With Wimbledon bringing the best of quintessential Britain to the forefront of the news for the next few weeks (copious amounts of strawberries included), it's about time we celebrated with one of Leeds' favourite past times.
From the gorgeous waterside bar that brought us a quiet remote workspace and exciting Saturday night drink spot, The Canary is leading the game over the Wimbledon period.
Serving up a special edition bottomless brunch, the tennis-inspired brunch includes unlimited Prosecco and bottled beers, as well as the British classic, Pimm's.
Image: The Canary
Across ninety minute sittings at 12pm and 2pm every day until Wimbledon comes to an end, you'll find this one-of-a-kind bottomless offering on the menu with the choice of any main menu item and strawberries and cream to cleanse the palette post-meal.
The Mezze offerings here come highly recommended, with both meaty and vegetarian, leaving any diner refreshed and fuelled with a selection of fresh Greek-inspired salad with plenty of olives, as well as warm pitta bread, smooth hummus and tzatziki.
The meaty version also comes with meatballs in a rich tomato sauce, as well as chicken gyros, whereas the vegetarian option swaps the meat out for halloumi strips, butter beans and stuffed vine leaves.
There’s plenty more on the menu to choose from though. Laze in the sunshine, glass of Pimm's in your hand and devour their summertime-inspired menu of Greek salads, wraps and burgers, all available with sides of halloumi fries and Greek olives- and all equally as fresh.
The only rules for this bottomless brunch experience is that the entire table needs to take part to receive the offer, but given both walk-ins and bookings are accepted, this is going to be one of the go-to boozy options for any Leeds foodie over the coming weeks.
After six years in the city, independent homeware retailer North Home is closing its Leeds city centre shop.
If you're a lover of all things home then you'll have most likely visited the gorgeous North Home shop in the Victoria Quarter.
Stacked to the brim with unique pieces from striking ceramics to stylish soft furnishings, North Home is known for its well-curated stock and great customer service.
Seriously, we've probably spent a good hour in here in awe of all the beautiful pieces.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Last week, curious shoppers noticed the three-storey store was suddenly empty and now the company have confirmed that they have closed for good.
In a statement, they said: "After nearly 6 wonderful years trading in Leeds, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our physical store while we restructure the business and explore the next chapter for North Home.
"Retail has changed significantly in recent years and, like many independent businesses, we’ve faced increasing costs.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
"Taking this step now gives us the opportunity to protect what we’ve built and focus on the future of the brand. North Home continues to operate online and all existing customer orders will be fulfilled as normal although delivery times may be slightly extended.
"We’ve loved being part of the Leeds retail community since 2020 and are incredibly grateful for the support we’ve received. We hope to share more about our plans soon."
We'll be sad to see them go and we hope this isn't goodbye forever, but you can still shop from North Home online here.
Neighbourhood Leeds bistro hailed as ‘a bit horny’ and ‘brilliant’ by national critic Camilla Long
Clementine Hall
Food critic Camilla Long visited Leeds for her latest review for The Times with her sights set on Horsforth's finest - Bavette Bistro.
Ever since opening back in 2024, Bavette Bistro nestled in the leafy suburb of Horsforth has made waves across the country for its sheer brilliance.
It's pretty much received five star reviews across the board and been handed awards from left, right and centre. And rightly so.
The Good Food Guide crowned Bavette the best local restaurant of 2024, and Michelin handed them a well deserved Bib Gourmand - so it's safe to say it's not just us who think it's really something special.
So it was only a matter of time until The Times popped in for a review, and this one is truly glowing.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The review labels Bavette as "warm, unmannered and unpretentious" as well as "authentically French".
Long describes the food as "gorgeous, confident, surprising" with a menu that "isn’t too long" and "filled with sturdy, noble dishes, whiffing mightily of the sea and the soil."
It continues: "All of it made with generosity and cheer, served fast by nimble waiters, with a long, if slightly eccentric, wine list. To bang out French dishes with this much fiddly detail and to do it to a full room is not easy. Yet all four courses came in under two hours, for about £75 a head, which in London terms is nothing.
"It’s not that this place was perfect, it’s that it was decidedly not perfect. A bit too much chat about the menus; the oeufs in the meurette not quite runny enough. But the point is: it didn’t matter. All of it came charmingly together. It felt relaxed, just right."
The review is then wrapped up with a pleasing five stars, the cherry on top of the cake.
It's a review only restaurants can dream of, and we can't think of a more deserving team - congratulations Bavette.
Sophie Smith -
28th June 2022 
