Tucked away inside Kirkgate market is an old school market stall diner selling giant Yorkshire puddings filled with gravy and stew.
The ultimate winter warmer on a wet, miserable day, it's a discovery we just had to share - and it's reasonably priced, too, with the sausage and gravy pudding coming in at just £3.25.
A proper old school cafe, you'll find it on the original M&S side - tucked in amongst tea shops, baklava stalls, plant stands, and more.
As you wander through a maze of different stalls, look out for its blue and white checked flooring, blue pillars and 'Cafe express' sign, decorated with small illustrations of a knife, fork, and spoon.
Cerulean stools flank the outside of the stall, whilst inside, as well as finding room for the kitchen, there's more table seating and a counter to order from.
We went for the sausage and onion gravy option, which was robust and flavourful. No sieving needed, the gravy was thick and hearty and the sausages were made from good-quality meat with a slightly herby edge.
You can sit down and eat here, but beware they don't allow your friends to join if they've ordered from elsewhere - something to do with the limited amount of seating.
If you do bag a seat, though, it's an incredibly cute spot to people watch as your dig into some ultimate Yorkshire comfort food, surrounded by builders, pensioners, and anyone else who appreciates a good scran and a generously priced menu.
For veggies, there's an option to enjoy without meat - replacing the sausages with potatoes. Or, alternatively, you can opt for homemade beef stew with a dumpling (£5.50) or just go for gravy and Yorkshire puddings on their own.
All classic combinations, we're sure you'll agree.
As for other dishes available here, think big English fry ups, toasties with chips and a big mug of tea or coffee for under a fiver, burgers, wraps, sandwiches, and more.
There's also an afternoon offer here available from 2 pm daily where you can get a large mug of tea or coffee with any of their cakes or pastries for just £3.45. It's top comfort food scran for a very reasonable price, we think you'll agree.
Find Cafe Express it inside Kirkgate Market.
Leeds
No Greek Tragedy, just indie bangers – The Wombats set Leeds’ First Direct Arena alight
The Wombats aren’t just still going strong - they’re getting better. And honestly? Long may they reign.
The Wombats absolutely tore the roof off the First Direct Arena in Leeds last night, Wednesday 26 March and what a night it was.
From the second they hit the stage it wasn’t just a gig, it was a full-blown indie-pop spectacle, packed with infectious energy, nostalgia, and a whole lot of dancing.
They kicked things off with “Moving to New York,” and honestly? The crowd was in from the first note.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Matthew Murphy’s unmistakable vocals rang through the arena and suddenly, thousands of people were screaming every lyric like it was 2007 all over again. It was one of those moments where you could just feel how much this band still means to people.
Despite the massive venue, The Wombats somehow made it feel intimate. The lights? Pure chaos in the best way - vibrant, colourful, and totally in sync with the band’s wild, bouncy sound.
Murphy’s cheeky banter between songs made it feel less like a polished arena show and more like a jam session with a few thousand of your closest mates.
Setlist-wise, they nailed it. “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” and “Greek Tragedy” had the whole place losing it, while the stripped-down version of “Techno Fan” gave everyone a minute to breathe (and maybe get a little emotional).
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Those quieter moments just made the high-energy choruses hit even harder. It was a rollercoaster - in the best way possible.
Then came the encore. If you thought the crowd was loud before, “Kill the Director” took things to another level. Pure, chaotic indie bliss. The kind of moment you don’t want to end.
Here’s the thing about The Wombats: some might say their older songs hit harder than their newer stuff, but is that just nostalgia talking? Or maybe it’s a generational thing?
Either way, they proved they’re still one of the most exciting live bands out there. They’ve still got the hooks, the humour, and the ability to turn a massive arena into a sweaty, euphoric singalong.
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
Danny Jones
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Georgina Pellant -
1st November 2021 
