Home, one of Leeds' leading restaurants, has announced its shock closure after 'seven incredible years'.
The fine-dining establishment, headed up by chef patron Elizabeth Cottam, has said that it is 'succumbing to the insurmountable economic pressures' that have been crippling the hospitality industry, and many other businesses, of late.
In a statement shared on Instagram this morning, Elizabeth said that she and her team 'can hold our heads high' having 'given our all'.
She also said that it has been 'an honour and a privilege to have entertained you over the years'.
The riverside restaurant served creative tasting menus of varying lengths, priced between £65 and £145 depending on the number of courses.
Despite being widely considered to be one of the best restaurants in Leeds, Home has very sadly announced it's reached the end of the road.
It's sad news on a day when Leeds was busy celebrating the achievements of another eatery across town, with Bavette being named the best local restaurant in all of Britain just this morning.
Chef Elizabeth Cottam shared a statement announcing the closure of HOME restaurant in Leeds. Credit: Instagram, @home_leedsHOME restaurant in Leeds has announced its sad closure after seven years. Credit: Instagram, @home_leeds
Elizabeth's full statement reads: "Dear friends and valued guests, I need to share some really sad news with you.
"After 7 incredible years, I have made the difficult decision to close the doors of my beloved restaurant, HOME, on September 30th. This journey has been nothing short of amazing and I am filled with immense pride for everything we have accomplished as a team. Throughout the years, we have achieved so much, so it is with a profound sense of sadness that we find ourselves succumbing to the insurmountable economic pressures that have affected so many businesses.
"Because this outcome is not due to any fault of our own, we can hold our heads high. We have given our all and have no regrets.
"I want to express my deepest gratitude to each and every one of you who have supported us along this journey. Your unwavering friendship and love for what we do have been the driving force behind our success. It has been an honour and a privilege to have entertained you over the years.
"To my exceptional staff, you are the heart and soul of HOME. Many of you have been with me since the beginning or for a significant part of this incredible journey, I know how much HOME means to you. Your dedication and hard work have not gone unnoticed. I assure you that we will continue to work together on something new as soon as the right opportunity for us comes along.
"While this chapter may be coming to a close, I am filled with hope for what the future holds. I am confident that all of our paths will cross again and I look forward to sharing exciting news with all of you in due time. Thank you once again for your unwavering support and for being a part of the HOME family. Your presence was essential and has made this the most enriching experience for me, and I am forever grateful.
"As we prepare to say goodbye, we invite you to join us in celebrating the incredible moments and the never ending list of menus we have created and fed you with that have defined HOME. I look forward to seeing and welcoming you all over the coming weeks, I plan for us to go out with a bang!
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!”
Daisy Jackson -
24th July 2024 
