Heaney & Mill is a deli and restaurant located on Otley Road, serving a range of British and fusion dishes using locally sourced ingredients. Like all other eateries across the UK, Heaney & Mill closed its doors to diners for months, as we all navigated the worst of the pandemic in winter 2021.
Although the eatery has been keeping Headingley fed since the pandemic hit, with groceries, BBQ and grills, cook at home roast dinners and weekend pancakes, Heaney & Mill only re-opened for diners to eat ‘in’ (on their large pavement terrace) on April 12th. I was really excited to head back to the popular restaurant, and so I booked a table for two for Sunday evening.
We arrived at Heaney and Mill to see the terrace bustling with happy diners enjoying their meals and drinks in the late afternoon sun. After a short wait, we were shown to a table in the middle of the terrace. Our table was away from a heater, which wasn’t an issue as the weather was being kind, and it was right under an umbrella, so we would have been well protected should the heavens have decided to open.
We had a look over the menu and quickly chose our meals, opting to go for the lamb roast dinner and the salmon teriyaki. We decided not to go for a starter, although there were lots that looked great.
The lamb roast came with all the trimmings, including a generous portion of steamed vegetables, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, cauliflower cheese, and a huge Yorkshire pudding. I loved the variety of sides, and particularly liked how the vegetables had been cooked in so many different ways. The meat itself was the stand out, as it should be, and it was perfectly cooked, well seasoned and easy to cut.
The salmon was also incredible. I loved the sweet richness of the sauce, and the combination of Asian flavours that were served with the dish, including the wasabi, ginger and edamame beans. The fish itself was cooked just how I like it, with flaking flesh with crispy skin. I couldn’t have asked for a better dish for a sunny Sunday evening.
We debated whether to go for desserts, but after realising we were happily full from our meals, we decided to save them for another visit.
Overall, our evening at Heaney and Mill was great. Our whole experience was relaxed and enjoyable, and the food was knockout. The COVID restrictions didn’t feel too crazy and yet we felt safe to enjoy our evening. We both had a great time and would not hesitate to go back.
Reserve a table: heaneyandmill.com
Order: just-eat.co.uk, deliveroo.co.uk, ubereats.com
Phone: 0113 278 1640
Photographs by Gemma Bridge.
