When I first arrived in Leeds in the late 80s, I associated the word Tetley with the ubiquitous and somewhat unsettling image of ‘Tetley Bitter Men’ as defined by the late alt poet Seething Welles. The epitome of what it was to be a Yorkshire bloke. 40 years on I find myself in the ex headquarters of what was once the largest brewery in the north. All that remains here of the vast brewery is its name and the magnificent early 30’s art deco HQ.
We are here to sample an absolute veggie feast from the Tetley Winter Menu, curated by The Tetley’s Head Chef Jade Crawley, previously at ‘Eat Your Greens’. She brings sustainable and ethical dining to The Tetley. Raised a vegetarian, she has a preference for vegetarian and vegan food. She has radicalised the way in which The Tetley looks at food and supporting Jade in making a predominantly vegetarian offering. Meat is on the menu, but is kept as ethical and local as possible. I am delighted to hear that throughout January, everything on the menu can be made vegan. For vegans this will too often be a compromise. As I devoured each dish, I realised you will not find that here. Far from it.
The Tetley’s new brunch dishes – warm winter veg curry, mince pie, spring rolls, salad menu – were rich in colour and flavour. These dishes are made with fruits, nuts, pulses and cheese that are central to their creation. Jade Crawley is everything an excellent artist should be: passionate about her creative medium, bringing a sense of purpose to The Tetley Kitchen and providing creative culinary direction that the City of Leeds can learn from. The menu reflects her versatility and adventure and enables us to step out of our food comfort zone.
Jade talks us through the menu and ethos, demonstrating thorough research as she shares with us her latest creative work, revealing who her suppliers are and her quest for the perfect vegan cheeses. We are not eating any of those disappointing vegan cheeses we’ve had to endure in the last decade. Cashew cheese served with the winter salad and the vegan French toast made with flax egg is to die for. The food that comes out of the kitchen is extraordinary – rich in colour, with beautifully balanced flavours. The majority of the menu is made from scratch, reducing the amount of food waste and the number of air miles.
The Tetley hosts its fair share of exhibitions and performance, with three large shows a year. The food doesn’t just sit as a side note; it is integral to how The Tetley now thinks.
All profits from the food contribute to supporting its art programme. For January, Jade has designed a five course veggie and vegan menu in collaboration with The Angry Writers Collective ‘responding to the idea of providence, through poetry and a five course veggie experience’. I’m really excited about this. I feel events like this could be a precedent of what is possible at The Tetley, and indeed other art spaces, where food and art feed from each other.
I highly recommend The Tetley, not just as a great place to eat, but also a space where we learn how food and art can help us work toward a creative yet sustainable planet.
Cover photograph: Tetley Bar and Kitchen’s Head Chef, Jade Crawley. Credit: Tom Martin.
