Leeds

This new Leeds neighbourhood is giving you £200 to furnish your new apartment and a month’s free rent

In partnership with The Junction Leeds.

Sophie Smith Sophie Smith - 12th February 2024

The Junction Leeds has swiftly become a talking point for locals looking for a new place to call home in 2024.

There's everything you need for living-working-socialising and even working out here with a whopping 665 apartments spread over five spacious blocks.

Moving here is so much more than finding a new apartment moments from the city. Every resident has access to second-to-none amenities, including a dedicated co-working space; residents lounge; private dining room; multi-sports pitch; onsite car hire; 24/7 concierge and more.

Image: The Hoot Leeds

All apartments come with fully-kitted out living spaces, built-in wardrobes and plenty of storage, and regardless of whether you're after a one, two or three bedroom apartment, there’s room for everyone and all their belongings.

When you come to move in, you can also choose if you'd like a furnished or unfurnished apartment so you can really add your own stamp on your apartment, or immediately have the beautiful modern-Scandi-inspired look showcased in some of the show apartments, from the moment you move in.

Regardless of how you choose, when you sign a twelve month lease at The Junction Leeds, you'll get an extra thank you from the team to help you settle in, in the form of a £200 John Lewis gift card to spend on anything you like.

The five-storey department store in Victoria Leeds is a short drive or brisk walk from the The Junction, and inside you really will find everything you need for your move - and plenty more besides...

We immediately had to head down to find out exactly what we could get for our money - and turns out you can pretty much add all of those lovely touches that make a house a home and still come (slightly) under budget.

Here's what we got with a £200 voucher with The Junction Leeds...

Kitchen

Image: The Hoot Leeds
  • John Lewis Alphabet Fine China Coaster with letters C and T (here) - £5 
  • John Lewis Flora Fine China Mug, 375ml in Spring Green and Red/White (here) - £7
  • Mason Cash Stoneware Measuring Cups, Set of 4 in Green (here) - £8.50
  • John Lewis ANYDAY Aluminium Non-Stick Pan Set, Three Piece in Grey (here) - £28.00
  • John Lewis Orange Print Glass Tumbler, 510ml in Orange (here) - £5 
  • John Lewis ANYDAY Speckle Glaze Stoneware Dinnerware 12 Piece Set in Natural (here) - £50.00

Bedroom accessories

Images: The Hoot Leeds
  • John Lewis ANYDAY Gingham Check Cushion, Plaster (here) - £20 each (and there's some Steel coloured ones reduced to £10 too)
  • John Lewis ANYDAY Fleece Throw, Pale Grey (here) - £12 each
  • John Lewis Coastal Breeze Scented Candle, 200g (here) - £6.75
  • John Lewis Coastal Breeze Reed Diffuser, 110ml (here) - £9.75

For the dog

Image: The Hoot Leeds
  • Beco Pets Bamboo Waves Dog Water & Food Bowl, Small (here) - £7.99
  • Beco Pets Rough & Tough Sloth Doy Toy (here) - £10.99
  • Kikkerland Kobe Dog Spa Kit (here) - £16.25

Of course, there are unlimited variations of how you could spend this.

Whether you’re after a fancy new piece of tech or want to pick up some beautiful bedding, or want a load of new mugs and candles, you can make your new apartment a home without spending a penny - just use your John Lewis voucher instead.

Here's a few bigger ticket items we were eyeing up inside the store...

  • Nespresso X Liberty Vertuo Next Coffee Machine in Teal (here) - £200
  • Roberts Revival RD70 Bluetooth Digital Radio with Alarm in Duck Egg (here) - £179.99
  • Ninja AF100UK Air Fryer in Grey (here) - £149.99
  • Bose QuietComfort QC45 SE Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Wireless Bluetooth Headphones with Mic/Remote in Black (here) - £189
  • Revelation Wine Crate, five bottles, 75cl (here) - £110
  • Neom Organics London Luxe Electric Diffuser Wellbeing Pod (here) - £135

Audio-Technica AT-LP60XUSB USB Conversion Turntable (here) - £149.99

Images: The Hoot Leeds

On top of all this, new residents will receive one month's free rent. This offer has the potential to save you over £2,000.

Read More:

To find out more about how you can move to the new Leeds neighbourhood and start spending your £200 voucher and a month's free rent (T&Cs apply), visit The Junction Leeds website here and book a viewing.

Feature Image - The Hoot Leeds

Leeds

No Greek Tragedy, just indie bangers – The Wombats set Leeds’ First Direct Arena alight

Declan Kelly Declan Kelly

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.

Read more: Mumford & Sons add new Leeds show at the First Direct Arena to sell out UK tour

Featured image - The Hoot Leeds

Leeds

Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky

Danny Jones 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:

@the.manc @GET BAKED® are giving away 1000 slices of Bertha right now at their new store in Northern Quarter and Manchester, you turned up 👏 #themanc #manchester #getbaked #giveaway #newopening #bakery #queue #manchesterfood #manchestereats #cake ♬ original sound - The Manc

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.”

Read more: The Swine That Dines announces the official opening date of its brand new restaurant

Featured image - Get Baked

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