Leeds is full of lockdown success stories, but the ever-humble Cheesy Living Co. have had a whirlwind year like no other.
The Cheesy Living Co. has made a considerable stamp on the Leeds foodie scene after opening less than a year ago. Whether you met Jake and Soph at the Corn Exchange or whilst visiting the Savvy Baker, the pop-up cheese and charcuterie specialists have been cooking up quite a storm.
The Cheesy Living Co. is the small independent bringing a whole world of cheese to Leeds that you need to know about. You can find them around Leeds, but you can also grab all things cheese and charcuterie online.
Image: The Cheesy Living Co.
The company create bespoke boxes of cheese, cured meats and accompaniments, as well as selling limited edition stock such as Spanish cheese, sweet rocky road salami and more.
The team of two: Jake Fischer, the 'big cheese' and Soph Branowsky, Creative Director, set out to take on the cheese scene after finding a gap on the market for locally sourced products during lockdown.
Founder Jake told us that: "Working in hospitality, when covid restrictions hit hard for the second time we decided that the time was right (and for our own sanity) to pursue a passion and love for all things cheese & charcuterie.
Image: The Cheesy Living Co.
"At first the idea was simply to bring together the best produce out there and to make it more accessible for people to enjoy, but we quickly found that quality of things being made here in the U.K. was just incredible! We thought why is this stuff not easier to get hold of?! And that’s when we decided to focus on British and locally sourced products."
Prior to this Jake was managing a cocktail and wine bar in Leeds city centre for four years, but had held different positions across the hospitality sector for over twelve years.
Since swapping the bar for business, the duo told us that the biggest lesson they learnt is "most importantly to take every opportunity that’s thrown at you and give it a go. You never really know what’s going to work until you try".
Image: The Cheesy Living Co.
Living by their own mantra, the company have secured 1500 followers on Instagram and grown a firm fan basis across Leeds city centre and beyond.
The duo are hoping to secure their first proper site where they can work from on a permanent basis. The pair have "found a location that provides an exciting opportunity for us to take the next step with the business".
Hoping to open their doors doors in spring 2022, located in Leeds city centre, we know that we're not the only ones excited about this next step for the Cheesy Living Co.
Image: The Cheesy Living Co.
Reflecting on the past year, we asked the 'big cheese' himself what it's like to take on a new venture in lockdown and what's the best thing to come out of their career swap.
"It’s probably been getting to share what we love with so many people. Considering we only really launched 7 months ago we’ve a long way in that time.
"Having a good product is one part of it of course, but the rest is down to the incredible support we’ve had from family, friends and all of our customers… We have a lot of ambition and seeing that start to become a reality is such an incredible feeling.
"2021 has been such a tough year for so many people, so to be able to do what we’re passionate about on a daily basis is such a humbling feeling."
To get your cheese and charcuterie fix, you can visit the Cheesy Living Co's Instagram page to follow their journey to an official, permanent space and find out where the company will be popping up in the meantime too. Alternatively, to take their charcuterie boards for a taste test- head over to their website.
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 -
4th January 2022 
