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North Brewing Co. left ‘devastated’ and £25,000 short after ticketing platform is under moratorium weeks before festival
At a time when our industry is under enormous pressure due to the cost increases on Co2, utilities, distribution and raw materials this was terrible news for us to receive today."
This has had an overwhelming impact on the upcoming Springwell Sessions, but North Brew is determined to still deliver the event as planned.
With only two and a half weeks to go before North Brewing Co.'s flagship beer festival, The Springwell Sessions, the brewery has discovered that the ticket provider for the event, Event Genius of Festicket is under moratorium.
As a result, the ticket platform has had their bank accounts has been frozen, and left the Leeds' brewery over £25,000 short as no funds can be taken out of the accounts towards their future events, nor can ticket holders receive refund.
In just twelve hours, the company has managed to raise of £8,000, but is hoping to raise the full £25,000 before the festival at the end of the month.
In order to provide the much-anticipated festival, organisers have decided to set up a GoFundMe to cover costs, as well as ensuring that the company is still able to donate 10% of ticket sales to St George's Crypt, who were due to receive £2,000 from the ticket sales that can no longer be withdrawn.
North Brewing Co has been feeding Leeds since 2015 with some of the most exciting tipple in the city. / Image: North Brewing Co
The event itself is still set to be one of the most exciting ways to finish off summer in Leeds. From Friday 23 September to Sunday 25 September 2022, Springwell Sessions is bringing together 17 breweries from across the UK across three days of events, with independent wine shop, Bottle Chop, hosting a natural wine bar; No. 3 Gin shaking the cocktails, and street food will be provided by Little Bao Boy, Kerbside Kids, MorMor and Homeboy Pizza.
All set within a huge 21,000 square foot brewery in North Leeds, the site at Springwell produces 2.8 million pints of beer a year and is home to their flagship taproom, so Springwell Sessions will showcase exactly what you're tasting from the keg, as well as bringing together a list of independents and local breweries big and small to the event.
John Gyngell company founder said “At a time when our industry is under enormous pressure due to the cost increases on Co2, utilities, distribution and raw materials this was terrible news for us to receive today.
"Further to this we are disappointed to learn today that Festicket, who own Event Genius, continued to take payments from customers over the last 2 weeks despite filing for moratorium on 24th August.”
“To lose the ticket sales as a result of Event Genius collapsing has lost us in excess of £25,000. Regardless of this we are committed to running this festival. To help with this we have setup a GoFundMe page and we are reaching out to our friends, family and fellow brewers to support us given the lost revenue from the tickets.
"Already the conversations we have had with the brewers attending have been incredibly moving, and incredibly supportive. It is great to see everyone come together to help make this event a success.”
Springwell has been open since April 2021. / Image: Springwell
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“We built the brewery and taproom at Springwell during lockdowns, finally opening our doors to the public in April 2021. The Springwell Sessions is our first beer festival at the venue and an amazing opportunity to showcase the brewery, work with our friends in the industry and put on an incredible event for the city of Leeds.”
A new Souvlaki Corner is set to open in south Leeds.
If you're a Leeds local who loves food, then you'll have most likely heard and dined at Souvlaki Corner.
It's an absolute gem of a restaurant and takeaway, situated in Wortley selling fabulous authentic Greek food at a great price.
And now they're opening a new site in the nearby town of Morley which is going to be even bigger and better. Get in.
The new site will feature a bigger space with more seating, offering both dine-in and takeaway options, as well as a brand-new bar.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Now you're talking our language.
Souvlaki Corner told The Hoot: "We’re excited to confirm that Souvlaki Corner will be opening a new site in Morley, Leeds. Our targeted opening is in around four weeks, although we don’t have an exact opening date yet and will confirm this closer to the launch.
"One of the highlights of the new restaurant will be a traditional Greek spit where we will cook whole lamb in the proper Greek way. It will be cooked over charcoal to give the authentic Greek flavour that people would experience in Greece.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
"Our chefs are Greek, bringing authentic knowledge and experience from Greece. The interior design will also reflect the style of the Greek islands, so when people visit they will feel like they are stepping into a little part of Greece."
They continued: "Souvlaki Corner was created to bring authentic Greek street food to Leeds, focusing on freshly grilled souvlaki, gyros, and traditional flavours served quickly and affordably. Since launching our first location, the response from customers has been fantastic, and Morley felt like the natural next step as we continue to grow."
Neighbourhood Leeds bistro hailed as ‘a bit horny’ and ‘brilliant’ by national critic Camilla Long
Clementine Hall
Food critic Camilla Long visited Leeds for her latest review for The Times with her sights set on Horsforth's finest - Bavette Bistro.
Ever since opening back in 2024, Bavette Bistro nestled in the leafy suburb of Horsforth has made waves across the country for its sheer brilliance.
It's pretty much received five star reviews across the board and been handed awards from left, right and centre. And rightly so.
The Good Food Guide crowned Bavette the best local restaurant of 2024, and Michelin handed them a well deserved Bib Gourmand - so it's safe to say it's not just us who think it's really something special.
So it was only a matter of time until The Times popped in for a review, and this one is truly glowing.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The review labels Bavette as "warm, unmannered and unpretentious" as well as "authentically French".
Long describes the food as "gorgeous, confident, surprising" with a menu that "isn’t too long" and "filled with sturdy, noble dishes, whiffing mightily of the sea and the soil."
It continues: "All of it made with generosity and cheer, served fast by nimble waiters, with a long, if slightly eccentric, wine list. To bang out French dishes with this much fiddly detail and to do it to a full room is not easy. Yet all four courses came in under two hours, for about £75 a head, which in London terms is nothing.
"It’s not that this place was perfect, it’s that it was decidedly not perfect. A bit too much chat about the menus; the oeufs in the meurette not quite runny enough. But the point is: it didn’t matter. All of it came charmingly together. It felt relaxed, just right."
The review is then wrapped up with a pleasing five stars, the cherry on top of the cake.
It's a review only restaurants can dream of, and we can't think of a more deserving team - congratulations Bavette.
Sophie Smith -
8th September 2022 
