Meet the brand championing Leeds independents with hot sauce collabs.
If there's one thing we love more than witnessing Leeds independent stores thrive, it's when they help each other to get there.
This year, we've seen collaborations of all kinds as brands get together to boost each others following with tasty treats- some bizarre, but on the whole, some of the most delicious dishes this year have come from this type of comradery.
Thiccc Sauce is just one example of this, having spent 2021 collaborating with the likes of much-loved Headingley cafe, Fika North and city centre charcuterie hotspot, Friends of Ham to create irresistible sauces that sum up each brand's specialism in a single drop of sauce.
If you're like us and relish in an opportunity to support your local and champion the independents we have around us, chances are that you've already had a taste of a Thiccc Sauce collaboration without even realising.
From Neon Cactus, Little Bao Boy and the Savvy Baker to Honest Burgers, Mozzafella and more, Thiccc Sauce really have covered all the greats- and they've only been open just over a year.
Our recent introduction to Thiccc Sauce, entitled 'The Thiccc Sauce championing the indie food scene in Leeds', got us thinking about our favourite collabs this year, and although it was a difficult choice to make, here are some of our favourites from this year:
Thiccc Sauce X Friends of Ham is known as the 'Vote For Pedro' sauce. A decedent dark sauce crammed with sugared plums, Pedro Ximenez sherry, black garlic, smoked chipotle, red jalapeño, Bermondsey Sobrassada Oil, Spanish red grape, Vermont maple syrup, Sherry balsamic vinegar, locally smoked garlic, onion, vine tomato and spices with medium to high heat.
Fika North- Lagöm
Thiccc Sauce X Fika North is all about championing local and international flavours with their Lagöm Lingonberry Hot Sauce. Lagöm meaning “just the right amount, in balance” in Swedish, is a collaboration with local legends Fika North containing freshly squeezed Lingonberries, Lingonberry Jam, habanero chilli, bell red pepper, tomato, red wine vinegar, maple syrup and spices.
North Brew Co- Rye Candy
The Thicc Sauce chefs used their previous maple bourbon bbq sauce recipe with molasses, black treacle, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper then upped the maple content & added a copious amounts of Rye Bourbon & Strong Stout to create Rye Candy, a complex sweet boozy bbq sauce perfect on a dirty burger or some bbq meat.
Third Eye Signs- Seoul Food
Chances are you favourite indies have had their branding designed by Third Eye, making this collaboration, an exciting combination of flavours from no particular eatery. The Seoul Food is made from gochujang paste, soy paste, rice vinegar, scotch bonnets, red jalapeño, ketchup, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic, onion, soy sauce, maple syrup, sugar, ginger, spices and honey- and sound delicious.
Dukes Halifax- Dystopia
This collab was between Dukes bar in Halifax and Yorkshire designer Drew Millward. Described as a gentle spice of green jalapeño mashed with a whirlwind of herbs spices and fruit, this hot sauces comes flavoured with pineapple, tomatillo, jalapeño, mint, coriander, lime and agave- what's not to love about that combination?
At present, the Leeds-based sauce company have a few collaboration favourites left before they pack up and enjoy their Christmas sauce-order-free, but as the demand for the sauces is so high: you'll have to head to their website to see what's available at present.
Bottle Chop in Headingley is a stockist of the local collaborations and original sauces and limited edition drops are announced sporadically on Instagram- so keep an eye out for any and all updated from Thiccc Sauce, you don't want to miss out.
Feature Image- Big Guys Thiccc Sauce
News
Plans to turn one of Leeds’ most historic buildings into padel courts approved
One of Leeds’ most iconic buildings is set to be brought back to life.
Plans for a brand-new padel and leisure destination at The Roundhouse on Wellington Road have been approved by Leeds City Council’s West Plans Panel.
Consent has been granted for Ollo Padel to transform the Grade II* listed Roundhouse into a state-of-the-art sport, fitness, food, drink and community venue subject to conditions and completion of a Section 106 agreement.
Built in 1847 for the Leeds and Thirsk Railway Company, The Roundhouse was once home to the steam locomotives that powered industrial Victorian Leeds. In recent years, the building has stood largely unused.
Image: Supplied
The approved plans will restore and protect the landmark building and give the site a new, long-term future as one of the city’s most distinctive leisure destinations.
The three-acre site, located on the edge of Leeds city centre, will include nine outdoor doubles padel courts under a 10-metre canopy, plus a dedicated indoor coaching court within The Roundhouse itself.
At the heart of the site will be the Ollo Clubhouse; built around an all-day kitchen and bar, it will combine a comfortable lounge and co-working space, meeting rooms and live sport and events spaces.
The kitchen and bar will be run in partnership with Southbank Provisions, the independent Leeds hospitality team behind Headrow House, Belgrave Music Hall and Galleria whilst the gym will be operated by fitness and performance specialists Northbound, who will bring strength and conditioning practice, Hyrox training and pilates classes to The Roundhouse.
Image: Supplied
Construction is expected to begin later this year, with the venue aiming to open in early 2027.
Luke Gidney, Founder & CEO Ollo Padel: "This is a huge day for Leeds, for The Roundhouse and for Ollo. The Roundhouse has been part of the city’s story for nearly 180 years. It’s an incredible building but it needs people, energy and purpose again. Our plan is to bring it back to life as a place where people can play, eat, work, meet friends and feel part of something.
"Padel is growing so quickly because it’s fun, social and easy to pick up. But for us, this is about more than just the courts. We want Ollo to become a proper community destination for Leeds, somewhere welcoming, joyful and full of life.
"We’re incredibly grateful to Leeds City Council’s planning team, our case officer, the wider council team and everyone who has supported the project to this point. This has been a complex project but the sport and engagement throughout has been brilliant. Now the real work starts and we cannot wait to open the doors for you.”
New study crowns Leeds as one of the friendliest cities in the UK
Clementine Hall
New research has revealed a global ranking of cities with the best customer service, with Leeds taking one of the top spots.
If you've been wondering which cities across the world are the friendliest of them all, then look no further because MoneySuperMarket have done the work for us in a new study.
In a world where social media culture plays a huge part in people's lives, online customer reviews are pretty important to local businesses.
To uncover the global locations that are home to the best customer service, the businesses insurance experts analysed over 100,000 reviews of leisure and hospitality businesses in 107 cities worldwide.
They looked at the language in the reviews to see how often friendly workers and staff were mentioned, building a global ranking of the cities where customer service truly stands out.
Out of a whopping 107, Leeds came in at a very respectable number 12. Now we think that's pretty good going.
Outside of the UK, Hanoi, Paris, Montreal and Abu Dhabi were highlighted for their friendly customer service whilst Edinburgh tops the global ranking, with Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol also making the world’s top 10.
The top 10 cities in the UK with the best customer service are as follows:
Edinburgh
Liverpool
Birmingham
Bristol
Belfast
Leeds
Glasgow
Cardiff
Manchester
London
Alicia Hempsted spoke on the study: “As businesses grow and engage with more customers, it’s important to make sure they’re protected. Public liability insurance is an important safeguard for those working with the public, helping to cover costs if something goes wrong, while also showing customers that their experience is taken seriously - from the moment they walk through the door to long after they’ve left.”
Sophie Smith -
29th December 2021 
