Looking for a January treat to wash away the dreary skies and cold nights?
If you're looking for a pick-me-up comfort food that combines your favourite sweet and savoury treats, you're in luck.
Lockdown success story and Leeds favourite charcuterie business, The Cheesy Living Co. have been treating customers to sweet salami with flavours like cookies and cream, peanut and caramel and rocky road.
It goes better than you think. So much so that the cheesy caterers are selling out fast of these sweet tasting delights.
Take the rocky road for example, it's a 250f rolled up slab of contrasting flavours that just work. It's a handmade Belgian chocolate salami with honeycomb, toffee, fudge and marshmallow covered in an ultra smooth creamy milk chocolate- what's not to love about that?
If you're looking for something a little less meaty, The Cheesy Living Co. have variations like the Cookies and Cream Salami, which comes as a dark chocolate shell containing a white chocolate ganache with crushed cookie pieces, a perfect snack to enjoy with a glass of milk.
The Peanut and Caramel Salami, on the other hand, is 250g of sweet handmade chocolate salami with a milk chocolate peanut butter ganache, whole peanuts and Cornish sea salt centre and coated in a caramelised milk chocolate- so similar but with sharp flavours for fans of nuts and crisp and tangy sensations.
Image: The Cheesy Living Co.
The Cheesy Living Co. is full of surprising flavours like this and it's their attention to taste buds that has allowed the company to make a considerable stamp on the Leeds foodie scene, despite opening less than a year ago.
Keep an eye on their website as "the chocolate salamis will be making a return to our online store soon" and we're sure they'll fly off the (virtual) shelves as soon as they do.
Whether you met Jake and Soph at the Corn Exchange or whilst visiting the Savvy Baker, or this is the first time you've heard of the new company, The Cheesy Living Co. is the small independent bringing a whole world of sweet meats and cheeses to Leeds that you need to know about.
At present, you can find the sweet salami online (when restocked), but it is hoped that the company will be moving into a permanent property soon where their selections of cured meats and cheese will be available for collection in Leeds city centre.
The duo are hoping to secure their first proper site where they can work from on a permanent basis. The pair have “found a location that provides an exciting opportunity for us to take the next step with the business” and we can't wait to hear more about their new project- but for now we'll settle with ordering online or spotting them at the next independent pop-up in the city centre.
Leeds health nuts assemble, because acai bowls and superfood smoothies are coming to a city near you.
Incase you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, you may not be clued up on the whole acai bowl trend that has been sweeping up the nation.
Acai is a super berry grown and harvested in the Amazon rainforest, and not only is it absolutely delicious but it has a myriad of health benefits.
Acai and the Tribe first opened four years ago in Manchester, and ever since then it's only gone from strength to strength opening up three other locations across the country.
Images: The Manc Group
Next stop? Leeds. And we couldn't be happier about it.
So, what can we expect from this aesthetically-pleasing and ultra trendy female-owned business? Well, loaded acai bowls that look almost too good to eat, superfood smoothies, coffees, matcha and savoury options like avocado toast.
Announcing the very exciting news to Instagram, Acai and the Tribe said: "You asked, we listened. LEEDS… your new lifestyle arrives soon."
They will be opening on 88 Vicar Lane as part of the Vicar Lane regeneration scheme, which has already scene some great new restaurants being announced such as Sticks'n'Sushi and Dishoom.
It seems like this part of town is suddenly going to be the place to be, and we're very happy to see it.
We'll keep you updated with opening dates as and when we know more but for now, you can find out more about Acai and the Tribe here.
Leeds has been crowned the best city in the UK for foodies outside of London
Clementine Hall
It's fantastic news for our city as Leeds has been crowned one of the best cities in the UK for foodies.
It's news that we've been pretty certain of for some time, but it's still nice to be recognised isn't it?
It comes from a new study carried out by credit card brand Aqua who analysed 30 major UK cities across a range of dining and social media metrics, including cuisine variety, restaurant availability, meal affordability, Michelin recognition and TikTok hashtag volumes.
Coming in at number on was, of course, London.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
With 47 cuisines, 22.5 restaurants per 10,000 residents and 81 Michelin-starred establishments, the capital unsurprisingly continues to dominate the UK’s culinary scene.
But in at number two was our glorious city of Leeds, supported by the highest restaurant density in the study, with 38.5 establishments per 10,000 people, and strong affordability compared with cities in the south.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
We will absolutely take that.
Other northern spots to feature on the list include Sheffield and Bradford in sixth and eighth place.
The top ten UK cities for foodies are:
London
Leeds
Nottingham
Edinburgh
Wolverhampton / Leicester
Sheffield
Birmingham / Glasgow
Bradford / Swansea
Preston
Milton Keynes
Here in Leeds we've got so many fabulous food spots, with new openings cropping up every month it's hard to keep track.
From the multi award-winning Bavette Bistro in Horsforth to the highly acclaimed indie Bundobust that started off in Leeds - you certainly won't find yourself hungry or at a loss for somewhere to eat here.
Sophie Smith -
7th January 2022 
