On a recent sunny Saturday afternoon I was invited on a walking tour of Leeds by Jet2holidays to sample delicious food through some of the fantastic Jet2 destinations you can fly to from Leeds Bradford Airport. The meeting point was outside the Queens Hotel as being close to the city’s railway station was an ideal starting point. I’d had the pleasure of meeting Emma from Jet2 previously and after being introduced to her colleague David and saying a quick hello to some of the other invited bloggers, we were soon on our way.
Ellen from Leeds Food Tours had been joined by Linda from Leeds Walking Tours so not only were we enjoying tasty treats showcasing countries served by Jet2 from the local airport, but we also learnt some interesting facts about the city as we explored its centre.
Our first stop was to sample a German doner kebab at I Am Doner just a short stroll from the station. I’d always associated doner kebabs with Turkey but apparently they are the number one street food choice over in Berlin too. Ready for each of us was their classic Berlin inspired special. Wrapped in freshly prepared flat bread were generous slices of beef, tomato, feta and crispy fried vegetables topped with chilli sauce and garlic mayonnaise. The kebabs were declared delicious by all the group and with the portion size being so big, I was glad that I’d restricted myself to a small breakfast before leaving home that morning. As it’s a takeaway with only a few indoor seats it was an ideal place to mingle and chat with others invited on the tour. With Jet2 offering flights to Berlin, you’ll be able to sample one of these delicious treats whilst exploring the German capital.
Moving on, we were able to walk off the excesses of our kebabs as we strolled along to Park Row in the Leeds Financial Quarter. Linda, our walking tour guide paused occasionally to point out interesting buildings and snippets of local interest. I’d walked through Leeds city centre numerous times before but learnt lots of new things including the fact that Park Row was the first street in Britain to have permanent traffic lights installed back in 1928.
We’d come along Park Row not just for a history lesson but to experience the taste of Spain with a tapas lunch arranged for us at the El Gato Negro Tapas restaurant. A long table had been reserved in their stylish upstairs dining area where we were treated to a selection of flavoursome small plates utilising locally sourced ingredients.
I’ve spent many happy holidays in Spain and dining at this authentic tapas restaurant brought back fond memories of past trips and future ones to come. From city breaks to exciting destinations such as Barcelona and relaxing breaks basking in the sun in the Canary Islands, Balearics and along the Spanish coast, Jet2 have Spain covered.
Dragging ourselves away from the tastes of Spain, Greece beckoned next with a slightly longer walk allowing us to build up an appetite for the tempting food sensations in store for us. Tavernaki Bistro is a Greek Cypriot restaurant located just beyond The Headrow on Great George Street. From juicy olives to feta and Dolmades stuffed vine leaves, a traditional Greek chickpea stew and a dish of Gigantes white beans, it was certainly a feast for our senses.
I’ve only visited Greece once and that was on a family holiday to Crete around 10 years ago, so I’m long overdue a return especially after tasting such fresh and flavoursome dishes served to us in the taverna. I’ll certainly be taking a look to see what’s on offer from Jet2’s Greek collection from Kos, Rhodes, Corfu, Halkidiki or even a return visit to Crete, I’m sure I’ll be spoilt for choice.
Could we possibly eat any more, I wasn’t so sure but on inhaling the aromas coming from the open kitchen at Stuzzi’s Italian Bistro on Merrion Street I was easily tempted into tucking into one of their delectable Arancini balls.
I’ve munched my way through plenty of these Scillian street food staples during visits to both Palermo and Catania but have to admit that the one’s here in Leeds were up with the best.
The large, deep fried pea and mint risotto balls were bursting with flavour and the melting buttery centre to die for. Italy is one of my favourite countries, from taking city breaks in Rome, Venice, Naples and Rome to exploring beautiful Tuscany from Pisa or the Amalfi Coast from Naples there’s something for everyone.
Setting off again, our final destination to explore was Turkey so we headed to the street food court at the rear of Leeds City Markets.
Again, Linda our walking tour guide pointed out interesting tidbits of information along the way taking us to see the Marks & Spencer heritage stall which opened in the market in 2013 near to where the original Penny Bazaar operated from. From those small beginnings M&S has evolved into a global brand familiar to us all.
For our taste of Turkey we were handed authentic mackerel sandwiches just like one’s on offer whilst visiting Istanbul and other parts of Turkey. As with the other cuisines sampled, these were also very flavoursome filled with grilled mackerel, onion, garlic and peppers.
The company have two outlets in Leeds Market, one a Turkish bakery and the other where we enjoyed the sandwiches called Mr. Mackerel which are both part of the Kirkgate Collective. So far, the only part of Turkey I’ve visited is Istanbul but with Antalya, Izmir, Bodrum and Dalaman all on offer from the Jet2 holidays base at Leeds Bradford airport I’ll soon be looking into where in Turkey to head next.
Well, that brought to an end our four hour guided Leeds Food Tour which had been really lovely. Visiting five venues across the city centre in four hours it never felt rushed and although portion sizes were quite generous I didn’t come away feeling too full, though definitely didn’t need an evening meal that day! Dining at three restaurants and two street food establishments was a good balance and an opportunity to sit or mingle with different members of the group in each place. I can’t believe how fast the four hours flew by, a definite sign of an afternoon well spent so if you are planning a weekend in Leeds do think of signing up to one of these tours which feature a wide selection of venues.
A big thank you to Jet2 and Jet2holidays for inviting me along to this event. Jet2 highlight that holidays should be about the experience and the creation of memories and that’s exactly what they created for me on this food tour exploring the cuisine of Germany, Spain, Greece, Italy and Turkey.
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I was a guest of Jet2 and Jet2Holidays and as always all views and opinions are entirely my own.
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