Back in May, the team behind Whitelock's and The Turk's Head, the oldest pub in Leeds, acquired a new Meanwood property, East of Arcadia.
Since taking over, the new owners have invested a six-figure sum into the building to complete a full refurb and rebrand before reopening in September.
The acquisition was a new move for the company, who currently own pubs steeped in history. Whitelock’s first opened in 1715 and is locally known to be the oldest pub in Leeds, whilst The Turk’s Head was estimated to exist around the same era- named after the family that once owned the building.
East of Arcadia will become The Meanwood Tavern. / Image: East of Arcadia
Choosing the name The Meanwood Tavern, the pub is said to take inspiration from traditional British pubs, but offering a contemporary twist that will see a refreshed new site with all-new bar and seating areas, and capacity for up to 160 guests.
The tavern is going to have a particular focus on locality, bringing together a plentiful drinks menu with craft beers from Yorkshire and well-kept real ales, as well as a full selection of wines, spritz and a dedicated cocktail menu.
Ales from Whitelock's. / Image: Whitelock's Ale House
Taking over the kitchen, indie pizza operators Well Oiled will be showcasing the best of Detroit-style slices from October 2022.
Inspired by the unique American style of cooking pizzas in rectangular steel pans, Well Oiled also focuses on championing locals without compromising on quality. Think artisan-made slices topped with meats, veggies and flavours from local British producers and housemade fermented and pickled ingredients.
The Full Spec Pizza from Well Oiled. / Image: Supplied
Having sold the public on a series of successful pop-ups, Well Oiled will be topping their focaccia-style doughs with toppings aplenty. Take the Full Spec pizza for example, we're talking about Trealy Farm fennel salami, whipped ricotta, hot honey and pepper mash, whilst sharers include the brand’s signature garlic donut bread with a whole burrata centre, filled with turbo chimichurri.
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 -
10th August 2022 
