Beloved chefs from Slap and Pickle will be leaving their residency at The Fleece in Horsforth at the end of the year.
The news came earlier this week after the chefs thanked the pub for their hospitality, before announcing that the ongoing success of their flavoursome burgers and exciting menu have brought the brand new opportunities for 2022.
Originally, Slap and Pickle took over The Fleece last summer during lockdown, and served thousands of burgers to regulars and newcomers to the pub. Their residence has been of benefit to both parties: with many making the trip up to Horsforth to visit just one of the brands, but finding a soft spot for the other in the process.
Although nothing has been clearly announced yet, Slap and Pickle have revealed that they won't be leaving the area and Horsforth residents should still be able to get their Big Mick Fries fix every week if they wish to.
Orders can still be processed by delivery until the end of the year, but in 2022, there will be a new location to order from.
This image shared this photo online earlier this week. / Image: Slap and Pickle
The end of their residency was announced on Instagram earlier this week:
"All good things must come to an end! It’s with great sadness that we announce that we’ll be leaving the kitchen at @thefleecehorsforth at the end of 2021.
"Since we took over the pub’s kitchen last summer during lockdown, we’ve served tens of 1000s of Yorkshire’s finest burgers to the punters in-house as well as via a vast volume of collections and deliveries. The Fleece has put us firmly on the local food map, and we will be forever grateful for that.
The Fleece in Horsforth have worked with Slap and Pickle since lockdown. / Image: The Fleece Horsforth
"Sadly though, we’ve outgrown the pub’s kitchen - so we’re moving on to pastures new and *VERY LOCAL* in early January 2022. More on where and when soon ((eyes emoji)'s on that feed!), but for now, make sure you all pop in for a farewell feed this month, and keep those delivery orders coming.
"And don’t forget, sales of our Christmas specials support our #KidsInBlankets fundraiser: so when you raise a festive burger to our departure, you’re also helping raise money for @zarachleeds. That’s a win, win, win situation in our book!"
Grab some of their festive fries, or other Christmas treats before their residency ends. / Image: Slap and Pickles
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 -
10th December 2021 
