If you want to try making your own bread for the first time, but not sure if you'll enjoy using a bread maker, or you want to cook a one-off meal: there's no longer a need to go out and buy the appliances to do so.
If you've ever bought yourself a cookbook or mixer with good intentions, only to sit it in your cupboard, you're not alone. At Christmas time, we are especially likely to join the frantic queues and panic buy things we use once, if at all, for the sake of impressions, or just good intentions.
Thanks to the Buy Nowt LS6 lending library, you no longer have to make that expensive one-off purchase.
A selection of items that can be borrowed from the LS6 lending library. / Image: Buy Nowt LS6
Buy Nowt LS6 believe we can all make an environmental difference by borrowing instead of buying.
So the idea is you can share resources, meet people in your local community and borrow stuff with a pay-as-you-feel donation. Not only does this lower carbon emissions but it helps your back pocket too.
Since Buy Nowt LS6 opened just eight weeks ago, they have loaned over 155 items over 16 days in total. This equates to saving over £3000 in the local community and approximately 3 tonnes of carbon.
It's not just foodie items you can borrow either: the lending library has everything from Otley Run costumes to hedge trimmers. There are hundreds of items to choose from, all loaned on a pay-as-you-feel basis.
One happy customer has turned their hand to tidying gardens for winter, another made their own raviloi.
The ravioli maker was borrowed to make a homemade vegan dish. / Image: Buy Nowt LS6
"When Headingley gives you #LibraryofThings, make vegan ravioli! Pasta maker borrowed from @buynowtls6, flour from @leedsrefills, pesto made with homegrown basil. Possibly the fanciest sustainable meal I ever made?!"
To see if you can save a trip to the supermarket or hardware store and 'buy nowt', you can check the inventory online at any time before heading over to the Headingley pick-up spot.
Buy Nowt LS6 is open Friday 4 - 6pm and Saturday 1 - 4 pm at Headingley Methodist Church.
After making a name for itself over in Leeds city centre, Alfonso's Deli 2.0 has touched down in Horsforth.
Famed for it’s toasted Cuban sandwiches, stacked subs and loaded breakfast bagels - Alfonso's Deli in Leeds' beautiful Grand Arcade serve up some of the best sandwiches in the city.
They've built up such a good reputation in fact, that they have now opened a second deli in the up-and-coming suburb of Horsforth.
Located in a prime location on New Side Road, this deli has a slightly different look to their original space, complete with a beautiful red awning and stuffed to the brim with American memorabilia.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Here you can find fresh Cuban coffee which goes wonderfully with their authentic toasted Cubano sandwiches, perfectly crafted with their house-made bread which are then pressed made-to-order.
New for Horsforth, they're now serving New York deli sandwiches on brand-new house schiacciata bread.
And the bread is as fresh as it gets, made in their own bakery downstairs alongside a selection of New York deli bakes.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Stuffed with toppings such as smoked deli meats, cold cuts, fresh cheese and whatever else you fancy.
Oh and it doesn't stop there, you can also buy a cigar if you fancy it alongside a selection of merch, hot sauces and provisions like tinned fish.
So whether you're stopping by on your way to work for a morning coffee or treating yourself to a stellar sandwich for your lunch, Alfonso's Deli is here to whisk you away to Miami for the afternoon.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
They're officially opening their doors to the public this Thursday 15 October, and we just know it's going to go down and absolute storm.
Make sure to pop down and give them a big warm welcome to the neighbourhood.
‘This recognition belongs to you’ – Leeds restaurant added to the Michelin Guide just months after opening
Clementine Hall
A newcomer to the Leeds foodie scene has been added to the coveted Michelin Guide.
You may remember back in April when a Leeds icon was reborn under a different name.
The Smithfield took over the site that was home to The Reliance for more than two decades, and it's safe to say it exceeded expectations.
The team transformed the site to its former glory, taking the site's exterior back to its memorable dark red. But the efforts to recapture the essence of the iconic old venue go way beyond that.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The Smithfield, a collaboration between Crooked Brewing and Chef James Donovan, offers simple dining with seasonal food and natural wines.
It's the sort of place where you can rock up for a plate and a glass people watching through the huge window on North Street, or really get stuck into a sharing pie and chips with friends on a Saturday afternoon.
Either way we love it, and it seems we're not the only ones as The Smithfield has been added to the Michelin Guide just five months after opening.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Announcing the great news to Instagram, The Smithfield said: "We’re very pleased and grateful to have been included in the Michelin Guide.
"To get this kind of recognition so early in our journey is a real honour, and one we certainly don’t take for granted.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
"Thank you to our wonderful guests for your continued support. Also, huge thanks to our brilliant team. The Smithfield is what it is because of your hard work, enthusiasm, energy and diligence. This recognition belongs to you.
"We’re just getting started, and our focus remains the same: creating a welcoming space for our community, serving food and drink we’re proud of, championing great British and local produce, and contributing our small part towards Leeds’ brilliant hospitality scene. The Smithfield."
Sophie Smith -
3rd September 2023 
