Leeds biggest celebration of independent food and drink is back for another year.
Returning for 2022, Leeds Indie Food has announced this morning that they will be hosting a mini festival spanning across a whopping ten days.
Kicking things off on Thursday 19 May 2022, Leeds city centre will be showcasing the finest of Leeds independent culinary talent, with plenty of unique experience, one-off collaborations and exciting events to get involved in.
Expect big names like Ox Club and Kirkstall Brewery to come together to create an exclusive taster menu, filling tables with produce from God's Own Country as well as celebrating beers old and new to provide the perfect pairing.
Image: Chapter 81
Rolling Social Events is also teaming up with The Tetley and Starward Whisky and Plantation Rum with Bastard Bistro to offer the ultimate booze experience. Expect local supper clubs across the city to take pride and place on the calendar, whilst vegan yoga and brunch services will offer daytime food and drink with a difference.
The likes of handmade pasta specialists Sarto collab with renowned Latitude is also a must-visit experience that will offer a five-course pairing meal including wine, aperitifs and digestifs to compliment the service as part of Leeds Indie Food's festivities.
If that's not enough, Friends of Ham will be sharing an exclusive five-course taster menu paired with wines, beers and cocktails- each of which will be introduced and inspired by a clip from Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown, an award-winning video from the celebrated chef's food and travel show.
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Stuzzi will be also transport diners through the senses with an evening of 'zero miles dining', a menu which highlights local independent suppliers, changing on a weekly basis to make space for farmers, foragers and more.
Little Bao Boys will also making an appearance over the Leeds Indie Food period with one of their well known Laksa evenings.
The mini food festival and culinary events are timed with the launch of the new Leeds Indie Food website: which will act as a promotional tool and an "inclusive hub for Leeds' independent businesses all year round".
Simon Fogal, Founder of Leeds Indie Food has commented on the launch:“What can be said about the last couple of years that hasn’t already been said? Like all hospitality businesses we pivoted constantly as we went from our annual festival in May to signposting people to indies, creating supportive merch, hampers, magazines and more.
"We listened to businesses and helped initiate Chow Down at Temple Arches. The time has come to start back, telling our story and raising the profile of some of the smaller indies as well as the bigger boys, really trying to put Leeds on this map.
"The mini-festival is here but we are planning so much more, we have set ourselves some big goals and are planning a lot of initiatives too. We want to celebrate indie culture too, having a thriving indie food scene helps a city tell a story, so we want to strengthen this part. To get involved (everyone is welcome) just contact us via our website.”
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Tickets for Leeds Indie Food 2022 are on sale now on the newly launched website. For more information, including to book your seat at the table, visit the LIF website.
Feature Image- Chapter 81
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A boutique house and disco music festival is coming to the grounds of Harewood House this summer
After welcoming around 4,500 attendees in its first year, the intimate house and disco festival is coming back.
Goodlife, held in the beautiful grounds of Harewood House, has fast established itself as one of the region’s most exciting new music events.
After its huge success last year, Goodlife will be back this year even bigger and better than before with a capacity ready to welcome 12,000 festival-goers.
The festival will take place on Saturday 6 June, and the lineup is already stacked.
The Main Stage will host an incredible line up of house music heavyweights including Armand Van Helden, Groove Armada, Alison Limerick, Roger Sanchez and Inner City (Live).
The Downtown Disco Stage will once again bring its signature blend of soulful house to the fields of Harewood House with artists announced including The Shapeshifters, Craig Charles, Michael Gray and Ian Ossia.
This year sees a brand-new stage being thrown into the mix called The Goodlife Tavern that will celebrate Yorkshire’s thriving DJ scene, showcasing local artists and shining a spotlight on regional talent.
Artists performing at The Goodlife Tavern will include Darren Cross, Smudged Soul, Alex Malam, Emiiyuu, Kavita, PJ Gardner and Lee Wright.
Liam Hardy, co-founder of New Vision Events, said: "The response to Goodlife’s first year was incredible and we’ve been stunned by the extremely high demand for tickets for this years’ event so far. We always believed there was room for a dedicated house and disco festival in the region, but the atmosphere and support from the crowd last year completely exceeded our expectations.
“For 2026 we wanted to take things up a notch and create something even better. Introducing a third stage allows us to bring more artists to the festival and showcase some amazing local talent, while the increased capacity means even more people can enjoy the Goodlife experience."
Goodlife Festival takes place on Saturday 6 June and you can buy your tickets here.
Plans for Leeds Kirkgate Market ‘container village’, STACK, take huge step forward
Clementine Hall
A planning application has been submitted for a ‘container village’ attraction at Leeds Kirkgate Market.
It was submitted today, Friday 27 March, by STACK Leisure - a company that already runs popular food, drink and entertainment hubs in Lincoln, Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Sunderland.
The proposed STACK Leeds venue would be a two-storey structure made up of repurposed shipping containers, located in Leeds Kirkgate Market’s outdoor trading area.
It would feature six bars, eight street food outlets, a coffee shop, a large stage for live entertainment and giant digital screens.
The development is expected to increase footfall and broaden the customer base across the market and would also benefit the wider city centre and its existing hospitality businesses.
Neill Winch, chief executive of STACK Leisure, said: “We know from our previous experience that once STACK opens it brings huge economic benefits to the wider area.
“It will turn a spotlight on the Leeds Kirkgate Market area and bring in greatly increased footfall, not just to STACK Leeds but to both the indoor and outdoor market. One of the many reasons we are successful is because we offer something for everyone – we are family friendly, pet friendly and our entertainment programme is designed to have widespread appeal.
“It is important for us to become part of the local community and celebrate it, while supporting independent businesses at the same time. We firmly believe that STACK Leeds will be a huge asset to the city and we look forward to moving on with the scheme.”
Kikgate Market’s outdoor trading area currently has room for a total of 185 stalls, with around 85 of those being filled.
Should STACK Leeds secure planning approval, the number of pitches would be reduced and the freed-up space used as the location for the scheme.
Sophie Smith -
12th May 2022 
