Bottle Chop opened up on a small plot in Headingley just a few weeks ago, but the micro deli, bottle shop and bar has big plans to help the planet.
Believe it or not, your wine bottle is probably not as eco-friendly as you think it is- even if you put it into the recycling after it's been used.
Glass bottles are best reused. / Image: Bottle Chop
Officially, glass is one hundred percent recyclable and never loses any purity of quality when its reused, so this means that we can keep reusing and recycling for as long as we can. But what happens when it smashes on a roadside or behind the back of the bar? Those pieces that are left behind will usually end up in the black bin.
According to ISM, the average glass bottle will take approximately one million years to fully decompose, meaning we will never fully get rid of all the glass we use, or smash.
To counter the effects of single use glass on our planet, Bottle Chop, a new micro deli and bottle shop in Headingley have come up with a creative solution.
The selection of refillable booze. / Image: Bottle Chop
The company are selling their house wines and IPAs using reusable glass bottles. Customers purchase a glass bottle at £5 each and can refill it as many times as they like, all they need to do is return to the store once the bottle is empty.
With choices like Red Abruzzo, Rosso Montepulciano, a delicate purple red; White Sicilian Ciello Bianco Catarratto with pink grapefruit and White Touraine Guy Allion Sauvignon with elderflower, gooseberry and summer fruit available, there's sure to be a wine for every palette.
Beer drinkers can also choose from Deya IPA (6.5%) or Polly's Talus Pale Ale (5.6%) at £9.50 per litre to take away. All bottled drinks are available to sample in store as a schooner, glass or pint, as well as a 'sneaky taste' for those wanting to choose their drinks and get on with their afternoons.
You can grab a bottle in store. / Image: Bottle Chop
As Bottle Chop point out:
"This means less waste, less recycling, less going to the bottle bank with an embarrassing amount of bottles... I mean, you can’t do that in Sainsbo’s can ya?!"
If you want to get your own refillable wine and beer, or browse the extended collection of unusual drinks at Bottle Chop, visit them in their Headingley store, or any queries can be answered via Instagram.
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 -
21st December 2021 
