A huge all-day African and Caribbean food festival is taking over Leeds' Kirkgate market later this month - and it's going to be completely free to attend.
Promising to be Leeds biggest Caribbean and African food festival, those heading down will find a host of emerging and well-established food vendors cooking up and serving their mouth-watering recipes, many passed down throughout generations
Hosted by The Cultural Arts Heritage Circle (Nubian Noire), the free-to-attend festival will celebrate an array of national dishes in a celebration of African and Caribbean heritage and culture.
Maureen's on Roundhay Road is one of the most recommended spots for Afro Caribbean food in Leeds / Image: thelastsuppernorth
Taking over Kirkgate Market's food hall from 10 am - 5 pm on Saturday, 28 August, there'll be an array of food on offer here covering everything from Barbadian to Gambian cuisine.
There'll also be arts and crafts stalls as well as calypso music playing at the event, so if you're sad to be missing out on Leeds West Indian Carnival this year you can still head down for a dance.
It's all being put together by Nubian Noire, also known as The Cultural Arts Heritage Circle - first set up in 2019. The woman behind the project, Dionne Edwards, is on a mission to support BAME businesses and young entrepreneurs as small business battles its way out of the pandemic.
Black businesses have been particularly affected by the pandemic, according to Dionne, especially those within hospitality - so she was especially keen for Nubian Noire to do something to help support the community.
Safe to say, if you're a fan of Afro Caribbean food you won't want to miss this.
The food festival is free to attend but you will need to register in advance to secure a place. To register for your ticket, click here.
Alternatively, if you're a trader who would like to take part in the festival then you can email artsheritagecircle@gmail.com.
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.
Sheffield amongst nine areas to be long listed for UK City of Culture 2029
Clementine Hall
It's big news for Sheffield as the city has officially been long listed to become the UK City of Culture in 2029.
It’s one of just nine places across the country to make the cut, alongside the likes of Blackpool, Portsmouth and Wrexham.
Winning the title could bring huge investment to Sheffield, thousands of visitors, and a massive spotlight on everything that makes our city special - and let’s be honest, Sheffield’s got plenty to shout about.
From music and film to art and grassroots creativity, culture runs right through this city, and it would be a huge achievement to receive this title.
So, what happens now? Each arena will now receive £60,000 to develop a full application with the aim to build a vibrant cultural programme by 2028.
The nine confirmed long listed locations are: Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: "For far too long, opportunity has not been shared equally across the country. The UK City of Culture and new UK Town of Culture competitions recognise the enormous contributions made by communities all over the UK who are all part of the story of who we are as a nation.
"I look forward to seeing what the nine long listed places have in store as they progress in the competition. I also urge any towns thinking about entering the UK Town of Culture competition to seize this opportunity and get involved. It’s a chance to show the country what makes them unique and shine a spotlight on their cultural offer, enriching the lives of local people."
Go on Sheffield, we're rooting for you big time. We can't think of a city more worthy.
Georgina Pellant -
3rd August 2021 
