From Caviar to Coal Fires: How Leeds’ Fine Dining Scene is Reinventing Itself One Charred Carrot at a Time

The Fires are burning at Emba Leeds

Chef Liz Cottam, of Masterchef and Great British Menu fame, knows this better than most. After seven years of serving up luxury on a plate at HOME — where diners dropped up to £300 a head and prayed to the reservation gods for a table — she shut the doors in late 2024. Why? Because the cost of truffle oil went through the roof and the electricity bill made her cry actual béarnaise.

“It wasn’t a blip,” Liz said. “It was a culinary collapse.” We’re paraphrasing, but that’s the gist.

Now she’s back with a vengeance (and a coal fire) at emba, her stripped-back, heart-led eatery in Holbeck, where theatre takes a backseat to soul. Gone are the edible flower petals and tweezers — in their place: smoky, humble brilliance. And rather than dipping into a Swiss bank account, Liz crowdfunded the lot. Yorkshire, you absolute legends. You funded this fire-kissed foodie dream to the tune of £67,000.

Vivek is back…

A few streets over, another Masterchef alum is stepping into the northern spotlight. Vivek Singh, the man behind London’s Cinnamon Collection, is opening Cinnamon Kitchen at Leeds’ Queens Hotel. Yep, it’s the city’s first Indian fine dining restaurant, and yes — he’s putting Yorkshire rhubarb on the menu because Vivek knows exactly where he is.

Asked why Leeds? He shrugged (probably elegantly) and said, “Why not Leeds?” Solid answer, really.

While some restaurants have bowed out, others are just getting warmed up — sometimes quite literally on an open fire. The fine dining scene in Leeds isn’t gone. It’s just swapping its tuxedo for a pair of overalls, rolling up its sleeves, and getting stuck into what really matters: flavour, fire, and food made with feeling.

 This article is based on original reporting by the BBC.

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