One of the biggest food and drink festivals in Leeds is returning to Roundhay Park this May for a huge summer party.
Now in it's 7th year, the family-friendly North Leeds Food Festival will run from Saturday 13 May – Sunday 14 May 2023 with artisan produce aplenty.
The festival is a highly anticipated event which foodies from across Yorkshire look forward to each year.
Named Market Street, stalls from independent craft and produce vendors will line the park with small batch goods, including Mallow Gourmet Marshmallows, Screaming Chimp Chilli Sauce and flavours from around the world.
Image: North Leeds Food Festival
Returning this year with highly-anticipated the Live Cookery Theatre, Leeds Cookery School will be rustling up some easy-to-make foodie specials for all ages to try whilst live chef demonstrations will allow you and your company to learn how to make speciality dishes from your own home.
If that’s not enough, there will be deckchairs aplenty to lounge on, independent bar service from Leeds favourite North Brew Co, with speciality cider, gin and wine bars- including some fresh Caribbean cocktail offerings.
Image: North Leeds Food Festival
Live music will keep the audience entertained from beginning to sunset and a host of family-friendly performers will ensure that all ages are left in awe or hysterics at their unique talents.
Additional family-friendly activities will also be held to raise funds for Leeds-based charity Leeds Mind, in previous years the festival has raised over £68,000 for mental health charities.
Image: North Leeds Food Festival
Michael Johnston, festival director, said: “We’re thrilled with the support we have received over the years. We’ve grown the offerings at the festival every year, and this year is no different. We’re adding a new interactive element, taking attendees on a tasting journey with food and drink experts from across the north."
For more information, including how to book your tickets for the food fest from Saturday 13 May – Sunday 14 May 2022 visit their website.
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.
Clementine Hall -
2nd February 2023 
