Beer lovers rejoice, because Kirkstall Brewery has announced the triumphant return of 'The Great Exhibition of Grand Ales'.
The heritage-themed beer festival is set to see breweries from across the country compete to win medals in ten categories of historic beer styles.
After last year's huge success, the festival will now run over the course of three days instead of just one.
Held at Kirkstall Brewery itself, the festival will be held across May Bank Holiday Weekend from Friday 3 - Sunday 5 May 2024.
Image: Supplied
Each ticket grants entry to your chosen session, as well as a unique, commemorative glass, programme and first beer token.
Grab an early bird ticket now for the price of just £15 from now until 1 March.
Already confirmed to be pouring pints are local breweries Northern Monk, North and overall champion medal winners Amity Brew Co.
Breweries from further afield, such as London’s The Five Points, Scotland’s Newbarns Brewery and Reading’s Siren Craft Brew will also be in attendance.
Image: Supplied
And it's not just beer, you'll be able to enjoy live music throughout the weekend as well as street food from local favourite Manjit’s Kitchen, Mr D’s Magnificent Pie Machine and Kirkstall’s very own fish and chip shop pop-up.
Chris Hall, Kirkstall’s Brand Manager and organiser of the festival, said: “Last year we established a new kind of beer festival that joined breweries large and small, old and new, to celebrate the innovations in brewing that have occurred throughout our history. Over thirty-five different breweries poured beers inspired by the 20th century, 19th century and even older. One brewer even recreated a Bronze Age Ale!
“This year we wanted to go bigger, and even better, we’ll be pouring an even wider variety of beers so that there really is something for everyone to enjoy, and we’re inviting local spirits and soft drinks brands to be part of the fun, along with great food and live music.”
It's set to be an incredible weekend, and you can grab your tickets here.
Featured image - Supplied
Eats
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
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!”
Clementine Hall -
23rd February 2024 
