Leeds

This Thai restaurant in Leeds is bringing back its 2002 menu for its 20th anniversary

To celebrate two decades of trading, Sukhothai is reminiscing on their original 2002 menu and bringing back their first ever specials.

Sophie Smith Sophie Smith - 7th April 2022

It's been 20 years since much-loved Thai restaurant Sukhothai opened its doors for the very first time.

To celebrate their milestone anniversary, the restaurant is throwing it back to 2002 and bringing back their original menu to celebrate.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets had just come out, Majestyk and Townhouse were the places to hang out at night and by day, shoppers stormed the Corn Exchange is search of edge one-off designs: 2002 really does feel like a lifetime ago.

There weren't many Thai restaurants around then either, the UK was yet to be introduced to the irresistible flavours of peanut pad thai or the delicious curries and spices.

Image: Sukhothai

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There were very few Thai restaurants in the UK at that time, never mind Leeds, but one woman seized the opportunity to fill the gap and hasn’t looked back since.

Ban Kaewkraikhot opened her very first Sukhothai restaurant (named after the small-town north of Bangkok where she was raised) in Chapel Allerton in April 2002, bringing with her a lifetime passion for Thai cuisine which began at an early age with her mother’s cooking in rural Thailand. 

In total, there's now three Sukhothai's across the country and the owners have since gone on to open an impressive six restaurants of their causal-dining brand Zaap Thai. Not to mention Ban and her dedicated team have won countless awards and survived a global pandemic- it’s been quite the journey.

Now, to celebrate two decades of trading, Sukhothai is reminiscing on their original 2002 menu and bringing back their first ever specials.

Lamb Shank Massamam. / Image: PGHL

Dishes making a comeback include the Gae Kiew Wan Gata Lon, succulent lamb stir-fried with green curry paste, sweet basil, lime leaves, green beans and chilli, served on a sizzling hot plate. The Som Tum Supparod Pla Tod consists of crispy haddock served with a spicy Som Tum salad and fruity pineapple. 

Dishes making a comeback include the Gae Kiew Wan Gata Lon, succulent lamb stir-fried with green curry paste, sweet basil, lime leaves, green beans and chilli, served on a sizzling hot plate. The Som Tum Supparod Pla Tod consists of crispy haddock served with a spicy Som Tum salad and fruity pineapple. 

Diners will be able to pair these nostalgic dishes with the current specials on the modern day menu for a true time-travelling experience through the senses.

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Image: Sukhothai

Speaking of the forthcoming birthday, Ban said:

‘’Leeds has been my home for over 20 years now, and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved at Sukhothai since our humble beginnings back in 2002. Leeds is a fantastic city, full of warm and welcoming people, and one of the most diverse food scenes you’ll find in the world.’’

‘’I’m also lucky enough to call so many customers and team members my friends. I’ve been part of countless engagements, birthdays, graduations and seen children grow up into young adults.’’

‘’I’m eternally grateful to everyone that has supported me over the years and can’t wait to see our most loyal and longstanding customers enjoy our special birthday menu. Removing some of these classic specials from our menu wasn’t always an easy decision, but we always aim to evolve at Sukhothai, and our customers appreciate this.’’

Image: PGHL

‘’The Seafood Platter, in particular, will be welcomed back with open arms, I’ve had so many customers ask when it’s coming back. I look forward to seeing you all, to raise a glass to 20 years. Here’s to the next 20!’’

The menu will be available for 20 days from Tuesday 26 April - Sunday 15 May 2022.

Feature Image- PGHL

Leeds

Here’s how you can get FREE Tony’s Chocolonely and Yorkshire Tea in Leeds next week

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

In honour of National Chocolate Week, two big brands are joining forces.

Fancy a freebie? Silly question, of course you do.

Tony’s Chocolonely and Yorkshire Tea have joined forces for National Chocolate Week to ask Brits to declare themselves a ‘Melt’...yes, really.

It comes after the brands discovering a new Gen Z dunking trend, with research finding that 80% of 18–24-year-olds say chocolate is their preferred tea-dunking treat.

To understand why the perculiar pairing has become so popular, the brands recruited Associate Professor of Psychobiology, Dr Lorenzo Stafford, to investigate what happens when tea and chocolate come together.

Associate Professor, Dr Lorenzo Stafford said: "It's fascinating to see how much thought Brits put into what makes a great dunk. Flavour, texture and temperature all shape how we experience food, and the combination of hot tea with melting chocolate creates a particularly enjoyable sensory experience.

"When it comes to dunking, tea and chocolate have great chemistry so it’s no surprise young people have embraced it."

If you want to try it out for yourself, then you can for free - but there is one catch.

From Monday 19 to Friday 23 October, anyone who walks into one of Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds and says ‘I'm a Melt’ will get a free mug of Yorkshire Tea and bar of Tony's Chocolonely.

Not only that, but the first 100 customers will also get a limited-edition ‘Melt’ cap.

Yorkshire Tea & Tony’s Chocolonely said of the partnership, “Brits love their tea and their chocolate and now the science shows why. This National Chocolate Week, we’re inviting everyone to give it a go, embrace their inner Melt and discover just how well chunky chocolate and a proper brew can work together.”

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Featured image - Supplied

Leeds

Leeds Bradford Airport strikes will NOT go ahead following ‘late offer’ over pay

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

This weekend's strikes at Leeds Bradford Airport have been cancelled.

Around 130 workers were set to walk out this weekend, Unite said, but this has been suspended to allow air traffic controllers to consider a new pay offer.

The Unite members planning on to go on strike were a mixture of air traffic control workers, customer experience staff, security staff and cleaners.

The workers involved in the dispute had recently come out of a four-year pay deal, with some of the departments having fallen behind other airports in equivalent roles.

Pay talks have been happening since December 2025, with the airport's formal offer not going far enough to address the lack of pay parity which led to the decision to strike.

However, as of yesterday 15 October, the workers have been given new pay offers from the airport and the strikes will not take place to allow a ballot on the offers.

Air traffic controllers and hourly paid staff are being balloted separately on their respective offers.

Unite regional officer Neil Whitaker said: "After receiving offers from Leeds Bradford Airport, we have suspended this week’s strike action in good faith to allow members to vote on pay deals.”

In a statement, Leeds Bradford Airport said: "While the ballot process continues with certain members of our frontline colleagues, we remain hopeful that a positive outcome can be achieved and that an agreement can be reached which works for everyone involved.

"Regardless of the outcome of this ballot, LBA has a robust contingency plan in place and will be operating as normal this weekend.

"Our focus remains on supporting a smooth and reliable experience for customers while maintaining safe and efficient airport operations."

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Featured image - The Hoot Leeds

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