Let's be honest, Yorkshire puddings are one of the most divine creations to ever grace the earth. Light, fluffy, soft, and comforting, not to mention the perfect vehicle for pooling gravy, we'll never get tired of eating them.
As the weather's taken a dip in recent days, we're craving proper comfort food - and that means some giant Yorkshires, obviously. Turns out, there's a pub in Malton just an hour's drive from Leeds that is pretty famous for its giant loaf tin puds. Perfect.
Image: The Black Bull Inn
Called The Black Bull Inn, the 17th-century pub and restaurant is well known and loved for its epic Yorkshire pudding creations.
Cooked in their own homemade loaf tins, these beauties come filled with all sorts of tasty fillings before being served up with chunky chips, mash or jacket potatoes, veggies and lashings of beefy gravy.
Enjoy yours with a choice of pork sausage, steak and ale, topside of beef or mince and onion - plus all the extra naughty bits.
Or have it as part of their Sunday lunch carvery and go all out with extras like stuffing, cauliflower cheese, mash, and roasties.
As well as their huge stuffed Yorkshire puddings, there's also some top-tier classic pub grub here. Think steak and ale pie, 12oz gammon steak, thick pork chops and Whitby scampi - plus seven different types of mash to choose from.
There's cheesy bacon mash, caramelised onion mash, whole grain mustard mash, or mashes with horseradish, spicy chilli, blue cheese, or sour cream and garlic. Basically, the whole menu looks amazing.
If you feel like making a trip out of it, you can also stay the night at the Black Bull for as little as £40.
To see the full menu and find out more, head over to their website.
Tucked away in Leeds Kirkgate Market you'll find a wonderful seafood stall selling freshly shucked oysters for £1.90 each.
It's places like these that remind us why we love Leeds so much.
Established in 1880, Hayes Seafood is widely regarded as the oldest trader within the historic Kirkgate Market.
For the past 42 years, it has been run by Cliff and Michelle, the loveliest couple who welcome every customer with open arms.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The menu here is small but perfectly formed, focusing on fresh, ready-to-eat seafood that you can enjoy with a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of mayonnaise at most.
Delivered fresh every morning, there's pre-cracked crab shells, brown and white crab meat, cockles, crawfish tails - all perfectly prepared for you to eat at their bar or high tables opposite.
But, it's the oysters that you'll see people queueing for. And rightly so.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Everything here is prepared to order right in front of you, and for no extra fee. You can choose from two types of oysters: super salty Lindisfarne oysters or the slightly sweeter English Loch Fyne.
We recommend having a couple of each, pulling up a stool right by the counter and getting stuck in. If you ask Cliff nicely, he might tell you a bit about the history of the place - but you may have to order a couple more oysters for that.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
You're left to dress them yourself, whether you prefer dash of fiery tabasco or a few pickled shallots. But to be honest, they're delicious just as they come.
This spot is a real piece of Leeds history, and the queues at lunchtime as well as the repeat regular customers proves just how special it is.
All it's missing is a champagne stall next to it...now wouldn't that be perfect?
The cult sandwich shop that’s been serving Leeds students since 1994
Clementine Hall
Whether you're a student or not, Bakery 164 is a Leeds staple.
And you really can't miss it either.
Standing proudly opposite the Parkinson Steps on the corner of Woodhouse Lane, their bright yellow and red canopy lures you in if the inviting smell of fresh bread hasn't already.
They've been serving the students of Leeds since 1994, and are known for their specialist sandwiches that won't break the bank.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
On a lunchtime you'll have to join the queue of hungry students looking to get their fix, but it's well worth the wait.
The bread is what they do best, every evening they hand mix and hand shape their ciabatta and focaccia dough, which is then baked overnight so it’s fresh out of the ovens in the morning.
Then come the fillings, at Bakery 164 they specialise in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours, using seasonal ingredients and local produce wherever possible.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Signature sandwiches include grilled chicken, halloumi and bacon with chilli mayo, prosciutto, mozzarella, pesto and sun-dried tomato as well as meatballs and mozzarella with Reggae Reggae sauce.
A price for a sandwich comes in at around a fiver, and they easily wipe the floor with any meal deal sarnie you can grab from a supermarket round the corner.
Just choose your sandwich, take it to the till and they'll warm it up for you there and then at no extra cost.
And it's not just sandwiches, they've also got fresh coffee on offer to keep you going between lectures as well as a selection of freshly baked cakes and sweet treats.
Georgina Pellant -
6th July 2021 
