kitchen vendors this season...
Nelly’s Barn
Vegan chicken and chips with gravy. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Those looking for a burger fix will be delighted to see Nelly’s Barn making an appearance at Trinity Kitchen over the 2022 period. There’s cheeseburgers, bacon and cheeseburgers or the Whoa Nelly- the double burger with cheddar and crispy bacon to choose from- plus plenty of sides. Think popcorn plant-based ‘chicken’ with fries and sauces like southern-style gravy, sweet BBQ, garlic mayo and parmesan garlic.
Hoot recommends: Vegan 'chicken', chips and gravy - it's a great winter warmer
Big Mouth Gyoza
Mushroom gyoza. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Big Mouth is serving up two different gyoza options, mushroom or pork belly, each of which that are packed with flavour, and generous servings of the brand’s secret sauce. Choose from either a bento box with four gyozas in saucy, sticky rice with sesame, spicy, cheezu or curry toppings and house pickles sprinkled on top, or opt for the gyoza tray, which serves a whopping six gyozas in different styles.
Hoot recommends: Mushroom gyoza bento box with sesame rice and as much secret sauce as you can get your hands on
Eat Like A Greek
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Now if you haven’t spotted Eat Like A Greek from previous previous takeovers, now’s your change to grab a bite of the gyros that’s kept festival-goers well fed and warm throughout the summer season. The van returns after a long stint across the UK to bring signature gyros, with options like halloumi, pork and chicken to the table.
Jimmy Macks
Roast squash and black bean tacos. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Normally, Jimmy Macks is all about the tacos, but since its Christmas, the slow-cooked specialists will be putting on a special festive menu packed with favourites from God's Own County. That's right, the Yorkshire Pudding wrap is up for grabs at Trinity Kitchen, plus some immense pigs in blankets, brie and cranberry and even a festive loaded fries.
Hoot recommends:
Yorkshire Cheese Grill
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Naan bread, rolls and big bits of bread toasted to perfection and dripping with Yorkshire cheese- that’s exactly what to expect from returning favourite Yorkshire Cheese Grill. Whether you want a bite on your lunch break or something to warm up your stomach on a cold wintry day, you’ll find something to love here.
Hoot recommends: Naan bread and Yorkshire cheese - it's a winning combo
Eats
Leeds pizza shop hailed ‘exceptional’ and ‘best in the UK’ by major reviewer
A Leeds pizza takeaway has received a glowing review from popular review duo.
Edges Pizza opened up their first permanent spot in Leeds back in June this year, after making a name for themselves slinging out pizzas at multiple pop-ups across the city.
Owners Grace and Edge from Harrogate opened Edges Pizza two years ago, taking inspiration from trips to New York over the years.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Their pizzas are a love letter to the class New York slice, think thin and crispy rather than chewy and floppy. But above all else, think absolutely delicious.
And now, they've caught the attention of a major review page, with Bite Twice Food Reviews (a page with almost 300k followers) paying Edges a visit.
The food review duo of Gerry del Guercio and Paul Delany popped up in Holbeck beneath the arches to get their hands on a pizza, and the outcome is brilliant.
In the video, Bite Twice said that the pizza is 'f**cking exceptional' and up there with 'one of the best pizzas in the UK'.
Before even taking a bite, they said: "On aesthetic, I don't think anywhere in the UK is doing pizza like this".
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Then after the first bite, they go on to say: "There are very few pizzas in the UK that create this, I’m a little bit blown away".
As Londoners themselves, they go on to say that Edges is 'easily hitting with the best that we’ve got down south'.
And if that's not high praise enough, they sign off the video saying: "Leeds has got an absolute gem. I give this a stamp so hard my foot went through the pizza. Edges. Don Level."
The 42-year-old Kirkgate Market stall serving freshly shucked oysters for £1.90 a pop
Clementine Hall
Tucked away in Leeds Kirkgate Market you'll find a wonderful seafood stall selling freshly shucked oysters for £1.90 each.
It's places like these that remind us why we love Leeds so much.
Established in 1880, Hayes Seafood is widely regarded as the oldest trader within the historic Kirkgate Market.
For the past 42 years, it has been run by Cliff and Michelle, the loveliest couple who welcome every customer with open arms.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The menu here is small but perfectly formed, focusing on fresh, ready-to-eat seafood that you can enjoy with a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of mayonnaise at most.
Delivered fresh every morning, there's pre-cracked crab shells, brown and white crab meat, cockles, crawfish tails - all perfectly prepared for you to eat at their bar or high tables opposite.
But, it's the oysters that you'll see people queueing for. And rightly so.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Everything here is prepared to order right in front of you, and for no extra fee. You can choose from two types of oysters: super salty Lindisfarne oysters or the slightly sweeter English Loch Fyne.
We recommend having a couple of each, pulling up a stool right by the counter and getting stuck in. If you ask Cliff nicely, he might tell you a bit about the history of the place - but you may have to order a couple more oysters for that.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
You're left to dress them yourself, whether you prefer dash of fiery tabasco or a few pickled shallots. But to be honest, they're delicious just as they come.
This spot is a real piece of Leeds history, and the queues at lunchtime as well as the repeat regular customers proves just how special it is.
All it's missing is a champagne stall next to it...now wouldn't that be perfect?
Sophie Smith -
20th November 2023 
