Hepworths Deli - Weekend Deliciousness

When I was invited to work with Barclays as part of their Barclay card independent retailer campaign I knew I simply couldn’t resist. I was asked to choose my favorite independent retailer (naturally I’d have said my own shop, LVNDR but I’m sure that’s against the rules and a bit bias) so instead, I went for the obvious option, a place which I rave on about and have long wanted to share with you, Hepworth's Deli. Now if you’re on a diet, or healthy eating, you’re in the wrong place and should probably head over to my detox post, however, if you like breaking the rules and are well into your food, then you’re in for a treat, as Instagram hashtags go, this place is serious #foodporn. Get ready for the best deli in town…

Barclay’s kindly gave me a £50.00 voucher towards my day so I treated three of my favorite people, my mum, brother and Jack to a Saturday lunch catch up.

Tucked away down the beautiful Thorton’s arcade in Leeds is this little hidden gem, don’t worry if you’re not from Leeds, it’s well worth the trip (and I’ll happily come with you to eat here if you need to persuade someone).

I am far too excited to share this little gem with you but also quite gutted as my secret is out and now you’ll all know where I spend most of my time, let’s just hope that everyone eats there and forces Hepworth’s to go global (more delis please). 

I first came across Hepworth’s on instagram, someone uploaded a photograph and I knew that I needed to sample their delectable deli platter. I checked out their website and found out that they have a pretty incredible menu (which is more than affordable). I’ve never seen food so good, at such an affordable price.

Joe Hepworth is the man behind this dreamy deli, I’m yet to meet the genius himself but I have heard a lot about him, after stalking his website I’ve seen that he also does wedding catering and private parties, after seeing how good his deli food is, I’m dying to pay for him to come and cook a dinner party for me (Mum please hurry up and get remarried so we can hire him to do the catering).

To start, naturally we ordered my favourite, the Hepworth’s platter. This is around £15.00 for a large one (you could easily have this for a main – it’s huge and SO filling) and they do a number of platters which start at only £8.00 – insane for how much you get (and how good it is to Instagram – think of the Instagram love).

My brother went for the fish finger sandwich, to my jealousy because I wanted to get this too but we didn’t want to order the same thing. Fries seem to have recently been added to the menu and they were blooming gorgeous. The sandwiches come with fries for around £5.95 which is very good considering the portion size and the quality of the food.

Mum went for a smoked salmon salad, I’m not a salmon or a salad lover and even I’d have eaten this. 

I went for the special, sausage and mash – no-one beats my Mum’s mash but we all agreed that Joe could actually give her some tough competition.  Maybe we should have a ‘mash off’.

Jack got the pulled pork sandwich (much better than the hyped up Reds Tru BBQ which I personally don’t rate at all). The slaw which comes with it is my Mum’s fave.

I don’t understand why Joe isn’t on The Great British Bake Off because his cakes are simply irresistible. Who wouldn’t want to eat all of these? I often pop in to buy a peanut butter brownie to take away. It was a tough choice but we went for a macaroon (even better than the authentic macaroons that I ate on my trip to Paris), a marshmallow brownie and the banoffe pie. 

Not only does Hepworths sell gorgeous food, they also sell incredible hampers and gorgeous gifts too. Goodbye Harvey Nichols, I know where my hampers will be coming from from now on!

I’d like to say a huge thank you to Barclay card for allowing me to enjoy and divulge in a beautiful afternoon with my nearest and dearest (read about their new freedom rewards card here), but also to Joe and everyone at Hepworth’s for catering for us. Hepworth’s reminds me of something that you’d see on Harry Potter, it’s tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city down a beautiful arcade – like a secret hideout, and it’s kind of like a mini rustic paradise inside. The food is more than worth the money and the presentation of the food just makes my camera click away for instagram purposes – I’ve never come across food which tastes so good. Hepworth’s is unique and truly does deserve all the recognition it can get. My only complaint? Joe needs to open a restaurant now too as there isn’t enough good stuff like this around.

I have missed writing lifestyle posts SO much, I am so happy to be writing this! If you like my foodie reviews there are plenty more here and hopefully something for everyone – I guess I just love food.

Have you ever been to a deli like this? Do you like the look of the food?

Lots of love, Em x

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