There's been a real life Cinderella story going on in Leeds this week- lost shoe and all.
If you're a familiar face at The Watermark Bar, you'll know that it can get a little chaotic in there on a Saturday night.
In a good way of course, but you really never know what to expect here. Will the entire bar be a giant pillow fort and turn up to the sight of Leeds party-goers dancing in their dressing gowns? Or will there be a no-context chocolate fountain placed in the middle of the room?
Last Saturday, unfortunately none of those were actually a part of the nighttime activities at the bar, but things did get pretty hectic for one individual.
A typical night out at the bar on Belgrave Street. / Image: The Watermark Bar
So much so that one customer left his shoe in the bar.
A single shoe- and not just any shoe, a Croc.
According to the Watermark, this is what happened- and it's hilarious:
"It was a wild Watermark Sunday, I wasn't in the bar that night but Dman (our Sunday DJ) was up to his usual mischief. You know its a good night when you lose a shoe.
"Well the next day I swanned in and right under the table was the lonely Croc. Obviously it belongs to a chef (i hope). Our lost property gets a bit chaotic at times and there is no way we were going to hang on to one lonely shoe.
"So a nice like Jack Bauer 24 style hostage situation seemed to be the way to find its owner."
What are the chances of anyone coming forward- surely if you lose a Croc on a night out you're probably not going to remember where, let alone tell the internet it's yours and travel all the way to the city centre to collect it?
No. Not one person was willing to make the effort. But three. The Watermark had a three Spiderman situation (and of course they used this to illustrate their point).
Turns out they were all tracking down the Croc for the same person.
The Watermark Bar have been laughing about the situation ever since: "funnily enough the 3 people who came forward for the shoe all were just trying to rescue it for the same person. He collected it today.
"It happened one time before also..."
Last time it was a Doc Marten shoe that got left. / Image: The Watermark Bar
The last Cinderella story for the bar dates back to pre-Covid times when the bar announced:
"Found this beast in the bar last week. A lovely, lonely Doc Martin belonging to a female foot. Can only wonder where the other one got to. Were you in a rush to make it home before midnight? Did your Uber turn into a Pumpkin? We can't promise you a Prince Charming but we can give you your shoe back at least. "Any takers? Anyone? Going once... Going twice..."
Alls well that ends well, the Croc is back with it's other half and the rightful owner is assumably pleased to have tracked it down. It's the hilarious comedic value that The Watermark Bar has added to the unusual situation that made this one of our funniest finds of the week- and if we're honest, obsessively checking Instagram to find out the next instalment.
Late night snacks are available to those with two shoes on, every night. / Image: The Watermark Bar
If you head over to The Watermark Bar over the next week, you're unlikely to find any mystery shoes, but you will find charcuterie boards and crumpets until 4am.
Never change Watermark.
Feature Image- The Watermark Bar
News
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.
Sophie Smith -
20th January 2022 
