A bird's-eye view of Leeds, Sheffield, and Yorkshire

X

News

Much loved Leeds restaurant serving authentic hand-pulled noodles closes suddenly

What a shame.

Clementine Hall - 17th July 2026

After quietly serving some of the city's best hand-pulled noodles for years, Noodlesta has closed its Leeds restaurant.

Located opposite the University of Leeds on Blenheim Terrace, Noodlesta built a loyal following thanks to its fresh, hand-pulled noodles, rich broths and no-frills approach to dining.

For students, office workers and serious noodle fans alike, it became a go-to spot for comforting bowls packed with flavour.

But unfortunately, Noodlesta has closed its doors for good with an alcohol license for another venture being plastered on the windows.

Image: The Hoot Leeds

Image: The Hoot Leeds

The restaurant first opened in Leeds in 2019 and quickly earned a reputation for serving some of the city's most authentic Chinese hand-pulled noodles.

The braised beef brisket noodles and the tomato with egg thin noodles were some of the best we’ve had in Leeds, and at around £12 a bowl it was brilliant value for money.

No official reason for the closure has yet been confirmed, although the news comes at a time when hospitality businesses across the UK continue to face rising operating costs and challenging trading conditions.

For Leeds food lovers, Noodlesta's closure marks the end of a dining experience that was difficult to find anywhere else in the city.

Its handmade noodles and authentic flavours will be missed by many who considered it one of Leeds' hidden culinary gems. We wish them all the best in the future.

Read more from The Hoot Leeds:

Featured image - The Hoot Leeds

News

Argentina are facing disciplinary action for controversial banner after beating England

In the aftermath of England crashing out of the 2026 World Cup following their defeat in the semi-final, their opponents Argentina look set to face disciplinary action for a controversial flag held up in the wake of beating their old enemies.

For anyone who quickly turned off the telly after the Three Lions ‘ 2-1 defeat and might have missed it, the Argentinian national squad waved a makeshift sign which read: “Las Malvinas son Argentinas.”

In English, this translates to “The Falklands are Argentine.”

Referring to the historic conflict between the two countries, which took place more than four decades ago, the statement has been described as inflammatory by some, with No. 10 Downing Street having issued an official response as the team now reportedly risks punishment by FIFA.

Multiple major outlets now believe that a financial penalty at the very least is expected to be passed down for the divisive political message.

As noted by the BBC above, this is by no means the first time this has happened, and perceived ‘tragedy chanting’ among other problematic behaviour from both fan bases has been a recurring issue whenever the two sides have played since.

To put things into context, the Falklands War, which lasted for 74 days, led to the deaths of 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen, with three civilians on the islands also losing their lives.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BBC SPORT (@bbcsport)

As such, there is still plenty of bad blood between the South American country and Great Britain, with members of the nation’s leading party even weighing in with provocative and rather public posts on social media ahead of the game.

Vice President Victoria Villarruel has been among the most vocal online .

The reaction from the UK government was direct, too, with business secretary Peter Kyle telling Sky News: “I had left and gone to bed before the banner came onto the pitch, but I saw the images this morning, and of course, it’s entirely inappropriate.

“Politics should stay away from football. That is a very clear principle of the World Cup , but any consequences that come from that are now a decision for FIFA.”

Speaking to the BBC, he went on to add: “We expect FIFA to undertake an investigation into this. I think it was certain to happen because it was such an egregious violation of the rules of not having political activity as part of football.”

It’s also worth noting that Argentina have prior form for this kind of display.

The predicted outcome looks more than likely, with FIFA having previously fined £20,000 for a similar stunt before a friendly against Slovenia back in 2014.

‘La Albiceleste’ and their fellow compatriots won’t care one bit, of course, as they’re now into another World Cup final and could join Brazil, Italy and France in becoming back-to-back global champions.

Meanwhile, plenty have criticised Thomas Tuchel ‘s change in tactics and substitutions as England went more defensive after going a goal up, and the post-mortem from his first run as manager will no doubt continue in the coming days; whether he makes it consecutive tournaments or not, we’ll wait and see.

Read more: A school uniform exchange aimed at helping families across the city is returning to Leeds

Featured Images — Pedro Ramiro (via X)

News

A school uniform exchange aimed at helping families across the city is returning to Leeds

Clementine Hall

The Leeds School Uniform Exchange is returning to the city bigger and better than before.

This year, the Leeds School Uniform Exchange pop-up shop at The Merrion Centre will be significantly expanded to support families across the city ahead of the new school year.

Following the success of last year’s initiative, this year’s pop-up will feature a larger retail space, more stock available to give away, and an extended schedule of opening dates throughout the school holidays.

The pop-up is run by Leeds charity Wear and Share Leeds, that promotes sustainability and community support, providing pre-loved school uniforms at no cost and with no referral required.

Image: Supplied

The initiative forms part of the growing city-wide movement led by the Leeds School Uniform Exchange, encouraging families to reuse school uniform rather than buy new.

Families are invited to drop in, browse, and take what they need. Items typically include shirts, polos, trousers, skirts, blazers and jumpers; P.E. kits; shoes and accessories (subject to availability).

All items are sorted by size and school where possible. Uniform donations are also welcome and can be dropped off at the pop-up during opening hours.

Image: Supplied

The Leeds School Uniform Exchange pop-up shop can be found on the upper balcony level within The Merrion Centre and will run on selected dates from Wednesday 22 July until 29 August from 10am-3pm.

Tracy Morgan, co-manager of Leeds School Uniform Exchange, said: “Over the years, our community's support has been incredible. By sharing pre-loved uniform, we've been able to help so many families and reduce textile waste at the same time. This year, with a bigger presence in the city centre, we hope to reach even more families.”

Debbie Binnersley, co-manager, added: “The Leeds School Uniform Exchange has already made a real difference for thousands of families, saving them hundreds of thousands of pounds. Expanding the Merrion Centre pop-up means we can go even further this summer.”

Read more: Leeds restaurant crowned one of the best local restaurants in Britain just three months after opening

Featured image - Supplied