A little sandwich shop in Leeds has been crowned the 'best in the north' for the second year running.
Country Crust in Chapel Allerton received the award for 'Sandwich shop of the year' at the 2021/22 Prestige Awards - taking home a certificate noting them as '2 x' winners.
Known across Leeds for its specially-cured bacon and superb menu of cakes and hot drinks, the cute little cafe was bought by husband and wife team Michelle and Jason Burns on a whim seven years ago - and it's proven a great investment, not just for the couple but for the local community, too.
The pair both built their careers in the corporate world, with Jason previously working for a big gourmet baking company based in Hull. However, after a few glasses of wine, they discovered the Facebook listing for the cafe and decided to go for it.
History, as they say, was made.
Initially run by Jason and their daughter, today it is a fully-fledged family affair with Michelle leaving her day job to join the team three years prior.
They pride themselves on supporting local businesses, sourcing nearly 90% of their stock from neighbouring suppliers.
Still, there’s one product, in particular, that keeps pulling people back in – and that’s their specially cured bacon. Acquired specially from some friends in Scunthorpe, Country Crust is the only place to sell it;
Image: Country Crust
The cafe also sells baked potatoes, salad boxes and loads of Lincolnshire sausages alongside a range of hot and cold drinks and top-notch sarnies.
Nominated anonymously, Michelle and Jason collected their second award this week and are "absolutely thrilled" to have scooped the gong not once now but twice.
After sharing the news to their business Facebook page, followers were quick to congratulate them, with one saying: "15+ years since this was my local buttie shop, but whenever I’m in the area or passing I’ll call for a sarnie "
Another added: "Love this place! X excellent food great staff. Well done to everyone."
Feature image - Country Crust
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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.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
Georgina Pellant -
21st September 2021 
