Claire Patterson

The media often reminds us that food waste is a worldwide problem. In Europe alone, it's estimated that around 89 million tonnes of food is thrown away each year. This is something that we should find especially distressing when you consider that there are people in our own country who are struggling to eat three meals per day. Is there anything that we can do? For starters, we can all help at home by reducing waste and eating more economically. Plus, buying only what you need will both minimise waste and save you pennies.  The biggest problem lies with the supermarkets and larger restaurants. Bound by laws and restrictions that force them to dispose of food past their 'use by' dates, means a lot of perfectly edible food being thrown into landfills, adding to the problem of food wastage. To try and tackle this issue, a number of initiatives are popping up across the country. One such organisation is The Real Junk Food Project; a registered charity originating from Leeds that has set up several social enterprises across the country that take the unwanted or surplus food and channel it back in to the community by providing meals created from it. The latest venture from The Real Junk Food Project takes the form of Forage Cafe, a three-week pop-up on Briggate in the old Wok On store, starting from August 29.  Forage Cafe   A team of volunteers, including teenagers, architects, graphic designers and musicians have been responsible for setting up and running the cafe. Thanks to t

Not too long ago, anyone who took the time to photograph their meal at a restaurant would have met some peculiar stares. Today, spend any time on Instagram and you'll find it awash with avocado on toast, massive burgers and latte art. Luckily for Leeds, we're yet to hear of an eating or drinking establishment that has banned the use of Instagram. So, what culinary delicacies are most frequently snapped? We've diligently searched hundreds of users from Leeds and compiled a list of the most frequently geotagged eateries with a #Leeds or #Leedsfood hashtag.   Here are fourteen of the most popular, in descending order:   14. Friends of Ham       Lots of ham and cheese for lunch today ?????? #foodie #friendsofham #Leeds #summer #sunday #foodporn #ham #cheese #french #italian #spainish A photo posted by Inspiration in life (@ellihelloh) on Aug 2, 2015 at 2:00pm PDT   Friends of Ham has become a firm favourite with those who live and travel to Leeds, thanks to its close proximity to Leeds city train station. In fact, it's become so popular Friend of Ham has had to expand its once tiny premises by stretching along the road and ridding the city of some of its many loan shops. It has certainly livened up the once dark and dreary New Station Street.   13. Dough Boys    Day out in leeds yesterday went to a great start #beer #pizza #ales #leeds #belgravemusichall #birthdayweekend #birthday #food #sunnyday A photo posted by Stacey Ingle (@staceyingle) on May 24, 2015 at 5:51am PDT

Roundhay Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Leeds, with over a million visitors every year. Spread over 700 acres, there will be few who live in Leeds that haven't already visited for a picnic, run or to walk the dog. But how much do you really know about this luscious green space?   1. Roundhay was once known as Le Rundeheai   <img id="0e3a3284-d0a2-ff81-48d3-42f5d74f305d" data-caption="The Deer Park Pub, Street Lane, Roundhay" data-credit="Claire Patterson " data-width-class="" type="image/jpeg" total="5964458" loaded="5964458" src="http://media.timeout.com/images/102381023/image.jpg" class="photo lazy inline"> The Deer Park Pub, Street Lane, RoundhayClaire Patterson   The first mention of Roundhay was in 1153 when it was referred to as 'Le Rundeheai' and probably translated to 'the round hunting enclosure'. William the Conqueror gifted the land now known as Roundhay Park to Ilbert De Lacy in the 11th century as reward for his efforts against the Anglo-Scandinavians. De Lacy made the lands into hunting parks, primarily for deer. The parks entrances were marked by oak trees that can still be seen today.    2. Unemployed war veterans helped build the two lakes   <img id="bc6b4029-fb74-d57e-7551-c98a7592a82e" data-caption="Thomas Nicholson's mansion" data-credit="Flickr: Tim Green" data-width-class="100" type

The Leeds food scene is growing. Here are all the delicious reasons you should be getting involved... 1. Award-winning street food  Leeds is home to British Street Food award winners Manjits Kitchen, Fu-schnikens and Fish&. You can find them at local events such as Brandon Street Night Market, Trinity Kitchen, Belgrave Feast, World Feast on Briggate and more.        Friday night is fish night! @nofishybusiness @andrewcritchett A photo posted by Claire (@littlepatts) on May 15, 2015 at 11:48am PDT   2. Kirkgate Market When you think of eating at markets, burger and chip vans can spring to mind – you'll still find them in Kirkgate Market, but snuggled inside Europe's largest indoor market you'll also find more intriguing offerings such as Café Moor serving Moroccan food, May's Recipes serving Thai food, and Caribbean Café serving... well, Caribbean food. Fancy dessert? The Crêpe Hut will serve you up something sweet.        Beautiful place with beautiful food #CafeMoor at #KirkgateMarket. From the same experts who bring you @caravanseraileeds #Leeds A photo posted by Independent Leeds (@independentleeds) on Apr 7, 2015 at 5:06am PDT   3. Thai food Forget your standard Thai red curry, Leeds is home to small authentic Thai houses such as My Thai, the soon to be re-opened Thai Aroy Dee, and new London street food migrants Bangwok. Try something different with Bangwok's famous dim sum, pad thai or ba-mee moo daeng (wonton noodle soup).        YEN TA FO seafood noodle s

If you're in need of some visual stimulation and a good belly filling to boot, here is a round up of some stunning dining locations in Leeds. The Tiled Hall Café, the Headrow sandwich between the Art Gallery and Leeds LibraryThis Victorian reading room was a part of the Leeds library and its magnificent decor was admired by all who visited. That was until the 1950s when it was covered with plasterboard and forgotten for 50 years. Roll on to the early 2000s and the place was given a grant and a lot of love to restore it to it's former glory. Gasp at the carved face of Homer and marvel at the marble whilst you sink your teeth in to the best lunch and cakes Leeds has to offer.   #tiledhall #Leeds #Leedsartgallery #Leedslibraries A photo posted by Claire (@littlepatts) on May 12, 2015 at 1:30pm PDT   The Beehive, ThornerThe Beehive is a gastropub nested in the quiet village of Thorner. Its beer garden overlooks fields of green, giving you the feeling that you're a million miles away from Leeds (or a hundred, at least). Watch the sun set whilst you dine on French cuisine on Wednesdays or enjoy an ever-changing menu the rest of the week.      Wonderful evening last night, eating whilst watching the sun go down at The Beehive in Thorner. A photo posted by Claire (@littlepatts) on Apr 22, 2015 at 11:55pm PDT     The Cow and Calf, IlkleyIkley has a Leeds postcode, but it's technically in the Bradford Metropolitan district; the quintessential Yorkshire views from this pub are

It's British Sandwich Week this week and what better way to celebrate it then by grabbing your own slice of 'Britain's biggest contribution to gastronomy' (as quoted by the Wall Street Journal). Bookmark these Leeds sandwich-sellers for your meat and two bread.    Noonshine, Thornton's arcade  The pop-up shop known as Noonshine is hosted by Tall Boys Beer Market  (Thornton's arcade) and showcases sandwiches from the notorious Grub and Grog Shop. The menu changes daily, including options for veggies and meat-lovers alike. Bread is supplied by the Leeds Bread Co-op, a firm favourite bread maker in Leeds' foodie and restaurant communities. Don't forget to pick up a doughnut for dessert while you're there – they've been voted the best in Leeds. Be warned: these mouth-watering sandwiches won't be around for long as they're only available for the duration of the Leeds Indie Food Festival (7 - 24 May 2015)   Today's sandwiches on @leedsbreadcoop ciabatta at #noonshine @tallboysleeds #lif15 B.L.T. With homemade chilli Mayo, meat ball and roast tomato sauce, roasted vegetable with pumpkin seed tahini & keen's cheddar & chutney #lunch #leeds #cafe #popup A photo posted by @grubandgrog on May 12, 2015 at 4:08am PDT   The Greedy Pig, 58 North Street   Famed for it's breakfasts and now its supper clubs, The Greedy Pig also serves a darn good sandwich. You'll find a blackboard in the window each day with the latest delicious offerings, their most popular filling being the slow-cooked

If you're looking for something a bit different for breakfast, then Leeds is the place. You'll find greasy spoons in every city, as you can in Leeds too, but Leeds also offers much more. Something a little bit daring. Something a little more delicious. Here's a round-up of some of the places you can enjoy breakfast, brunch or, in some cases, brinner. The Grub and Grog Shop, Northern Monk Refectory, Holbeck Urban VillageSituated in a disused mill in Holbeck is the Northern Monk Refectory, the brewery's in-house bar, inside which you'll find resident foodies The Grub and Grog Shop. There you can enjoy a fairly basic breakfast menu serving home-made crumpets, toast, breakfast rolls and hash. Not a fry up in sight. Vegetarians and vegans are catered for, too.   You won't find many places around Leeds that serve Oxtail Hash, with home-made brown sauce, crispy kale and a perfectly cooked egg. You could spend all day in their dining room reading through the books on the bookshelf, following brekkie with lunch, dinner, then a few pints in the evening. It's dog friendly, too.  Breakfast is served 10am-12noon Monday to Friday and until a leisurely 3pm at weekends.   A photo posted by @grubandgrog on Mar 3, 2015 at 6:47am PST Moo'd Cereal House, 59 Otley RoadHead to the land of students to grab a bowl of cereal at any time of the day. If you think that's not the most imaginative breakfast, then you haven't been there. Moo'd source their cereals from all over the world and if you wa