We wish chocolate orange and cinnamon were acceptable year-round flavours, but we fear this is your last chance to taste the best of Leeds festive bakes.
As the countdown for Christmas enters its final few days and the supermarkets start to bring in their Easter stock- to which we are all still horrified by, the festive specials start to disappear from the shelves, hidden until the next festive buildup.
Before our favourite flavours of chai, cinnamon, chocolate orange and gingerbread disappear for another twelve months, here are the best places you can grab a bit of your favourite sweet treats, or get your last batch in for Christmas day.
Chai blend is one of the most underrated festive flavours around, but luckily Leeds-based bakery Chunk Cookies saw their through this and gave it a rightful place in the limelight this Christmas. A chai blend dough, mixed with apple infused cranberries and chopped walnuts, stuffed full of the smoothest vegan white chocolate. The Chai Cookies are packed with one light and sweet flavour with that warm Christmas spice undertone.
Gingerbread Cake, Brew and Brownie Bakeshop
Gingerbread cake with chai buttercream and salted caramel. / Image: Brew & Brownie
Coffee shops are a great source of festive, limited edition, baked goods and a prime example of this is the gingerbread cake with chai buttercream and salted caramel from Brew and Brownie. Chances are, the cakes don't last long here, but there's no reason you can't stock up on delicious slices of sponge before December 25th, or even see if you can preorder your own for the Christmas dinner table.
If you're hosting a buffet-style Christmas, these pre-portioned treats are going to be your best friend. This irresistible selection of donuts from Doboy Donuts are available to order right to your doorstep too, so if you've forgotten to bring dessert to that pre-Christmas get-together- just make sure you get to the door before anyone else and nobody will ever have to know you forgot. Available in six scrumptious flavours, with some vegan options available upon request, we know these are going to be a popular choice this year.
Chocolate Marshmallow and Stout Cake, Wapentake
Vegan Chocolate Marshmallow and Stout Cake. / Image: Wapentake Leeds
Wapentake is the perfect place to go for all things Yorkshire, and that includes your festive treats. All baked with local products, their ever changing supply of cakes and beers make them the ideal place to stop for a pre-Christmas treat. This Vegan Chocolate and Marshmallow Stout cake is perfectly served with a Liquid Boogie, a hot chocolate and marshmallow stout. To find out what's the flavour of the week, you'll have to head in store.
If you're looking for individual desserts for Christmas day, or just fancy a chocolatey snack to get get you in the festive spirit, brownies and blondies are a great solution. Based at Leeds Dock, Dinos Cakery stock all the Christmas snacks you need and more. Flavours include festive favourites like After Eights, Baileys, Toblerone and Terry's White Chocolate Orange, as well as Gingerbread Millionaire slices and Snowflake Blondies.
Leeds Christmas Markets is returning to the city centre in just two months' time and some major plans and changes have been announced.
Although Pop Princess Zara Larsson might want us to believe "Summer isn't over yet", it's safe to say that the recent downpours we've had across West Yorkshire disagree.
Leeds Christmas Markets are also ringing in the new season with a jam-packed video posted to social media announcing all the current plans and changes for its 2026 schedule.
This year, outdoor events company Thor’s Tipi are stepping up as the all-new operators of this Christmastime spectacular and are organising a celebration where 'even if you’re not from Yorkshire, you’re going to leave being from Yorkshire'.
Leeds Christmas Markets are returning to Leeds City Square from Thursday 19 November with plenty of Yorkshire-centric stalls / Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Although Leeds locals already know that Yorkshire is 'God's Own Country', the Leeds Christmas Markets team are making sure that the county is represented through its food, drinks and wider stalls.
In a video uploaded to its social accounts, foodie expert and Little Bao Boy Founder James 'Jimmy Chews' Ooi was given the honour of revealing all these exciting plans.
Informing everyone that "You best come hungry", Ooi noted that some of the phenomenal vendors taking part include La Grassa and The Savvy Baker.
Real Markets Yorkshire and Stump Cross Caverns are also getting into the Christmas spirit and setting up their own stalls at Leeds City Square this November.
La Grassa is just one of many familiar foodie faces returning to Leeds Christmas Markets / Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Rated restaurants and bars are contributing to the festive frenzy too, like Cabaret Thursdays at Italian restaurant Bibi's and beer garden destination Green Room are hosting singalongs at Leeds Christmas Markets.
There will be plenty of activities for families happening all around the unofficial capital of West Yorkshire like elf-themed scavenger hunts, various elves on various shelves and lots of live music.
If it wasn't apparent already, in the words of Jimmy Chews himself, there's about to be "So much Christmas that Mariah Carey is going to look like the Grinch".
Leeds Christmas Markets are returning to Leeds City Square from Thursday 19 November and there will be plenty of exciting announcements to the upcoming celebrations ahead of the big day.
Popular TV channel playing Christmas films 24/7 is now back on air in the UK
Emily Sergeant
Think it's too early for 'C word'? Never mind, you've already clicked on this article.
Sure, we may only be into our second full week of September, but given the fact the weather these past couple of days hasn't exactly screamed summer, it already feels like the festive season is around the corner - but whether or not you think it’s too early to be talking about Christmas, it’ll soon be too tricky to escape from.
Especially not when the famous TV channel showing festive film favourites non-stop is now back on air in the UK.
Yes, you heard that right - Christmas films, 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
If you’re ready to wave goodbye to summer, and in welcome autumn and winter with open arms, then there's arguably no better way of getting into the festive spirit than with the long-awaited and highly-anticipated return of the TV channel that's charmed audiences for over half a decade now.
GREAT! Christmas the UK’s biggest seasonal channel, and it's now live on Sky, Freesat, Freeview and Virgin Media.
You can expect almost four months of back-to-back seasonal movies.
The 24-hour feel-good and free-to-air channel will be bursting with non-stop Christmas spirit, and will be showing a heartwarming lineup of festive films - including some absolute fan-favourite classics that make it to screens every year without fail, alongside some cheesy Hallmark classics, new channel premieres, and so much more.
Viewers will find GREAT! Christmas on Freeview channel 51, Sky 319, Sky (Glass/Stream) 317, Virgin channel 424, and Freely channel 47.
Sophie Smith -
17th December 2021 
