Leeds Loves Food 1st-4th July 2010

Its the Leeds Loves Food festival this week, events kick off Thursday. There is quite a lot more going on this year so here is a round up of events.

The main festival events calender can be found HERE events include sushi tasting, coffee brewing workshops, special lunch menus, wine tasting and guest appearances from chef Lesley Waters.

The Foodie Festival Yorkshire is also being held at Roundhay park 2nd-4th July. There will be live cookery demonstrations and food stalls. There is a £10 entrance fee on the gate but, if you would like to print out a free pass, click HERE

Opposite coffee in the VQ are doing coffee making and tasting demos- different methods of making coffee and up to 15 different varieties to taste with home made cakes too! Starts 9am Thursday

Head down to Granary Wharf on Saturday for the Big Picnic event, take your own food, or buy from the foodie stalls that will be there.

Bottega Milanese espresso bar on The Calls are having a 'Taste the Differenza' event on Sunday 4th 12pm-4pm with various samples to try from the menu, plus a festival exclusive specials on the menu.

The Underground Tearoom

On a sunny Saturday I ventured out with my intrepid assistant Em to a secret location in a suburb of Leeds, to what I am lead to believe is is Leeds' only underground tearoom.

When I say underground, I don't mean subterranean- the venue was actually an unassuming semi on a housing estate. The term relates to the fact that the operation is not completely above board.

The underground restaurant movement, which started like most things in London involves normal people opening their doors to serve restaurant style meals to 'donation' paying strangers.

As a guest you take the risk that food and health and safely legislation may not be adhered to. As a host you run the risk of complete nutters turning up and trashing your house or somebody in a white coat and hair net arriving to serve you with a fine. There is a proper article about it here.

We were warmly greeted by our host 'Bakelady' (name changed for purposes of maintaining secrecy) and sat out in the beautiful garden in a gazebo with glasses of passion fruit infused ice tea and cheesy nibbles. Once the other guests arrived we were taken in to be seated.Guests were split between the kitchen and lounge on two dining tables. The smell of fresh baking was in the air and the tables laden with goodies including mini quiches, sandwiches and cakes of all shapes and descriptions.

We were served by Bakelady and her daughter in proper restaurant fashion, being asked which variety of tea we would like (there was a good selection) and if we would like top ups etc.

Pretty much everything was was home made, and the quantities of food unending.My particular favourites were the macaroons - light, crisp shells with gooey centres. From what I have read, near impossible for the domestic cook to perfect, Bakelady's were better than ones I had purchased in posh shops in London.

The fruit cake was also supremely good, served the Yorkshire way with cheese.

Unlike a traditional tea room, you are sat with other guests, meaning that the meeting and conversing with like-minded foodie strangers was added to the experience.

After 3 hours we were completely stuffed, it was time we headed home, sent away with doggie bags of the left overs.What an experience, for £12 what we received was supremely good value, a full all you can eat afternoon of best quality home baking with excellent company and conversation, and the personal care and attention to detail that commercial restaurants so often lack.

Bakelady's tea room is only open at pre-arranged dates and you have to book in advance to attend.

It wouldn't be in the spirit of things to tell you how to get your name down for the next event, but a few minutes of googling will probably get you there.

Underground Tearoom
*Exceptional Value
*Excellent home made food
*A completely different way to spend your afternoon

Seven Artspace

Seven is an interesting concept, the little bar/cafe/arts centre is sat at the side of Harrogate road in Chapel Allerton. The space is light and airy owing to the full length windows and there is a nice sheltered sitting area at the front, even if it is a little close to the road.

On the menu you will find a range of light bites, paninis and main course dishes. I chose 2 lamb samosas at £1 each and a bowl of tagliatelle with salmon and cream sauce (£7.50). We paid and were told to take a seat- the coffees would be brought over.

We sat and waited for a while and after about 15 minutes my pasta came out. Still no coffees which was disappointing. I got stuck into the tagliatelle which was really good, nicely al dente pasta with a flavoursome but not over rich sauce and generous chunks of salmon.

The samosas came out next. They looked- and tasted disappointingly greasy and were still refrigerator cold in the middle. I'm guessing that they were supposed to have been reheated in hot oil, that obviously was not hot enough! This was a real shame as I could tell that in essence these were a good quality home made samosa, what a let down.

The coffee came out soon after with an apology, and was a good average coffee, just a shame it took so long to arrive!

We sat outside in the garden and it was a pleasant experience. Inside there are frequently changing art exhibitions, and there is a programme of events including live music, comedy, theatrical productions and movie nights. There also looked to be a big pile of newspapers and a few magazines. All of the staff were friendly.

I was really struck by Seven, its a really relaxed interesting place, the type of place you could pop into just to sit and read a paper with a coffee, and see what is going on.
I just feel a bit let down by the fact that the cafe bar element was left wanting by silly little things like spending 20 minutes on making a cappuccino when the place is really quiet and serving cold food. Sort these details out and the place would be great!

Seven Artspace
*Interesting mixed use venue
*Tasty reasonable priced food
*Let down by cold food and slow service

31(a) Harrogate Road
Chapel Allerton
LS7 3PD

0113 26 26 777

Website

Paganum online farmers market.

Based in the Yorkshire Dales, Paganum is an innovative on-line farmers market, selling meat from local farms.

From the website:
'All our family run farms are chosen for their commitment to animal welfare, sustainable agriculture and conservation.'

'We only supply meat, poultry and game from small family run farms, where animals are naturally reared and meat is properly hung, prepared and cut for a fuller flavour.'

This sounds promising.

I ordered a 'Just for one' meat box priced at £42.90 including delivery. It took a few days to arrive from ordering, but this is all explained on the website. Paganum will not dispatch meat before it has been properly hung and will not post meat out over the weekend.

In the box there was more than enough for one-

• 500g topside beef joint,
  
• 500g stewing steak,
  
• 500g beef mince,
• 4 quarter pounder beef burgers,
  
• 2 packs of bacon,
• 18 pork sausages,
  
• 4 lamb chops and
  
• 2 huge gammon steaks.

This is what it looked like.
The sausages, gammon, burgers and chops are packed in smaller quantities making them much more usable for a small household. I also loved the fact that the meat was delivered packed in insulation made from wool- much more eco friendly than polystyrene.

I haven't had chance to eat it all yet, but so far the best has been the beef burgers- they had a really rich meaty flavour- I will definitely get those again.

I have also tried the Yorkshire Chorizo- its made and cured locally from RSPCA freedom standard pork. I'm not an expert on chorizo, but I really enjoyed it. It had a really satisfying chunky texture and nice rich smoky flavour.

Price wise, £42 seems like a lot, but you get a freezer full of meat for the money. I checked on Ocado and the price compares with the premium end meats from them.

I don't mind paying a few quid more when you know the meat is going to be good quality and knowing much more of the profit goes to the farmers this way- helping them to further improve quality of the produce and standards for the animals.

I ordered pretty much the smallest box. If you are holding a big party or want to really stock up, the boxes go right up to the £200 mark for which you get 20kg of meat!

Paganum Online Farmers Market

*High quality locally produced meat
*Home delivery
*Supporting local farmers

www.paganum.co.uk

Little Oven

This is quite a new take away that has opened near to the bus station. The offering is fairly standard with a range of pizzas, kebabs, burgers and fried chicken all at fairly standard prices (I can't remember what I paid for the pizza now. I know it wasn't rock bottom but it was reasonable).

As the shop is very new, the kitchen is fitted with modern looking appliances and looks to be finished to high standard. Looking into the kitchen it all appeared to be very clean which is reassuring as late night take away places have a tendency to be a wee bit scabby.

The shop also sells a small range of canned beers, alcopops, wines and spirits to take away which is convenient as once the co-op closes at 10pm there isn't really any where else to buy booze should it be needed.

The pizza was pretty tasty, if a little greasy- it had plenty of toppings. Not the most gourmet meal ever but fine for a post pub snack.Little oven also take orders for delivery although I cant find a website so you will have to pop in for a flyer- sorry!

Little Oven

*Standard mixed take away
*Reasonable prices
*Appears to be very clean

48 New York Street,
Leeds,
LS2 7DY

0113 2442030

Barburrito

This brand new fast food outlet opened in Leeds last week. The small chain now has 5 stores, the Leeds branch being the first one this side of the Pennines.

The decor is modern and bright, and has the unmistakable feel of a fast food restaurant- booth and bench seats, bright lighting, staff in baseball caps etc.

The food is Mexican inspired street snacks, Burritos as the name suggests are the mainstay of the menu, but you can also get tacos and nachos.

Like in Subway the staff member moves with you along the counter giving you the options of the fillings, (rice, regular or hot beans, chicken, pork or beef, mild or hot salsa, salad etc) constructing the Burrito as you go.

Unlike in Subway the staff are enthusiastic and friendly and converse without mumbling in full sentences whilst managing to make eye contact. For example 'have you been here before? I will tell you what the choices are' and 'that guacamole looks lovely- do you make it here?' (with a smile) 'Yes we do, every day- it's great!'

At the end of the counter you reach the till. Price wise it's a bit more than other fast food places but the quality is better (fillings made from scratch, really fresh salad etc). £6 for a meal (burrito, tortilla chips and a drink) is not bad value at all and if like me you have a student card you can enjoy a generous 20% discount.I had a spicy beef burrito with chipotle sauce. I'm not one to tolerate really hot stuff and I found this burrito more than bearable. Because the burrito also includes rice in the filling, I found it to be quite a substantial snack and more than adequate for lunch. I also enjoyed the fact that the soft drinks were unlimited refill.

Its not fine dining and it may not be completely authentic or to every ones taste, but the place was full of happy looking teenagers and lunching office workers. If you like your fast food, or would like a slightly healthier, better quality alternative to the usual burger places then I think Barburrito would be worth trying.

A big bonus is that they also serve beer and wine and are open until midnight at the weekend- ideal for a pre cinema or post pub refuel!

Barburrito

*Mexican style fast food
*Fast friendly service
*Premium but good value prices

62 The Headrow
LS1 8EQ
0113 245 4976

Website

LiveBait

On Tuesday LiveBait held charity fund raiser for the Wheatfields and St Gemma's hospices. I was invited along to the event with a free dinner afterwards.

Livebait fish restaurant has been on The Calls for over a decade now, set back from the road in its own little courtyard. The restaurant occupies only one fairly small room, which has simple brick and tiled decor and quite a cosy laid back atmosphere.

For starters I had the whitebait which were beautifully crisp and completely delicious- I could have eaten this dish 3 times over I enjoyed them so much. Liam had the Thai inspired mussels which he enjoyed and the coconut and lemon grass flavours were a nice difference to the usual white wine and cream sauce.
For main course I had the cod with lobster sauce. The sauce had a lovely rich flavour and was a great compliment to the chunky texture of the large portion of cod.

Unfortunately Liam's Queen scallop risotto was so salty it was almost inedible. The staff were very apologetic, and advised us had we been paying they would have knocked the cost off the bill.

Puddings were nice but not exceptional lemon tart and sticky toffee pudding.

All in all we had a good meal, the service was spot on, and the food on the whole pretty good with the exception of the risotto. Price wise it was a bit more than other chain restaurants of the sort- our bill including drinks would have been about £70 but I feel the quality of the fish is probably a bit better to match.

The charity evening raised an impressive total of £1475.

Live Bait
*Good service & atmosphere
*Quality fish dishes
*Slight boring puddings

11 - 15 Wharf Street,
Shears Yard
The Calls
LS2 7EH
0113 2444 144

Website