Down on the waterfront at Granary Wharf is a gorgeous Italian restaurant tucked into an archway serving up its own Mediterranean twist on the classic English afternoon tea.
A staple in the city for nearly a decade now, foodies will be well au-fait with LIVIN'Italy - but for those who haven't yet made it down for a visit, their brilliant afternoon tea is as good an excuse as any.
Priced at £20 per person with prosecco (or £25 if you want to enjoy it with an Aperol spritz in hand), the new afternoon tea switches out the typical crustless cheese sandwiches and scones for Italian delicacies like miniature tiramisu and stuffed arancini balls.
Image: LIVIN'Italy
Comprised of a selection of classic Italian favourites and small plates, further treats on offer here include fried polenta with friarielli and frollino biscuits loaded with strawberry jam.
It seems from the reviews that you might get a little surprise when you visit, too, with one customer who visited in June saying they also enjoyed mini margarita pizzas, slow-cook short rib beef slider and roast potatoes with BBQ sauce as part of their afternoon tea experience.
The sweet selection on their visit, meanwhile, included portions of miniature tiramisu, strawberry jam Italian cake and indulgent, moist Italian chocolate cake with salted caramel and orange running throughout.
The glamorous restaurant and bar runs a host of delicious-looking menus alongside the afternoon tea, opening for breakfast and stretching through lunch and dinner into cocktail hour and beyond.
Whether you're after a spot of antipasto with wine or want to sample some proper Italian street food dishes, there's much more than just your typical pizza and pasta offering here (although they do that very well too).
Just like any good Italian, the focus here is on using quality ingredients and LIVIN'Italy works closer with Italian food producers and importers to cultivate the very best. As they say themselves, "without a great product you can’t create a great dish!"
To find out more about the Italian afternoon tea and make a reservation, head over to their website here.
A house that looks good enough for James Bond is set to be built on Ilkley Moor.
Is that a formation of angular grey rocks sitting atop of the Yorkshire dales? No, it's a house.
The wildly contemporary structure, which has huge irregular-shaped windows and a natural outdoor pool, is based off the famous Cow and Calf Rocks in Ilkley, West Yorkshire.
It will be built just down the road from them too, on green belt land which is the garden of a home off Heber's Ghyll Drive.
Images: Shaw & Jagger Architects
It is the work of Harrogate-based architects Shaw & Jagger, who said the project was passed through the country house clause which allows things to be built on green belt for buildings of "exceptional quality".
The house itself has been named 'Fomorian', after a supernatural race of giants in Irish mythology. The name takes inspiration from the mythical giant Rombald who is said to have roamed on Ilkley Moor.
Images: Shaw & Jagger Architects
Shaw & Jagger wrote: "The design approach was to propose a scheme that is intrinsically linked to the spirit of its place. Fomorian is of its place, part of the Moors, its geology and its spirit.
"We took cues from local folklore, the surrounding rocks; ancient carvings, standing stones and escarpments that are synonymous with the landscape.
"The building depicts a series of monolithic elements embedded in the earth as the wild, dramatic environment looms around, attempting to overcome them. The building is new, yet part of this ancient landscape.
Images: Shaw & Jagger Architects
"Fomorian is to be built over the next couple of years and will provide family accommodation consisting of 4 bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, sitting room and study.
"It was important to offer the client viable outside space therefore a paved courtyard garden allows external living to be within the heart of the plan. The abstract rock forms allow the design to have exciting internal spaces with large irregular windows designed to maximise views out across the valley."
Leeds railway station reopening delayed AGAIN due to problems with lift
Clementine Hall
The highly anticipated opening of Leeds City Station's new entrance has been further delayed.
The £46.1m Leeds Station Sustainable Travel Gateway has been in the works since 2022, with the original target for completion set for autumn 2025.
That date subsequently slipped to summer 2026, then September, then October, and now...well who knows?
This time, Leeds City Council have confirmed that the problem is to do with the lifts that connect New Station Street and Bishopgate.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
These lifts will allow the ever so turbulent taxi rank to move from the temporary arrangement at the rear of the station to its new home on Bishopgate Street.
A Leeds City Council spokesperson said on the recent setback: "Having opened the pavement along Bishopgate Street and sections of New Station Street, unfortunately we have encountered an issue with one of the lifts, which is delaying essential safety testing from being completed.
"We are working to resolve this as soon as possible so we can open the final parts of the scheme imminently."
When it does finally open, there should be plenty to like. The scheme is designed to make the area around the station more pedestrian-friendly, with improved public space, wider walking routes, better cycling facilities, a new cycle hub and step-free access between Bishopgate Street and New Station Street.
The taxi rank will also move to Bishopgate Street, with a new shelter and kerbside boarding.
So, after years of barriers, diversions, temporary arrangements, engineering works and at least one deeply controversial letter (lest we forget 'Welcome to Leeps') the end is apparently in sight.
We'll keep you updated with any updates and opening date of the new station, but we wouldn't hold your breath if the last couple of months are anything to go by.
Georgina Pellant -
10th September 2021 
