A visit to Pudsey could be all the rage this Spring

There’s no better way to spend a beautiful Spring morning than by taking a walk around Pudsey. Following a recent move from the Farsley area, it felt like a good time to explore my new, yet familiar surroundings and take in the sights and the wonderful businesses of Pudsey, too.

Spring mornings in Pudsey can be best embraced by starting the day with a visit Amber’s Little Cakery, a plant based cafe and cake business on Fartown, which is part of the under-appreciated outskirts of the town centre.

This independent is a vegan oasis, offering dairy free treats, affordable breakfasts and is in close proximity to the jewel in Pudsey’s crown. It may be off the beaten track but it’s also in between everywhere so is worth a visit, and it’s a cracking place to start off your day’s adventures to boot.

Once you have tried some of Amber’s delightful treats, I strongly recommend taking a gentle stroll to Fulneck. Fulneck feels like you have been transported back in time to the 1700s when the Moravians sought refuge here after fleeing their homeland from religious persecution. They have left an amazing legacy in Fulneck, with historic buildings, a museum, a school and many more hidden surprises worth a day trip of discovery. One part of Fulneck did take me by surprise, that was the small hidden theatre located just off the main road. My interest was piqued here when I came across a poster advertising their upcoming performance, “A chorus of disapproval”.

If you’re still feeling peckish or quenching for thirst at this point, then why not drop by No 54 Tearooms and Antiques? They serve mouthwatering lunches alongside the only Chai Latte for what feels like miles. Central Pudsey is also spoilt for midday eateries and drink establishments. Pudsey has a wonderful collection of cafe’s and coffee shops such as Cafe Rain, Olde Booths Tea Rooms, Bean and Gone and many others should you find yourself wandering through the town centre.

From one quirky place to another, I recently dropped by The Fleece on Fartown, one of the two Good Beer Guide pubs that can be found in Pudsey. The Fleece has eccentric furniture to rival that of No 54 Tearooms and Antiques but only drinks plus light snacks are on sale here. The latter you could essentially buy a coffee whilst almost being able to purchase the beautiful table and chairs you sat at.

Pudsey has many projects and community groups that fly under the radar such as Greenside Greenway, a campaign group turned registered charity aiming to transform a former railway line from Pudsey to Tyersal into a recreational footpath for the purposes of preserving a natural habitat and local history. This visionary and planet saving initiative sits just around the corner from the Pudsey Community Project that operates a food bank and of course the work of MyPudsey volunteers working to promote this town during a difficult time is highly commendable too.

Pudsey has an endless supply of groups and charities that deliver small beacons of hope everywhere you look. Take the Litter Free Pudsey group that seem to be pounding the pavements on a near endless basis keeping the streets clean of litter and rubbish. You also have Pudsey in Bloom that has transformed the Town Centre in to a haven of beautiful plant life and has sighted many troughs in the area. We’re not going to miss out on Pudsey House here either, Pudsey house offers everything from coffee mornings right through to Yoga sessions. Located just around the corner from Pudsey House we also have Pudsey Wellbeing Centre which holds a treasure trove of community events. The Community feeling in Pudsey is tangible.

It’s not just volunteers helping Pudsey edge towards a better tomorrow but also talented musicians gracing the many fantastic pubs in Pudsey such as The Royal, The Commercial and The Golden Lion – and those 3 are just the ones within 2 minutes of each other. Pudsey town centre is also a hive of activity on a weekend with live performances to DJs spinning dance music at the various establishments. The locals going for a pint, those who run our pubs and everyone in between paving the way for bigger events ahead that help put Pudsey on the map.

Heading away from the town centre towards Stanningley is Richardshaw Lane. Richardshaw Lane is home to two of the most inspired Indian restaurants in Leeds. From street food at Funky Indian to a classy contemporary affair at East, where you could eat the best paneer korma whilst a pianist taps away on the restaurant’s piano. If you’re around these parts during the daytime then savoury purchases from Growlers is definitely a must.

Lowtown is an extremely familiar jaunt. During my school years at Pudsey Grangefield I spent what felt like most of my lunchtimes sampling chip buttys at Wetherby Whaler, more recently I have sampled the delights of The Pantry where I ordered a mouthwateringly delicious cheese & tomato panini. 15 years later and still keeping my belly happy on Lowtown. Following all that food, Altered Image Gym is just a bit further down the road and handy to help me chip away at lockdown weight gain caused by enjoying far too many local takeaways.

A hop away from these two busy streets is Pudsey Market, trading regularly on a Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. Pudsey Market is also the home of Pudsey Produce and Craft Market which operates on the first Sunday of every month. My personal favourite stall here is Sweet Memories by Ann, the shop is run by Ann Taylor that back in my school days owned a sweet shop in the town but now pops up on Fridays, Saturdays and at the Craft market.

This is My Pudsey so I look forward to reading all about yours.