Exciting new traders join the winning Kirkgate team

Visitors to Leeds Kirkgate Market will soon be able to enjoy a host of new tasty treats from all over the world when a selection of exciting food and drink traders open their doors next month.

Combining a traditional Yorkshire market with an international flavour, the new traders will be joining a host of well-loved stall holders who have helped make Kirkgate become Britain’s favourite market.

As part of the multimillion pound redevelopment of Kirkgate Market, Leeds City Council put a call out earlier this year for fresh produce traders who would be interested in opening stalls and cafes in the newly refurbished indoor market. The response was extremely positive, with many more applicants than units available.

Leading the winning team at Kirkgate will be Manjit’s Kitchen, offering vegetarian Indian cuisine. Manjit’s Kitchen is well known on the festival and street food scene throughout the UK and is already a popular, award winning street food trader, whose Chaat Cart is often seen at events around the area. Kirkgate Market has been chosen by Manjit and Michael to provide a home for their business’s first ever fixed site.

The new space at Kirkgate Market, which also incorporates a dedicated performance space for hire, will now be the home to Banh and Mee Vietnamese street kitchen which will bring the vibrant culture of Vietnamese street food, from the streets of Hanoi to the streets of Leeds.

Bringing a touch of vintage sophistication to the market will be ‘Teapot’ a specialist tea room offering a wide variety of teas and coffees from all over the world, as well as serving selection of savoury and sweet pastries and muffins. Already a success story for Kirkgate Market, Teapot is expanding their concept, after first launching their popular and award winning stall in 2014. Offering teas and coffees from as far as Japan, Sri Lanka, Brazil and a number of other exotic locales, Teapot will help find the right beverage for everyone, to try and then to take home.

A traditional and truly ‘Yorkshire’ product - the humble Yorkshire pudding will be the focus of the Yorkshire Wrap company. Shoppers at Kirkgate Market will have the opportunity to try the unique Yorkshire pudding wrap – a Sunday roast wrapped in a Yorkshire pudding when the new café opens next month.

Leading independent Asian bakery Zm Zm (pronounced Zam Zam) will provide Kirkgate shoppers with an international twist on the traditional Yorkshire bakery, offering a world wide selection of bakery items including tandoori pizza, naan, chicken tikka pastries, baklava and Turkish bread. Zm Zm who already have a popular following at their shop in Harehills, will be bringing their exciting bakery produce right into the heart of Leeds city centre.

Jenny’s Jerk Chicken will bring Caribbean street food to Kirkgate Market, and with seating for customers both inside and outside the market, customers can have an authentic taste of the Caribbean wherever they shop. Owner Jenny is a ‘home grown’ success story, starting out as a licensed street food vendor on Kirkgate in the city centre. She is excited to be expanding her business to reach more customers than ever in her new location.

Councillor Richard Lewis, executive member for regeneration, transport and planning said:

“We are very proud to be able to announce these exciting and unique new traders joining us at ‘Britain’s favourite market’. They all bring something different to Kirkgate and I’m they sure will become very popular with our existing and new visitors alike.

“Kirkgate is already home to some amazing characters, bursting with history and offering amazing value. We are very proud of what the market already has to offer and there will always be a place for the traditional produce and traders which our customers already know and love.

“This is one of the most exciting developments happening in Leeds at the moment and these new traders will help create a market which is fit for the future, and encourage even more people to come and see what Kirkgate has to offer.”

As well as the new activity and dining area, and fully equipped event space with 8 metre LED screen, for the first time in its history, the market is bringing together meat, fish, game and other fresh food produce in one area. The existing well-known fishmongers, butchers, seafood stalls and greengrocers will already be there and will be joined by some new traders as well, including a Halal butcher which will be another first for Kirkgate Market.

Leeds City Council has invested over £13 million in a major refurbishment of the market, to future-proof the building as well as offering a new shopping and leisure experience. The redevelopment includes redesigning the layout and offering everything today’s shopper might expect – bright spacious fresh food areas, space for speciality markets, a dedicated events space and a place to meet friends, sample cuisines from around the world and make use of the free Wi-Fi. These smart new spaces will sit alongside the stunning architecture and traditional market layout of the Victorian and Edwardian halls. Whilst some of newly developed areas will open this summer, work on the further phases of the development will continue over the coming year.

Kirkgate was officially named as Britain’s favourite market at the annual conference of the National Association for British Markets earlier this year after it received the largest number of votes from the public.