It's been quite a year for Leeds restaurants, so why not give them one last cheer by sampling the best festive dish around.
Loaded fries are the ultimate sharing dish. Whether you like barbecue, gravy or cheesy varieties, there's always something for everyone on the plate to enjoy. With Christmas only around the corner, this is your last chance to try out the festive version of these tasty treats.
We've rounded up our favourites to try out in December, but the non-festive versions of these loaded fries also come highly recommended, so save this list for year-round cheese pulls and gooey toppings.
The loaded fries are available as vegan or meat versions and packed with all the festive trimmings. There’s a super scoop of fries in every dish, topped with vegan cranberry Wensleydale and Pigs in Blankets rain, made from This Isn’t Bacon and This Isn’t Cocktail Sausages. The fries are then topped with vegan paxo mayo, cranberry mostarda, root veg crisps and fresh parsley.
25p from every Christmas menu item sold goes towards the Kids In Blankets campaign, helping to buy beds for vulnerable children, so when you buy fries for yourself, you’re helping someone in need too.
The owner of Kerbside Kids described this dish as "A phat f**king tray of pure festive filth”, and we couldn't agree more. There's a huge tray of roast chicken crinkle cut fries and fried chicken, topped with roast chicken gravy, thick cranberry hot sauce, crispy shredded sprouts and chopped smokey bacon- it really doesn't get more festive than that. To get your entire Christmas dinner on your loaded fries, you'll have to head over to North Brew Co. Springwell Brewery before the end of the month.
Fat Hippo have kept the menu short and simple this year. Your festive fries are a combination of dirty cheese with gravy: rather like a poutine. The simple combination leaves enough space in the dish for the gravy to drip through gaps in the fries and create a gooey cheese pull that tastes like a Sunday roast- we didn't think that was possible either. Pair these with a Hans Gruber-ger and you're on to a winner. It's a beef patty and a pork stuffing patty with American cheese, maple-based Southern fried turkey, cranberry jello and Christmas slaw.
If your loaded fries can be vegan, yet taste as good as their meaty counterparts then surely these are the perfect fries for everyone to share? Punk Vegan is leading the plant revolution, one chip at a time and their vegan loaded fries are proving you don't have to do without on a plant-based diet. All their chips are twice cooked and covered in quaso cheese, as well as the festive toppings like stuffing, cranberry and more.
Brewery giant Brewdog is serving a special Blitzen Burger as part of a monster meal in a burger that features all your Christmas favourites, and all the trimmings. Whilst the fries may come plain, there's no reason we can't encourage a DIY loaded fries option, simply get your festive 'Hoppy Meal' and add your chips to the burger. You also get a can of their famed Hoppy Xmas beer to wash it all down with and a Christmas cracker.
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 -
20th December 2021 
