It's time to say goodbye to February and welcome March with open arms.
This week is bringing with it the last few days – and even an extra one, for the first time in four years – of February, all before March arrives for the weekend.
If you’re finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though, not to worry, we’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our 'what's on' guide.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
Free coffee at Livett's
Monday 26 February - Saturday 2 March 2024 | St Peter's Square
Image: Supplied
From the team behind Leeds institution The Wardrobe comes Livett’s Coffee Shop, a brand new on-the-go coffee shop. Nestled in the heart of the city’s cultural quarter, Livett’s Coffee Shop will open its doors on Monday 26 February 2024.
And to celebrate, they’re giving away hundreds of free coffees. They’ll be offering the first 25 customers through the door their coffee on the house every morning from Monday 26 February – Saturday 2 March, so you can sample a Livett’s brew for yourself.
Monday 26 - Thursday 29 February 2024 | Royal Armouries, Leeds City Centre
Image: Leeds City Council
The touring Knife Angel sculpture is coming to Leeds this February, to send a powerful message and spark conversations about knife crime in the city.
The Knife Angel, standing tall at 27ft and made from over 100,000 seized blades, was created by the British Ironwork Centre to highlight the negative effects of violent behaviour and the need for change.
Fondue Pizza at Pizza Pilgrims
Monday 26 - Thursday 29 February 2024 | Boar Lane
Image: Pizza Pilgrims
It's your last chance to enjoy Pizza Pilgrim's February special - a fondue and pizza all in one. Introducing the ‘La Fonduta’, a pizza topped with loads and loads of melted cheese which you can actually dunk stuff into like a real fondue. Utter madness.
Based around Fontina DOP which is a ‘rich and creamy, sweet but punchy, buttery yet nutty cheese’ found in the Italian Alps, the white base is topped with a melted concoction of this and stringy mozzarella for that Instagram-worthy cheese pull.
Two of Leeds indies are joining forces over at The Cheesy Living Co. Oakwood for a night of cheese and cocktails. You’ll be welcomed with olives, focaccia and an Aperitif cocktail before sampling six different taster cocktails from Philippos and the Tabula Rasa team.
Bavette is the new restaurant has got some of Leeds, and indeed the nation’s most notable names in the hospitality scene talking.
The owners, we are told, come from ‘very well respected London restaurants’, and the bar has been set extremely high for ex-Culpeper Group MD and Head Chef Sandy Jarvis and husband, Restaurant Manager and sommelier Clément Cousin.
Expect a cosy, intimate and relaxing atmosphere and a menu inspired by traditional French bistros using seasonal and quality ingredients.
Food critic Camilla Long visited Leeds for her latest review for The Times with her sights set on Horsforth's finest - Bavette Bistro.
Ever since opening back in 2024, Bavette Bistro nestled in the leafy suburb of Horsforth has made waves across the country for its sheer brilliance.
It's pretty much received five star reviews across the board and been handed awards from left, right and centre. And rightly so.
The Good Food Guide crowned Bavette the best local restaurant of 2024, and Michelin handed them a well deserved Bib Gourmand - so it's safe to say it's not just us who think it's really something special.
So it was only a matter of time until The Times popped in for a review, and this one is truly glowing.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The review labels Bavette as "warm, unmannered and unpretentious" as well as "authentically French".
Long describes the food as "gorgeous, confident, surprising" with a menu that "isn’t too long" and "filled with sturdy, noble dishes, whiffing mightily of the sea and the soil."
It continues: "All of it made with generosity and cheer, served fast by nimble waiters, with a long, if slightly eccentric, wine list. To bang out French dishes with this much fiddly detail and to do it to a full room is not easy. Yet all four courses came in under two hours, for about £75 a head, which in London terms is nothing.
"It’s not that this place was perfect, it’s that it was decidedly not perfect. A bit too much chat about the menus; the oeufs in the meurette not quite runny enough. But the point is: it didn’t matter. All of it came charmingly together. It felt relaxed, just right."
The review is then wrapped up with a pleasing five stars, the cherry on top of the cake.
It's a review only restaurants can dream of, and we can't think of a more deserving team - congratulations Bavette.
A new female-founded business has opened in Leeds and it’s a trinket-lover’s paradise
Clementine Hall
Lisa Angel has just opened inside the Victoria Gate and it’s an Aladdin’s Cave full of jewellery, prints, gifts and everything in between.
The best part? It’s a female-founded brand that has chosen our wonderful city for their first Yorkshire site. We absolutely don't blame them.
Founded in 2004 by Lisa hand making jewellery which she sold at craft fairs local to her Norfolk home, the business has gone from strength to strength every since.
The brand is now a recognised part of the British high street landscape, boasting seven other stores across Norfolk, Suffolk, and the Midlands.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Shoppers can expect beautifully handcrafted jewellery, unique trinkets and wonderful staff who are open to have a natter.
It's the perfect shop for when you don't exactly know what to buy that someone special, just pop in here and you'll be hit with a wave of inspiration immediately.
We could've genuinely spent a good hour in there and come out with a much lighter wallet.
Lisa herself spoke about the opening: “As an independent retailer, we are thrilled to launch in a destination with such a reputation as Victoria Leeds.
"We believe retail should remain grounded in inspiration and discovery, and we look forward to bringing just that to the vibrant city of Leeds, in our first store in the north.”
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Managing Director James Moody said: “We're incredibly excited to be opening our first northern showcase store in such a prestigious location.
"Victoria Leeds represents exactly the kind of vibrant retail destination where we can bring the full Lisa Angel experience to new customers. This is a significant milestone for us as we continue to grow our retail presence."
Clementine Hall -
26th February 2024 
