Looking to escape the hustle and bustle of Leeds City Centreand take on the role of your beer-loving dreams?
We might have just found the ultimate day trip for any Leeds beer-lover on the hunt for their new favourite spot out of town- and with every dream daytrip, comes a dream job for those that work there (but more about that later).
Whilst the task of getting a table in the city centre on a Saturday afternoon may be considered almost an Olympic sport, we understand that having a delicious pint in a venue with amazing atmosphere might be something that you crave.
Leeds is blessed with a huge array of amazing venues, but sometimes it’s nice to take a short train to a town or village nearby. Imagine a place 20 minutes train ride outside of Leeds, filled with an amazing craft beer selection, cocktails ‘on tap’ and just about something for everyone.
Imagine a Grade II listed Tramshed, filled with the best craft beer Saltaire has to offer, complete with a huge brewery at the rear of the building where you’ll find the ultimate craft beer experience.
SALT Beer Factory is the home of one of the UK’s fastest growing craft beer brands, and you’ll certainly find a large selection of their brews on tap at any time. Hidden away in the UNESCO heritage village of Saltaire, SALT Beer Factory is on a mission to unify heritage and modern brewing with a difference.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Find out more about the brewery and its heritage from friendly bar staff who are more than willing to give you more information. The brewery taproom is complete with a dramatic yet pristine backdrop, and you’ll be surrounded by fermenter tanks where the beer you are sipping on once was. Grab a seat in the heart of the action during its opening hours – Friday – Sunday, and enjoy an intimate and one-of-a-kind drinking experience.
There's also ample opportunity to visit SALT Bar & Kitchen every single day of the week for a taste of real ales and SALT beers. There’s certainly something for everyone available, with high strength speciality beers and low strength sessionable ales available all week long.
So whether you’re looking for a weekday or weekend visit, SALT have fantastic food and craft beer available all week long. Along with a Shuffleboard table which is available in the Taproom all week and SALT even host their very own live music events, with bands playing once a month and DJ’s every Friday and Saturday.
Sample their brand-new selection of 'on tap' cocktails, each poured from a draught line or taste artisan wines at the bartender's recommendation.
How could we forget about food? Both SALT Bar & Kitchen and SALT Taproom offer a huge menu, with freshly prepared food to your liking. So whether you’re in the mood for wood fired pizzas, or looking to just get a light snack, the menu is complete with a huge array of delicious treats – whatever your budget or portion size.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
So where does the dream job fit in? If this sounds like the sort of place you want to spend your days: strolling amongst the hops and testing out SALT Beer Factory's finest, you could become one of their expert members of staff.
If you know your craft beers from your IPAs or just fancy talking about beer all day, SALT is looking for those that know a thing or two about brewing to join their Brewery Tour team.
The staff here are knowledgeable, but make the whole experience exciting and relatable and exciting, so you need to be able to give those visiting an informal but informative insight to the beer factory business, so that they can leave with plenty of fun facts.
We really can’t think of a better dream job to swap our 9-5s for.
Those interested in a position with SALT Beer Factory should contact the business themselves to find out more information.
Feature Image- The Hoot Leeds
Leeds
Kesha pulls out of Roundhay Festival as all-new Pitbull line-up revealed
American pop singer Kesha has dropped out of the Pitbull-fronted Roundhay Festival line-up, with a major shake-up announced today.
The second instalment of artists for Pitbull's headline Roundhay Festival show has been announced and it's missing highly-anticipated and originally-announced artist Kesha.
Festival organisers have said that the star will no longer be able to perform due to 'unforeseen scheduling conflicts'.
The American singer's musical adventure has taken a 'Joyride' since becoming independent in September 2024 and releasing her sixth studio album "." or Period almost a year ago.
Now, Kesha's title as 'Special Guest' has now been handed over to three very impressive artists who also shared a role in soundtracking some of the 2010s biggest hits.
Kesha was originally listed as a 'Special Guest' for Pitbull's Roundhay Festival gig in Leeds this July / Credit: Brendan Walters / Press Shots
One of these new artists is Jason Derulo, who is ready to treat the crowd to his array of chart-topping melodies like: 'Whatcha Say', 'Talk Dirty to Me', 'Trumpets'.
Another act who knows a thing or two about travelling the globe like Mr. Worldwide is 'Miami 2 Ibiza' hitmaker Tinie Tempah - things are definitely about to get 'Frisky'.
The final artist joining this already impressive list of names is Lil Jon who's bringing his high energy tracks to Roundhay Park such as 'Turn Down For What', 'Shots' and 'Get Low'.
Jason Derulo is just one of the artists making up the all-new Pitbull Roundhay Festival line-up / Credit: Wikimedia Commons (via Supplied)
Kesha's departure from this Leeds gig comes as a complete shock as the star is still set to play a whole host of UK festival dates including a BST Hyde Park show in London on 10 July.
In a statement shared via social media, Roundhay Festival has stated the reason for this very big change to the line-up:
"Due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts, Kesha will no longer be joining us this July. We hope to welcome her to Roundhay Park in the future."
Although fans who have already bought tickets to the show might still be 'Praying' for Kesha's return to the Roundhay Festival bill, it's safe to say these artists are a great addition.
Pitbull is coming to Roundhay Park in Leeds on Friday 3 July 2026 and so far he's bringing along Jason Derulo, Tinie Tempah and Lil Jon with more acts to follow - Tickets HERE.
A Leeds icon has been reborn as The Smithfield opens in former The Reliance site
Daisy Jackson
The Smithfield is finally here - and we're pleased to report that it's every bit as special as you were hoping.
This newcomer to Leeds has taken over the site that was home to The Reliance for more than two decades.
The team's transformation of the site started with a paint job - probably the most-talked-about paint job in the city - taking the site's exterior back to its memorable dark red.
That move immediately won over fans of The Reliance, with one person writing: "Seems the team here held the Relly in high regard and rightly so! Hopefully they can recapture some of its magic."
But the efforts to recapture the essence of the iconic old venue go way beyond that.
The Smithfield, a collaboration between Crooked Brewing and Chef James Donovan, is setting out to mix up relaxed hospitality with simple dining.
It's all about connection - to seasonal food, to the heritage of the building, and to the community that will make connections here.
Co-founder Steve Dawson outside The SmithfieldThe Reliance has been reborn as The SmithfieldWayward WinesThe dining room
If you're wondering what sort of things will be on the table, allow us to enlighten you.
There are sharing plates like grilled leeks on romesco, pigs head croquettes (a must-order), and whipped cods roe with radishes, all served on charming mismatched plates.
The bigger dishes include a comically massive pie for sharing, packed with chicken, leek, and tarragon. It's a mighty thing, especially paired with their crispy-edged chips.
You can also order a whole wild Cornish seabass for a real feast, or a fantastic beef sirloin with wild garlic butter.
There's a fantastic selection of natural wines from Wayward Wines, as well as (unsurprisingly) great beers.
Steak, pie, and charred leeksA spread of the plates at The SmithfieldSticky toffee puddingThe Smithfield has taken over the old The ReliancePigs head croquettes with gribicheThe chicken and tarragon sharing pieA sharing pie and chips at The SmithfieldBeef sirloin with wild garlic butter, and purple sprouting broccoli with ricotta and mintWild Cornish seabass with kohlrabi, fennel, and chervil - plus an orange wine from Wayward WinesThe Smithfield is now open
Steve Dawson, co-founder of Crooked Brewing, and his business partner chef James Donovan, were drawn to the old The Reliance site and are seizing the opportunity to contribute to the area's dining legacy.
While Steve's focus is on creating a social meeting point, James will focus on the casual, social dining, taking inspiration from the building's reputation as a cutting-edge gastro pub.
They'll be sourcing seasonally and locally, with menus that will change with the seasons.
The space itself inside is still familiar - those huge windows are the stars of the show, with the bar still standing centrally, while the dining room at the back is stripped-back and simple overlooking the open kitchen.
It's very early days for The Smithfield - they're just out of their soft launch period and gearing up for their first 'proper' weekend.
On their soft launch period, they wrote: "We were so grateful to welcome friends, neighbours, and the Leeds hospitality community to The Smithfield. Seeing the bar and dining room full after weeks of cleaning, painting, and graft has truly made it all worth it.
"A huge thank you to everyone who came along, showed their support, and has made this journey possible. Not least the Kitchen and bar teams, whose incredible service has kept the plates coming and the drinks flowing."
We feel pretty confident in saying Leeds will be very proud to have The Smithfield in our city.
Sophie Smith -
31st May 2022 
