After a whirlwind year in Leeds, The Savvy Baker has gone from strength to strength and will now be adding a cafe to her incredible portfolio of brownie-related business ventures.
Incase you haven’t met The Savvy Baker before, the lockdown-success bakery hasn’t been around in Leeds long, but has gained a cult following for its delicious baked goods.
Image: The Savvy Baker
Owned by Savannah Roqaa, the Leeds-based baker has been cooking up a storm online, with almost 50,000 Instagram followers and her brownies are loved by thousands of us in Leeds, including no less than Kalvin Phillips and Tyler Denton.
The new cafe will be located on Lidgett Lane in Roundhay and will be a first for The Savvy Baker, who is taking on the project as a joint venture with partner Jordan Simms.
Savannah told The Hoot Leeds: "We're both so excited to be able to open a customer-facing cafe. I can't wait to be able to meet all of the customers that have been supporting [us] since that start.
"This is still just the beginning and can't wait for what's in the future".
The pair are currently renovating the existing premises, but hope to be open for business by the end of March.
Image: The Savvy Baker
The bakery will be serving all your favourites from the existing bakery, including those incredible brownies and slabs, as well as coffee from North Star and cakes too.
The announcement was made on the business' Instagram page and has since had over 8,000 likes, with countless messages of approval.
The caption said: "OMG. THE SAVVY BAKER CAFE IS COMING!!!!!! We got the keys to the first savvy baker cafe, a new venture and we’re doing it together! So many of you have been asking for it for ages so.. here you have it!! It’s going to take us a little while to renovate and change it from a shell to our dream but it’s worth it!!
"I'm so excited to be able to offer Leeds a place to get your hands on our stuff all the time and we’ll be serving the best @northstarroast coffee. It’s in North leeds. Can anyone recognise where abouts? Tag a mate who you’d bring when we’re open too!!!"
Leeds City Council has confirmed that work to stabilise buildings on Lower Kirkgate is set to begin later this month, with repairs expected to take around 20 weeks to complete.
Back in 2024, Lower Kirkgate in Leeds city centre was closed following the partial collapse of a building, leaving one of the city's oldest streets inaccessible.
Since then, the street has remained closed while plans were developed to address the structural issues affecting the buildings.
Now, almost two years after the initial incident, the council has confirmed that a contractor has been appointed to carry out the work.
The buildings are privately owned, but Leeds City Council says it will step in to carry out the stabilisation work to prevent further deterioration and protect the historic properties.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: “We are pleased that, following months of careful planning and preparation, we are now in a position to begin stabilising these privately owned buildings.
“A contract has been awarded for the work, which is scheduled to get under way later this month and is expected to take around 20 weeks to complete.
“It should be stressed that the situation on Lower Kirkgate is not of the council's making, with the owners of the buildings allowing their condition to deteriorate over many years and then failing to take the necessary steps to address the resultant structural issues.
“By stepping in and carrying out this work itself, the council will be able to arrest the deterioration of important heritage assets on one of Leeds’s oldest streets. As always, we thank the local community for their continued patience and support.”
Further details about the work, including when the street may be able to reopen, have not yet been confirmed.
Canadian rock legends Nickelback announce Leeds gig on huge world arena tour
Clementine Hall
Nickelback announce world arena tour in support of their new album - and they're coming to Leeds.
The Canadian rockers will be bringing their biggest hits as well brand-new music to arenas around the world.
Formed in Hanna, Alberta, the band made up of Chad Kroeger, Ryan Peake, Mike Kroeger and Daniel Adair, have sold nearly 65 million albums worldwide.
Best known for rock anthems including Rockstar, Photograph and How You Remind Me, Nickelback have built up a huge global following over the course of their career.
The upcoming tour will see the band celebrate their new album, Everything Under The Sun, and they'll be kicking off the UK leg of the tour right here in Leeds at the First Direct Bank Arena.
The tour follows their record-setting Get Rollin' world tour, and will once again take them to venues across North America, Europe, and Australia.
The group have sold nearly 65 million albums worldwide, and achieved billions of streams across digital platforms.
Their new album will be released at the end of the month on Friday 30 October, so you'll have plenty of time to get to know their new tracks before they come to Leeds on Saturday 22 May 2027.
They'll be supported on the tour by Don Broco, an English four-piece featuring Rob Damiani, Simon Delaney, Tom Doyle and Matt Donnelly. Known for their genre-defying sound and dynamic approach to modern rock.
Nickelback 2027 UK Tour Dates in full
22 May - Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
24 May - London The O2
28 May - Birmingham Utility Arena
1 June - Glasgow Ovo Hydro
2 June - Manchester Co-op Live
Tickets for Nickelback at the Leeds First Direct Arena go on sale next Friday 16 October and you can get yours HERE.
Sophie Smith -
8th February 2022 
