Yorkshire Tea has collaborated with an award-winning kombucha brand to launch its very own take on the fermented drink.
Kombucha is a fermented drink made from tea, sugar, and a bacterial culture called a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast).
Less than a decade ago, most people weren’t really that familiar with the phenomenon but today, a walk around any local supermarket or health food store sees shelves stacked full of the fizzy beverage.
While kombucha may only have recently made its way onto the popular drinks market, it’s actually been around for nearly 2,000 years.
It was first brewed in China and then spread to Japan and Russia, before becoming popular in some European countries in the early 20th century, and then seeing sales in the UK and the US skyrocket from late 2000s onwards due to its reputation as a wellness drink.
Kombucha is often mixed with natural sugars and spices to create countless different flavours, with many people praising it for its health benefits.
Given that kombucha could be considered one of the next big things on the UK drinks scene, Yorkshire Tea has decided to join forces with award-winning kombucha brand, HOLOS Komucha, to launch its very-own take on the fermented drink.
Coming in two different flavours, ‘Yorkshire Tea Kombucha’ is described as being a tangy and lightly-sparkling chilled drink with a gentle fermented kick.
HOLOS has used its traditional small-batch brewing methods and all-natural ingredients within the process to create the two limited-edition drinks – with the ‘Original’ flavour said to highlight the “depth, complexity, and orange notes” of the classic tea beverage known and loved by millions of Brits nationwide, and the ‘Ginger’ flavour delivering “extra warmth and spice”.
“Being passionate about a proper brew also means caring deeply about its long-term future and innovation in tea is central to this,” explained Ben Newbury – Head of Marketing at Yorkshire Tea.
Image: Unsplash
“We asked HOLOS to help us create something unique because they make some of the best kombucha around and because they share our values when it comes to trading responsibly, so we’re delighted with the resulting brew.
“We hope it goes down well with consumers looking for something new and different and with Yorkshire Tea fans alike.”
Despite looking set to be a popular addition to the market – or at least a talked-about addition, if nothing else – Yorkshire Tea Kombucha is only in the trial phase at this moment in time, and you won’t actually be able to get your hands on it from shops and supermarkets anytime soon.
Both flavours will only be available to try at the London Coffee Festival on Thursday 20 – Saturday 23 April.
Other locations are “soon to be announced”, according to Yorkshire Tea and HOLOS.
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!”
Emily Sergeant -
18th April 2023 
