Girl Gone North Part 2: Leeds (via Mexico and Germany)

I've never really explored Leeds properly. I went there once for a university open day when I was 17 and then once back in first year to celebrate Anna's birthday, which pretty much descended into one night of outrageous drunken antics with Team GB's Olympic discus thrower in an incredibly cheesy converted church. So I haven't reeeeeally seen Leeds properly (although that remains as one of the most hilarious nights of my life- so for that alone Leeds, I thank you).

After seeing Anna's play on the Thursday we had a few days to experience what this great Northern city really has going for it. For me, a city can be judged pretty well on the quality/originality of its culinary houses and so this is where we started. After congratulating Anna and leaving her to get ready for her second performance of the evening, Saskia, Jenna, Alice and I headed over to Neon Cactus for a Mexican feast and to raise a glass to Alice for reaching the ripe old age of 21. With its high ceilings, moody red lighting, tequila lined walls and pumping music, Neon Cactus has a very cool vibe. The bar staff are friendly, chilled and helpful, and even managed to move a few people around so we could have a table.

Mexican food is a glorious cuisine. Chilli, beans, pulled pork, guacamole, salsas, jalepenos, chorizo and many other of my favourite ingredients are used abundantly, often wrapped up in soft warm fajitas and burritos. I fancied something a little crisper this time so plumped for the barbecue pulled pork and jalepeno nachos, which were meaty, cheesy, spicy and crispy- although they could have been more liberal with the guac/salsa/sour cream as I was left with a rather dry pile of nachos towards the end.

Either way, we gobbled up our Mexican extravaganza quicker than you could shake your maracas and before we knew it we were moving on to the next leg of the night. By this time Anna had finished her second performance and led us over to Belgrave Music Hall and Canteen for drinks. All of Leeds's bright young things seem to have gathered here; it was buzzing considering it was a random Thursday night. Long wooden tables stretched the length of the room and a live band played at the end under the glow of neon signs and Christmas lights.

Grabbing a few glasses of wine (warning- this place may have a down-to-earth and quirky vibe but the price for a large glass of wine is still pretty steep), we settled into some leather sofas, caught up on what we'd been up to since summer and people watched. What I really liked about it was its versatility. This place can suit any evening you fancy: its chilled enough for a casual drink or two with a friend, intimate enough to take someone on a date and fun enough for a big group knees up. They also have an awesome roof terrace, complete with garden shed and turfing. Why wouldn't you want a garden shed on a roof terrace? I surely do.

The next day was a real beauty. We awoke to blue sky stretching into the horizon and the sun just about taking the edge off the winter chill. This kind of bright, cold weather always puts me in the festive mood and so today's activities called for one thing. A Christmas market, of course.

I've spoken briefly about the German Christmas market in Bristol before, here. These markets set up their stalls in many of the big cities in the UK around Christmas time, however they vary in quality. If I'm honest the Bristol one is a bit of a let down- the ugly shops of Cabot Circus form the background for often half empty stalls (Sports Direct has never been a looker). Leeds's German market, however, is situated in Millennium Square with the Civic Hall, the Leeds City Museum and The Electric Press forming a very grand frame for the little market. There are double the amount of stalls than there are in its Bristolian counterpart and has a much wider array of filthily delicious foodie things. There was also a Lithuanian Santa wearing some killer shades and wandering around making balloon animals from a super trendy bum bag- a huge plus, securing it another firm victory over Bristol (sorry Briz- you're great at everything else).

 

After gorging ourselves on foot long hotdogs, garlic bread, chocolate strawberries, Nutella crepes and mulled wine, we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Leeds's shopping scene and walking off our food babies… in preparation for our evening meal and food baby number two of the day.

While Anna prepped for her millionth performance of the weekend, her lovely family kindly invited Saskia and I to join them for an early evening meal at The Botanist.

God… where to start? I could wax lyrical about this place so I'll keep it short and sweet. It is INCREDIBLE. As the name suggests, the restaurant has a botanical theme. Walking through you feel as if you've been transported to a sweet little English garden, complete with greenhouse and potting shed: terracotta plant pots are scattered everywhere, some even acting as lamp shades, rustic metal lanterns hang from the ceiling, mixed in amongst the festive greenery and, together with the low beamed ceilings, the place could not be more charming.

Oh, and the food is pretty damn spectacular as well, in taste and presentation. I went for the halloumi hanging kebab with sweet chilli, ginger and garlic butter (at Alice's very wise recommendation) and this not only tasted beautiful but was presented wonderfully. By far the tallest dish I have ever ordered, the kebab hung over a bowl of fluffy cous cous and/or chips, whilst circling overhead was a perforated metal dish. Into this you poured your garlic butter, which proceeded to drip seductively down the kebab into the bowl of goodness underneath. Before this turns into actual food porn I will stop, but I think you get the picture. Show stopping.

Anna's family had to rush off at this point to see her in action, however Saskia and I decided to stay and sample the pudding menu. Having been totally smitten with the hanging kebabs, we went for its sister pudding dish, the skewered banana dipped in coconut and toffee with vanilla ice cream. In much the same way as the garlic butter, the toffee sauce was poured into the little metal dish and dripped down the banana into the bowl of ice cream. Yes, I am aware that the inclusion of a banana makes this sound even more X-rated than the kebab. Control those minds you filthy things.

At the moment The Botanist's only branches are in Leeds and Manchester (curse you Northerners), but according to the waiter they are opening a restaurant in Leicester Square in the near future so those of us who aren't brave enough to weather the Northern clime will be able to enjoy one of their fabulous restaurants in the capital.

Olympians, Eastern European Santas and a wealth of culinary delights. Leeds, you have outdone yourself.

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Girl Gone North Part 1: Blood Wedding

One of the more harrowing experiences when finishing school and heading off to university, bright eyed and hopeful, is suddenly having your closest pals (and safety blankets) scattered to opposite ends of the country. Luckily, we all survived the withdrawal experience to tell the tale and are now proud to show off our chosen cities to our Sussex clan.

Two of my school pals ended up in Leeds, conveniently giving me a double excuse to brave the 6am Megabus and head up North. Anna studies Theatre and Performance and the last weekend of November saw the showing of her final piece. That weekend also happened to see in Alice's 21st birthday and, with all my official assessments for the term handed in, the decision to pay them both a little visit was a no-brainer.

As I've previously mentioned, I have a bit of a flair for the dramatic (whether that be conventional or unconventional). Anna described their piece as an immersive adaptation of Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca's play 'Blood Wedding'. I'm all for immersive theatre as it often gives each audience member their own individual experience, meaning that everyone takes away a little something from the performance which is personal to them. On entering the foyer of the theatre, stage@leeds, one of the cast approached us asking if we were with the bride or groom and bustled us all together to take a photo for 'the wedding album'. Immersive indeed! The 'groom' then appeared at the top of some stairs and the other cast members dotted through the crowd erupted into applause, soon followed gingerly by the rest of us.

The rest of the performance saw the audience become more and more involved in the action, from speaking with the cast members in the 'church' about how much we loved weddings whilst fruitlessly waiting for the bride to arrive, to binding the bride into her dress in a sort of dark maypole dance, which felt more like encasing her in a shroud than a celebratory dress. The piece was hauntingly atmospheric, played out under the interwoven spotlights and dark shadows. One of my favourite moments was when each member of the cast was framed in their own little square of light and, as if partaking in different workshops, the audience wandered around the performance space engaging with them.

One girl knelt in her little box of light with clippings of bridal magazines scattered around her; another spritzed herself with perfume and coyly flirted with the male members of the audience, whilst a particularly frantic character drew audience members into her box, tenderly embracing him/her before screaming at them to get out. Yikes. I'm probably the teeniest bit biased, but my favourite performance was Anna's; holding out two types of cakes, she divulged funny little anecdotes about losing weight for her wedding and her pressurising mother in a humorous and witty monologue with wickedly dark undertones, addressing the issues surrounding ideals of bridal beauty.

Next came another element which took the audience by surprise. We were plunged into darkness and a frantic 'search for the bride' ensued, led by flickering torchlight. When the light gradually appeared once more in the centre of the performance space, long swathes of material and hoops hung from the ceiling. The cast appeared and, one by one, took to the material and hoops and began a stunning aerial performance. Using these props to spin, flip and hang, the sequence was eerily hypnotic. Lord knows how the girls managed to manoeuvre themselves around the material and through the air with such grace and elegance. I don't even want to think about how I would maintain even a shred of dignity doing the same thing, but each element of the aerial echoed and heightened the haunting atmosphere established throughout. This sequence set up a sort of tranquility, ready to be shattered when the two male characters took over the space and, in a violent and fitful representation, used the material to depict a bloody and exhausting fight to the death. The final, lasting image of the two men, lifelessly hanging from the tangles of material, was utterly chilling and moving.

I defy anyone to have been bored during this piece of masterfully executed immersive theatre. Huge congratulations must go out to the cast and crew, and a big thank you for making it worth my spending 6 hours on a Megabus which featured concrete-hard seats and a gentle aroma of urine. I hope you all enjoyed the wedding as much as we did!

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