Get a meal served by Yorskhire's top chefs whilst raising money for an important cause in the new year.
If you're a charitable sort, or want to make your new year's resolution to eat some of the best food around, you're in luck.
Grab a seat at the West Park Hotel in Harrogate, splash out on the £100, because a whopping 75% of the ticket will be donated to charity, and the menu has been hand-crafted by some of Yorkshire's top chefs.
Image: West Park Hotel
To bring in the new year and raise money for Hospitality Action, a national charity supporting workers in the face of adversity, the West Park Hotel in Harrogate will play host to a charity dinner prepared by some of our county's finest chefs.
Kicking off proceedings is Head Chef at two rosette Shibden Mill Inn, Will Webster, who will be whetting people’s appetites with his delicious starter.
The main course will come from Provenance Inn’s very own Group Executive Chef, Jason Wardill, followed by a pre-desert from Steph Moon, a top chef that uses local produce to receive many accolades, making her dish one of the most highly-anticipated course of the evening.
The meal will be rounded off with a dessert from Masterchef semi-finalist and award-winning Chef Patron of Vice and Virtue, Jono Hawthorne.
Speaking about the event, Head of Marketing at Provenance Inns, Tom Patrick, says: “we are really excited for this event and for our very own Jason Wardill to showcase his talent whilst sharing the kitchen with fantastic local chefs!
Jason has created some fantastic menus here at Provenance over the last couple of years, using local produce mixed with his first hand experience of flavours from around the world And I’m excited to see what he will create for this special event!”
If that's not enough, there will also be a charity auction to raise additional funds for West Park Hotel’s chosen charity. Prizes include an overnight stay at The Carpenters Arms in Felixkirk, with a private tour of the Gardens at Mount St John where the hotel grows all of its own produce.
Get ready to take the plunge Leeds, as a community-led sauna and ice bath concept is on its way.
Hidden behind a railway arch in Saxton Gardens, Kontrast is gearing up to bring its popular sauna and ice bath concept to the city.
Following the huge success of its Manchester site, Kontrast Leeds will combine saunas, ice baths and a cafe designed to bring wellness into everyday life.
The Leeds space will feature two traditional saunas, one infrared saunas and four ice baths each varying in temperature between 3 and 13 degrees.
Images: Supplied
Plunge pools can be enjoyed solo or shared, depending on what guests choose, giving people the opportunity to shape each session around exactly what they need that day.
To suit different moods and preferences, Kontrast Leeds will include both a social sauna and a silent sauna, giving guests the option to come for conversation or reflection.
Single sessions will cost just £12 for 45 minutes, with 90-minute sessions from £20.
Image: Supplied
Known for making sauna and ice feel more accessible, welcoming and community-driven, Kontrast has grown beyond regular sessions to become a base for recurring events. These include their live ambient DJ set event, Unwind, which celebrates local talent, and their weekly run club, both of which the team hopes to bring to Leeds as part of building a similar sense of community in the city.
The Leeds site builds on everything the team has learned from Kontrast in Manchester.
Alongside the core sauna, Ice, cafe offering, the new site will include improved facilities, more spacious sauna provision and additional ice baths meaning more room for people to get involved.
Leeds city centre crowned one of the best places to live in the north by The Sunday Times
Clementine Hall
Today, Leeds city centre earned itself a coveted spot in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.
What brilliant news to end the week on, hey?
Leeds city centre was amongst eight other locations across the north and the north east to be featured on the list.
The market town of Skipton took home the dazzling first prize, but it's still nice to be included isn't it.
Here's what the judges had to say about Leeds city centre: “Leeds has five universities, the fourth largest urban economy in the UK (with job opportunities in finance, insurance and big business), a youthful vibe and a relatively affordable average house price (£285,100).
Image: Unsplash
“Stay close to the centre, where you won’t have to worry about the patchy public transport, and it all adds up to a fun-filled, fulfilled life within walking distance of stylish shops, cafés, bars and restaurants. There’s a good choice of riverside homes, where you may spot kingfishers and otters, and even the schools are good.”
In total, 72 places across the UK were selected by The Sunday Times to showcase the very best of Britain, with Norwich named the overall national winner.
The full list of locations in the north and northeast include:
Skipton
Howardian Hills, North Yorkshire
Leeds city centre
Morpeth, Northumberland
Newcastle: Gosforth
Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire
Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire
York
Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, said: “This guide is a great opportunity to highlight the best places in Britain.
“It is full of places that show that our village, town and city centres can still be full of life, as well as places bursting with natural beauty, culture, connectivity and most importantly a sense of community.
“Our expert team of judges visit every location on the list and talk to the locals to find out what they love about the place they live."
Sophie Smith -
9th December 2021 
