Friends of Ham, Fika North, Honest Burgers and Double D's Hot Sauce have all collaborated with this sauce company this year.
Starting from humble beginnings, Thiccc Sauce is one of our favourite lockdown success stories from Leeds.
Since beginning the sauce company, founder Luca has collaborated with some incredible Leeds talent, including the likes of Friends of Ham, Little Bao Boys, the Savvy Baker, as well as gaining national clients that all want a taste of hot sauce.
Sauces are available for personal use and as giant corporate bottles for mass production. / Image: Thiccc Sauces
Over the last eighteen months, variations of sauces have been repeatedly limited to small batches and sometimes a purchase maximum of one per person- these Thiccc Sauces have been in hot demand.
It all started for Luca in May 2020, when the founder was bored and hibernating in their mum's kitchen, 'until everything blew over, which it didn't'.
Image: Thiccc Sauce
Earlier this year, founder Luca shared the recipe for success so far on Instagram, explaining:
"Previous to starting the project, my love of hot sauce & BBQ sauce came from working in hospitality for 10 years & travelling the east and west coast of America over the years.
I always wanted to put together a combination of the love of sauce & beer from an industry i love into my very own product & then was born Thiccc Sauce.
"What started with 5 bottles of unlabelled, waxed scotch bonnet hot sauce sold over Instagram, then grew and grew to being able to work with some of the best Northern foodies, venues and brands to where we are today, back in lockdown #fullcircle".
Hot sauce with packaging designed by artists around the UK. / Image: Thiccc Sauce
The sauce maker isn't just championing restaurants and bars across Leeds, but uses talent from the city and across the UK to design each bottles' unique design. So far, some of Thiccc Sauces' greatest designs have come from the likes of Drew Millard, Stuart Allen, Bobbi Abbey.
As the year comes to a close, the sauce giant has collaborated with Bundobust, Neon Cactus, Mozzafella, North Brew Co and more, which all come from an original Thiccc Sauce base. Nowadays, there are a range of fast-selling sauces available, including a recent restock of a collaboration with Fika North: Lagöm.
Thiccc Sauce X Fika North. / Image: Thiccc Sauce
The collaboration is all about championing local and international flavours with their Lagöm Lingonberry Hot Sauce. Lagöm meaning “just the right amount, in balance” in Swedish, and contains just the right amount of freshly squeezed Lingonberries, Lingonberry Jam, habanero chilli, bell red pepper, tomato, red wine vinegar, maple syrup and spices.
So what can we expect from the delicious sauce makers in 2022? Luca said:
"I’ve recently just moved into a huge warehouse space in Sheepscar so production will be increasing in 2022 along with loads more exciting collabs and sauces"- we can't wait to hear which.
Thiccc Sauce is available at plenty of foodie pop ups too. / Image: Thiccc Sauce
To get your hands of some of the best sauces in Leeds, you can visit their website or Instagram page, or you can find their sauce in person at Bottle Chop in Headingley, amongst other stockists.
Feature Image- Thiccc Sauce
Leeds
Global pop superstar Olivia Rodrigo says she ‘really wants to go to Leeds’ in 2026
American pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo has outlined her ambitions for 2026 - and one of them involves a trip to Leeds.
It's safe to say the concept of Olivia Rodrigo taking a stroll down Briggate or waiting for a train at Platform 16 is one we're struggling to get our heads around, but we're absolutely not mad about it.
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is known for her love of the UK, having been spotted spending chunks of time in both Manchester and London over recent years.
But in a recent interview with Hits Radio UK, Olivia Rodrigo stated she wanted to explore more of the UK. And the city at the top of her list? Leeds.
When asked if she has a favourite area of the UK, she said: "I spent some time in Manchester which was really nice. Very inspiring, so many great bands from there.
"I spent some time in Wales too, which was fun. I've been around but I need to go and see more things. I really want to go to Leeds this year. I think that'll be fun. Just like as a spectator, I think that'll be cool."
You know what Olivia, it absolutely will.
Interviewer Will Best then suggests she attends a Leeds match to which she responds "yes" enthusiastically.
So next time we're at Elland Road we'll definitely be keeping a firm eye out for Miss Rodrigo who we've no doubt will look exceptional in a Leeds United jersey.
The Leeds bakery serving up fresh pastries straight from their backyard
Thomas Melia
In case you missed it, a bakery in Bramley has received lots of attention recently after people have sampled some of its impressive bread and pastries before raving about it online.
Since then, Ruth, the mastermind behind it all, has generated queues from her summer house-turned bakehouse with people coming from far and wide to sample her flaky favourites and doughy delights.
Baking for more than 10 years and opening The Fat Pigeon just outside of Leeds city centre three years ago, there's no denying that the pastries and more produced here are some of the best.
This micro-bakery has a mighty menu and although Ruth's personal tastes might lean more savoury, the menu heavily favours sugary baked goods.
Anyone who loves a good sweet treat will be glad to know there's croissants, traybakes, cinnamon buns and the star-studded kouign-amann, a French-originating buttery pastry that covers all bases as it's sugary, sweet and slightly salty - heaven in baked form.
Ruth posing with a pigeon statue alongside some of her delicious golden creations / Image Credits: The Hoot Leeds / The Fat Pigeon
There's plenty more dough-based delights that cater to the savoury palate too. Think sourdough loaves, baguettes and focaccia that's oozing with perfectly paired herbs and generous amounts of oil.
What makes this place even more special is the fact that not only the products being created and consumed made by a Leeds local, most if not all of the offerings are made using Yorkshire produce.
Ruth has made sure to keep local produce at the heart of all her bakes with Met's in Farsley who providing cheese, Whiteley's contributing fresh vegetables like parsley and rhubarb, flour from East Yorkshire's own Stringers and The Organic Dales for any dairy items - it really doesn't get more Yorkshire than this.
Enough from us, social media user's are singing this bakery's praises too as one commented "Delicious. Delicious. Delicious" and another going as far to say, "Beats every pastry I had in Copenhagen".
The sourdough loaves and bloomers at The Fat Pigeon are homemade and look as good as they taste / Image Credits: The Hoot Leeds / The Fat Pigeon
Hopefully you're reading this on a Friday or early Saturday morning, otherwise all I can do is apologise for tempting you with all this bakery's homemade golden goodness so far in advance.
The Fat Pigeon is open from 9am to 12pm every Saturday meaning you can stock up on some of Leeds' best bread and pastries to tie you over until the next weekend, depending on your will power.
Sophie Smith -
21st December 2021 
