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.
The Government is investigating a number of companies for 'misleading' pricing practices.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched three new consumer protection investigations into Trainline, Virgin Atlantic, and RED Driving School over concerns that customers were not shown the total price upfront when buying things like train and coach tickets, holidays, or even driving lessons.
The investigations are part of a wider CMA clampdown on misleading pricing practices - in this instance, where mandatory charges are separated from the headline price, or added later in the buying process, which is known as drip pricing.
These practices leave consumers facing 'unexpected' costs or having to calculate the so-called true cost themselves.
Such practices can also impact competition between businesses, as a firm using drip pricing may falsely appear to be cheaper than a competitor pricing correctly, and therefore attract more customers.
Trainline is being investigated over whether all mandatory fees have been included in the upfront prices displayed to consumers buying tickets in advance on its app and website, while Virgin Atlantic's investigation will focus on whether mandatory resort fees and local taxes have been included in the upfront prices shown to customers buying package holidays.
Trainline and Virgin Atlantic are among the companies being investigated for 'misleading' pricing / Credit: Northern | Aric Cheng (via Unsplash)
RED Driving School is being investigated over how a mandatory booking fee and 'digital' fee have been displayed to people booking driving lessons - specifically whether these fees have been included in the total upfront price.
"At a time when many households are watching every pound they spend, it is important that people are not surprised by extra fees," commented Emma Cochrane, who is the Executive Director for Consumer Protection at the CMA.
"Clear pricing helps people compare offers confidently and choose the option that works best for them.
"Unexpected mandatory charges make this much harder, which is why the CMA initially put these firms on notice over concerns about their pricing practices and is now opening formal investigations."
The CMA says it's at the beginning of its investigations and has reached no conclusions about whether these firms have broken the law.
If it finds there has been an infringement of the law, the CMA can order businesses to pay compensation to affected customers or be charged up to 10% of global turnover.
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News
Major new phone rule introduced at Wetherspoons after customers are ‘driven nuts’
Emily Sergeant
A major new phone rule has been introduced in all JD Wetherspoon pubs across the UK after customers complain of being 'driven nuts'.
The pub chain - which has nearly 800 branches across the UK - announced earlier this week that it has made the decision to ban people from playing music or videos out of their phones, and from taking calls on loudspeaker.
The ban, which has been introduced effective immediately, follows a rising number of complaints from customers about the noise - with owners saying sounds from smartphones and tablet computers had become an 'increasing problem' in recent years.
Wetherspoon founder and chairman, Tim Martin, says he wants Wetherspoon pubs to be 'an oasis of tranquillity and contemplation'.
A formal statement from the company announcing the ban reads: "Following complaints from customers, who are being driven nuts by other people’s videos and amplified phone conversations, Wetherspoon has asked customers to switch their phones to silent or to use earphones."
Wetherspoons has introduced a new phone rule at all its UK pubs after customers are 'driven nuts' / Credit: Allan Rohmer (via Unsplash)
Tim Martin added: "In order to avoid customers being driven chicken jalfrezi by a cacophony of sound, we are kindly asking phone users to pipe down."
Wetherspoon's ban follows a YouGov poll conducted last year questioning public opinion on a proposition made by the Liberal Democrats of introducing fines of up to £1,000 for 'headphone dodgers' who play music out loud on buses and trains.
62% of people, on average, said they would back this move if it was introduced.
The poll, which surveyed 6,815 British adults, found that almost three-quarters of those over 65 would support the fines, while those aged between 18 and 24 were split 47% to 43% in favour of it.
Early public reactions to Wetherspoon's ban appears to be overwhelmingly positive.
Clementine Hall -
17th November 2022 
