Rainbow Junktion is the middleman that intercepts food waste and turns ingredients into delicious, healthy meals for the community that would have otherwise been thrown away.
Hidden in Hyde Park is one of the most generous community schemes in Leeds. Aiming to reduce food waste and food poverty, Rainbow Junktion offers a delicious range of fresh produce and warm meals on a pay-as-you-feel basis.
With a prestigious five stars glowing on their TripAdvisor, Rainbow Junktion are a firm favourite with Hyde Park residents and it's their ongoing events and hospitable staff that keep the pop-up restaurant alive and fresh.
"A hidden Hyde Park gem. This is the most wholesome foods and atmosphere. The staff and volunteers are happy to attend to your needs and you can bring your own wine."
The way it works is the non-profit intercept food that's about to be wasted and saves it from going in the bin. Their hashtag '#FeedBelliesNotBins' emphasises their belief that food is not distributed equally and this is a real cause of food poverty in the UK.
The menu at Rainbow Junktion changes daily based on the ingredients saved from being wasted. / Image: Rainbow Junktion, TripAdvisor
The popular community cafe state that: "Some people calculate that we produce 150% of our food requirements globally.
By intercepting waste and using it to feed people on a Pay As You Feel basis we aim to reduce food poverty without taking away people’s pride".
So to bring Leeds together in a non-judgemental space, the volunteer-led team create delicious healthy meals available to purchase on a pay-as-you-feel basis. By using intercepted ingredients, the cafe has a sustainable business model that helps people and the planet with respective interest.
This avoids any discriminations and brings the community together without the feeling of 'us' and 'them'. Located at All Hallows' Church every Monday and Thursday, a three or four course menu is devised based on the donations given each week.
The 'Food for Thought' event in 2019 was designed to bring Hyde Park residents together at the Rainbow Junktion. / Image: Rainbow Junktion, TripAdvisor
The team are conscious to appeal to all taste buds and cater to all dietary needs, so the menu is made up of predominantly vegan and vegetarian dishes.
Rainbow Junktion also ensure that every Friday they provide users with affordable zero waste food for the weekend. Their foodshare project also runs from All Hallows Church, as well as plenty of one-off community events.
The glowing TripAdvisor reviews suggest that the cafe truly has something for everyone:
"I've been coming here for over a year now, and the food is amazing. every day they are open there is a different menu, so you never get bored.
The volunteers are lovely and so kind and welcoming It truly is an amazing place, and there's lots of event that happen here too, like trapeze lessons and Late night dinners on some fridays."
All meals are prepared and served by volunteers. / Image: Rainbow Junktion, TripAdvisor
To get your pay-as-you-feel foodie fix, head over to All Hallows Church in Hyde Park on a Monday or Thursday before 3pm and receive your three course meal.
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.”
The Swine That Dines announces the official opening date of its brand new restaurant
Clementine Hall
Much-loved Leeds Bistro The Swine Bistro, formerly known as The Swine That Dines, has moved to a bigger space in Headingley.
Although it’s gone through a few name changes over the years since launching as The Greedy Pig cafe in 2012, this independent spot has long been a firm favourite for Leeds locals for some time now.
Run by chef couple Jo and Stu Myers, they’ve been operating out of North Street where it’s all about cooking seasonal produce simply and with an added ‘little bit of sunshine’.
But now Swine Bistro has moved up over to Headingley, taking up a unit previously occupied by Jam hairdressers on Otley Road.
Image: Supplied
And the time has finally come for them to open their doors, as they announce their first service will take place on Friday 4 April with bookings open from today, Thursday 20 March.
The Myers will be welcoming head chef Kirsty Cheetham, who won Observer Food Monthly’s Best Sunday Lunch award in 2018 and 2022 when she ran The Queen o’t owd Thatch in South Milford, Leeds.
The expanded space in the restaurant has allowed the team to curate a bigger wine list which will include natural wines from Wayward Wines and Latitude Wines as well as local beers from Ilkley Brewery and Horsforth Brewery.
Image: Supplied
The team remains passionate about locally sourced ingredients and has partnered with a variety of Yorkshire suppliers including R&J Yorkshire for its fresh meat, Tarbetts fishmonger, cheese from George & Joseph cheesemongers and beans from micro roaster, Chipp Coffee Co.
Jo Myers, co-owner of the Swine Bistro said: “It’s taken a huge amount of time and effort to realise our dream to revamp what was previously a hairdresser into a fully functioning kitchen and restaurant. It’s been a wild ride but we’re excited, and slightly nervous, to finally open our doors.
“We love the vibe in Headingley and the time out has allowed us to have fun with our menu as well as take part in lots of essential taste testing of ingredients and drinks from our brilliant local suppliers. We can’t wait to welcome guests into our new restaurant!”
Sophie Smith -
19th November 2021 
