From pumpkin picking and family walks to wine tasting and exciting gigs, there's lots to get up to this week.
We're into the second half of October now (yep, how scary) and Autumn is well and truly in full effect.
Halloween is just around the corner so before it's too late, why not head to Horsforth and pick your own pumpkin so you can carve it to perfection and plonk it on your doorstep.
Or why not treat yourself to a special set menu at one of Leeds' best restaurants, or get your dancing shoes on and be there for S Club's reunion tour at the First Direct Arena.
Whatever you fancy, there's an event for everyone almost every day of the week. Go on, have a read...you know you want to.
Horsforth Pick Your Own Pumpkins
Monday 16 – Sunday 22 October 2023
Image: Kemps Farm
There’s far more than just grabbing your pumpkin for spooky season here. There’s 18 different varieties to choose from so grab your favourite white, blue, orange, green, warty big or small one and take a tractor ride through the picking fields. If that’s not enough, there’s plenty of photo ops here, an onsite cafe and even facepainters to bring your spookiest ideas to life
Monday 16 – Friday 20 October 2023 | Various locations
Image: National Trust
The National Trust is giving families the chance to visit its dozens of sites across England for free of charge this autumn.
When booking, you’ll need to select the free member’s ticket option and use the code ESCAPEINTOAUTUMN2023 when asked for your membership number, but it’s worth nothing that some National Trust places are exempt from this offer, so it’s advised that you check before planning your visit.
Tuesday 17 October 2023 | Restaurant Bar and Grill
Image: The Hoot Leeds
‘An Evening with Cloudy Bay’ comes to Restaurant Bar & Grill Leeds to offers guests the chance to experience a tasting menu paired with wine tastings hosted by the professional sommeliers at Cloudy Bay. Release your inner wine enthusiast, unlock all your senses and indulge yourself in this memorable wine tasting experience.
Pop icons S Club will kick be bringing their 25th anniversary reunion tour to Leeds this week. S Club are best-known for chart-topping pop songs like Reach, Bring It All Back, Never Had a Dream Come True, Don’t Stop Movin’ and Have You Ever.
Earlier this week, The Tetley announced that its current lease has come to an end, and as a result will be closing its doors later this month. The exhibition space, Tiny Tetley play area and T Bar and Cafe will both close from Sunday 22 October, so make sure to get in beforehand for one last visit.
‘Sake Sensations’ is a brand new, unique collaborative menu between Akashi-Tai and The Ivy Asia.If you’re a fan of the Japanese rice wine Sake, then this elegant and refined pairing menu is the one for you.
An exciting new collaboration between The Ivy Asia and Akashi Tai, the UK’s leading sake brand, the menu will showcase the best flavours from the continent paired perfectly with a range of sakes.
This menu is available until Sunday 5 November 2023. The experience costs £85 per persona and you can book your table here.
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.”
Clementine Hall -
13th October 2023 
