Bundobust, everyone's favourite Indian Street Food and Craft Beer restaurant, has announced it's new Christmas menu full of festive favourites.
It's officially the festive season and with that comes Christmas specials aplenty popping up around the city.
Indian Street Food favourite Bundobust are of course getting in on the action, and we could not be more excited about it.
Built for the party with it's beer hall style interior and a food menu made for sharing, Bundobust is the perfect place to gather with friends, family or colleagues to cheers to the festivities.
Available from Monday 21 November 2022, they'll be serving up delicious Christmas food and drink specials on a book ahead or walk-in basis.
Selection of Bundo Christmas specials. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Making a triumphant return are the infamous Sprout Bhajis, the ultimate form of the celebrated if some what misunderstood seasonal vegetable. Think crispy sprout, onion and broccoli Bhajis spiked with fennel and chilli, and served with a spiced cranberry chutney.
I mean, if Bundobust can't make you eat your sprouts then we're not sure who can?
Fans of the Christmas sarnie can opt for the Sprout Bhaji Butty, a crispy sprout bhaji patty with salad, spiced cranberry and green chutneys. £1 from every Sprout Bhaji Butty sold will go towards the #CookForUkraine charity initiative.
Sprout bhajis and sprout butty. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
After a proper winter warmer? Then the Festive Dahl with rice is the one for you, a warming and smoky Christmas take on Dal Makhani boosted with black cardamom, clove and cinnamon which is sure to feel like a hug in a bowl.
Back with a bang are the beloved Biryani Balls, these pair India’s celebratory dish, Biryani, with the party buffet snackability of arancini. A match made in heaven right? Spiced with mint, saffron, ginger, nutmeg and rose, served in a rich tomato sauce crowned with crispy onions, we're sure these are going to be flying off the shelves.
Mince Pie Parathas. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
A new addition to the menu this year are Mince Pie Parathas, a perfect sweet-savoury flavour bomb stuffed with sultana, raisin, cinnamon, clove, star anise and coconut.
And of course you'll need something to wash all the delicious food down with, and it wouldn't be Bundobust without beer. So from 21 November you’ll be able to grab a pint of Bundobust Brewery’s AADU - a limited edition 5.8% Gingerbread Wheat Beer, available exclusively on tap at Bundobust restaurants.
Special edition gingerbread wheat beer. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
If beer isn't your thing then grab yourself one of their Christmas cocktails, opt for a Bundo Snowball, Cosmopolitan or Amaretto Sour. Their cocktail menu is already fantastic so you'll truly be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing your tipple.
To book your Christmas party or book a table at Bundobust (walk-ins also welcome), take a look at their website.
Regional leaders have confirmed a rail project in the North of England with first improvements taking place in Yorkshire.
The long-awaited Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) project will see a whopping £45 billion worth of upgrades.
The first phase will see the construction of a new station in Bradford followed by upgrades in Leeds, York and Sheffield.
The electrification of lines between Sheffield and Leeds, Leeds and York and Leeds and Bradford will be the first priority and is expected to be completed in the 2030s.
The scheme has been described as "a once in a generation commitment to improving transport across the North".
Announcing the scheme, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "I spent three happy years in Leeds as a university student, a vibrant city I was proud to call home, but I've seen first-hand what underinvestment and empty pledges do to cities across the North.
"This government is rolling up its sleeves to deliver real, lasting change for millions of people through a major new rail network across the North that will deliver faster, more frequent services."
"This cycle has to end. No more paying lip service to the potential of the North, but backing it to the hilt. That's why this government is rolling up its sleeves to deliver real, lasting change for millions of people through Northern Powerhouse Rail: a major new rail network across the North that will deliver faster, more frequent services."
Stage two of the plan will include upgrades around Manchester, with the final stage delivering a new railway between Bradford and Huddersfield that wouldn't be delivered until the 2040s.
In a combined statement, the regional mayors of West, South and North Yorkshire said: "The long-term commitment will transform Yorkshire's transport network and deliver improved links across our region and on to Manchester, Liverpool, and Newcastle.
"It'll mean we can deliver quicker, more reliable journeys, opening up more choice around work, skills and opportunity for everyone across Yorkshire."
The Boots recycling scheme where you can get £5 off every shop
Thomas Melia
UK high street retailer and healthcare shop Boots has launched an innovative recycling scheme that entitles customers to £5 off their future shopping trips.
If you're still struggling to come up with a New Year's resolution, why not try a spot of recycling and earn some money off your next cosmetics shop while you're at it?
Started in 2020, the Boots Recycling Scheme allows Advantage Card holders the opportunity to get money while also being more conscious about how we recycle our used health and beauty products.
Their third party app Recycle at Boots uses a Scan2Recycle system where users can upload items from various beauty brands by taking a picture of the empty packaging before identifying its form.
This scheme takes items that can't usually be recycled at home such as lotion pumps, toothpaste tubes, lipstick, mascaras, travel minis, make-up palettes and more.
Images: Publicity pictures (supplied)
Once you have five items approved, head over to your nearest participating Boots store, drop off your empties and scan the QR code on the deposit box.
After you've followed all these steps, a voucher will appear entitling you to 500 Advantage Points when you spend £10 in-store, and not only do you have £5 worth of points with your name on it, you're also an eco-warrior.
There's even a dedicated section of the app to recycling empty medicine and vitamin blister packs which gives customers 100 Advantage Points, when you spend £5 in-store - This is brill.
Items dropped into these deposit boxes are taken to MyGroup, a recycling and waste management service which works around the clock to help divert waste from landfill.
These empties will be washed and traditionally recycled into a material called MyBoard, a construction board material most similar to plywood with lots of different uses.
Nearest Boots locations in Manchester running the Recycle at Boots scheme:
Leeds Trinity - 1 Bond Street, LS1 5EY
Leeds Kirkstall - Savins Mill Way, LS5 3RP
White Rose Shopping Centre - Lower Level, Leeds, LS11 8LL
Thorpe Park - Unit 3 The Springs, LS15 8GG
Birstall Retail Park - Batley, West Yorkshire, WF7417 9DT
If you're up for getting money off your next Boots splurge while also helping recycle cosmetics containers and more, you can download the Recycle at Boots app and find your nearest HERE.
Clementine Hall -
17th November 2022 
