Leeds Loves Food, a food lovers’ festival takes place the first weekend of July. This year this ever popular event takes place across the city from 1st - 4th July, 2010. The city’s restaurants will be showcasing their culinary talents and delicious offerings during the festival through a programme of events, offers and demonstrations.
A full calendar of events will be released in May but you won’t have to wait that long to enjoy some tasty treats. Our friends at Leeds City College and Kirkgate Market are cooking up a number of delicious recipes for you to try out yourselves. The first of this series will help us cook a romantic Sunday lunch with quality meat and seasonal vegetables all available from Leeds Kirkgate Market, just in time for Valentines weekend.
To receive our Leeds Loves Food recipes via email and be one of the first to check out the festival's programme of events register your email address on this site.
Alternatively, if you are business and wish to find out more about how your organisation could take part in the Leeds Loves Food, register your details and tick the ‘business enquiry’ box.
2009 Festival
The 2009 ‘Leeds Loves Food’ was a big hit with visitors during the four day food lover’s festival. Positive feedback from those who attended and the restaurants involved has demonstrated that it has been a resounding success.
Leeds Loves Food kicked off with cookery demonstrations and tastings in Millennium Square on Thursday 2nd July, which was well attended. The festival, which ran until Sunday, also included ‘Saturday Kitchen’ presenter James Martin showing off his culinary skills, a Harvey Nichols foodmarket suppliers’ market hosted by Fourth Floor Café executive chef Richard Walton-Allen, and a one day ‘pop up’ restaurant on Briggate with meals prepared and cooked by culinary students of Leeds City College.
James’ appearance on the first day of the festival was a hit with visitors who made their way to The Merrion Centre to see him host live cookery demonstrations, followed by a book signing at Harvey Nichols. James then went on to judge a cook-off between Radio Aire presenters Logie and Griffo, Logie being crowned the eventual winner.
Leeds Loves Food, which was organised by Marketing Leeds, City Centre Management, and Leeds City Council’s events team, partnered with Leeds Restaurant Association, has gained profile in the national and international media, with key journalists from Spain, Italy and Holland visiting Leeds for the festival and over £40,000 of UK press coverage to date (not including broadcast or international which is yet to be evaluated), including listings in The Times and The Guardian. Online profiling of the festival was also a success, with a number of key bloggers attending a press call for James Martin, which resulted in positive coverage online.
The world’s first ever restaurant review competition via Twitter was also held as part of Leeds Loves Food. Diners were invited to get involved with the festival and Twitter their meal reviews via the micro-blogging site, with the chance to win a weekend break to Amsterdam, Paris or Alicante, courtesy of Jet2.com.
Visitors to Leeds Loves Food also enjoyed a Moroccan themed evening in The Fig Restaurant at Alea, a night of Italian food, drink and opera at Casa Mia, a cocktail masterclass at Reform bar and organic food tastings at Org Organics.
Deborah Green, chief executive of Marketing Leeds said: “Our city has a wealth of excellent city centre restaurants, many of them award-winning. Leeds Loves Food was the ideal platform to showcase our fabulous restaurants and culinary expertise, helping to raise the profile of Leeds not only regionally but also nationally and internationally.”
Cath Follin, city centre manager added: “Leeds Loves Food has been an amazing success, helping to kick off a fabulous summer of eating in the city, whilst supporting the city’s food scene. We are thrilled with the turn out to the festival and the positive feedback we have received so far, which is testament to the hard work of the restaurateurs in Leeds.”
Leeds Loves Food was the first food festival which followed the format of previous successful city events such as Leeds Shopping Week.
2010 Festival
Many events, activity and delicious menus are being formulated for this year's event in July.
Get your taste buds at the ready as a calendar of events will be released in May – don’t forget you can register your email on this website to receive recipes and be one of the first to receive festival information, as it is announced.
A full calendar of events will be released in May but you won’t have to wait that long to enjoy some tasty treats. Our friends at Leeds City College and Kirkgate Market are cooking up a number of delicious recipes for you to try out yourselves. The first of this series will help us cook a romantic Sunday lunch with quality meat and seasonal vegetables all available from Leeds Kirkgate Market, just in time for Valentines weekend.
To receive our Leeds Loves Food recipes via email and be one of the first to check out the festival's programme of events register your email address on this site.
Alternatively, if you are business and wish to find out more about how your organisation could take part in the Leeds Loves Food, register your details and tick the ‘business enquiry’ box.
2009 Festival
The 2009 ‘Leeds Loves Food’ was a big hit with visitors during the four day food lover’s festival. Positive feedback from those who attended and the restaurants involved has demonstrated that it has been a resounding success.
Leeds Loves Food kicked off with cookery demonstrations and tastings in Millennium Square on Thursday 2nd July, which was well attended. The festival, which ran until Sunday, also included ‘Saturday Kitchen’ presenter James Martin showing off his culinary skills, a Harvey Nichols foodmarket suppliers’ market hosted by Fourth Floor Café executive chef Richard Walton-Allen, and a one day ‘pop up’ restaurant on Briggate with meals prepared and cooked by culinary students of Leeds City College.
James’ appearance on the first day of the festival was a hit with visitors who made their way to The Merrion Centre to see him host live cookery demonstrations, followed by a book signing at Harvey Nichols. James then went on to judge a cook-off between Radio Aire presenters Logie and Griffo, Logie being crowned the eventual winner.
Leeds Loves Food, which was organised by Marketing Leeds, City Centre Management, and Leeds City Council’s events team, partnered with Leeds Restaurant Association, has gained profile in the national and international media, with key journalists from Spain, Italy and Holland visiting Leeds for the festival and over £40,000 of UK press coverage to date (not including broadcast or international which is yet to be evaluated), including listings in The Times and The Guardian. Online profiling of the festival was also a success, with a number of key bloggers attending a press call for James Martin, which resulted in positive coverage online.
The world’s first ever restaurant review competition via Twitter was also held as part of Leeds Loves Food. Diners were invited to get involved with the festival and Twitter their meal reviews via the micro-blogging site, with the chance to win a weekend break to Amsterdam, Paris or Alicante, courtesy of Jet2.com.
Visitors to Leeds Loves Food also enjoyed a Moroccan themed evening in The Fig Restaurant at Alea, a night of Italian food, drink and opera at Casa Mia, a cocktail masterclass at Reform bar and organic food tastings at Org Organics.
Deborah Green, chief executive of Marketing Leeds said: “Our city has a wealth of excellent city centre restaurants, many of them award-winning. Leeds Loves Food was the ideal platform to showcase our fabulous restaurants and culinary expertise, helping to raise the profile of Leeds not only regionally but also nationally and internationally.”
Cath Follin, city centre manager added: “Leeds Loves Food has been an amazing success, helping to kick off a fabulous summer of eating in the city, whilst supporting the city’s food scene. We are thrilled with the turn out to the festival and the positive feedback we have received so far, which is testament to the hard work of the restaurateurs in Leeds.”
Leeds Loves Food was the first food festival which followed the format of previous successful city events such as Leeds Shopping Week.
2010 Festival
Many events, activity and delicious menus are being formulated for this year's event in July.
Get your taste buds at the ready as a calendar of events will be released in May – don’t forget you can register your email on this website to receive recipes and be one of the first to receive festival information, as it is announced.
