We've all heard references to 'the secret menu' - an exclusive, under-the-counter selection of dishes only available to those in the know.
Commonly, it's big fast food chains that get the attention for this, but from what we hear there are a few Leeds indies offering similar stylings to their favourite regulars across the city.
But today we're talking about one secret menu in particular, and it happens to come from Leeds' Instagram-famous baking sensation Savannah Roqaa, aka The Savvy Baker.
Image: The Savvy Baker
From lockdown baking in her flat to announcing the opening of not one but two cafes this year, it really has been an exciting few years for the West Yorkshire brownie and brookie magnate.
Her first cafe in Roundhay opened in March, serving all the usual brownies, brookies, cookies, flapjacks, cakes, tarts and 'sticky stuff' alongside Leeds’ famous North Star coffee.
But this week, the cult baker has revealed she also offers a 'secret menu' of hot drinks to guests that know to ask for them.
Packed full of dreamy-sounding winter warmers, it features autumnal treats like orange hot chocolates, pumpkin spiced lattes, gingerbread lattes and honeycomb hot chocolates.
And that's not all, there's also maple spiced oat lattes and a 'Hot Bakewell', which Savannah assures us tastes just "like a Bakewell tart in a drink". It sounds pretty divine to us.
Image: The Savvy Baker
With even more secret menu items said to be pending, to get your hands on one of these under-the-counter treats all you need to do ask for them at the Roundhay cafe, which opens every Tuesday – Sunday from 8.30am-4pm.
Digging into Biscoff brookies, Boost bar brownies, Mini Egg cookies, Freddo brookies, Cornflake brownies, milk choc cookies and more just got even better, thanks to these new hot drinks. We're very much ready for autumn now, thank you.
Feature image - The Savvy Baker
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.”
Georgina Pellant -
14th September 2022 
