New Leeds pizza restaurant offers 1000 free meals to celebrate its launch

Alex Gibbon on 2 September 2021

Pizza Punks, an Italian restaurant chain specialising in sourdough pizza, fresh pasta and craft cocktails, is offering 1000 lucky customers the chance of a free meal in their new site in Leeds city centre. As part of their 1k meal giveaway, all you have to do is register here on their website for a free pizza or pasta dish during their opening weeks.

A Night Out at Roxy Ball Room

Anushka Searle on 28 July 2021

With the new found freedom and cocktail nights breaking the bank it’s time to find an alternative night out…enter Roxy. Roxy Ball Room, nicknamed “Roxy’s”, is the night out that every friend will enjoy. Whether you simply want a drink, a game of pool, a pizza night or a full night of activities, Roxy’s has a lot to offer. On my visit to their Merrion street location I was lucky enough to test out their duckpin bowling and crazy pool, alongside a pizza, some drinks, and of course I brought some friends along for the ride too.

Duckpin Bowling

A fun and quick alternative to your average game of bowling. Each player gets three tries each go, in comparison to the usual two, meaning that you can rake up a pretty high score. The only downside is that the game was a tad glitchy for us as the pins often came down with the front pin missing, making it impossible to get a strike. On the upside, the game was really fun, you get lots of rounds, and it is right next to the bar! Who doesn’t want a bit of drunk bowling?

Crazy Pool

Never have I ever seen crazy golf combined with pool before, but Roxy’s made that happen. You are presented with a variation of different tables with loops and obstacles at varying difficulties and you have six tries to get the ball in the hole. We had lots of fun with this game, and it was great to try something new. My one suggestion would be that the tables are too smooth so we often ran into the problem of the ball rolling off the table or getting stuck in the exact same place, this could also be improved by changing the sides of the table so that the ball can bounce off of them.

Pizza Time

With all those games and drinks you are bound to work up an appetite and Roxy’s pizza is there to solve that problem. If you’re a bit peckish then you can buy by the slice, but let’s be honest a full pizza is always the better choice. Roxy’s has recently changed their pizza bases and my Italian boyfriend was thoroughly impressed by them. My only point of criticism is that their pizza range is very limited, with only two vegetarian options (including margherita) and no vegan or gluten free option. If they improve their menu to include a few more topping and base options, then their pizza would be incredible.

Overall, the five of us had a great time at Roxy’s and the staff was amazing and very friendly. I would definitely recommend Roxy’s to anyone that hasn’t been as it is a great location for birthdays, befriending flatmates, or a simple games night. Roxy’s is everchanging and I can’t wait to see how they develop this fantastic business further.

No thanks Estrid, we’ll reclaim our own body hair

Fern McErlane on 9 July 2021

‘Hey friend,’ the email read. ‘I’ve got a super-smooth surprise for you.’

It was from Estrid, one of the many ‘revolutionary’ feminine hair removal companies springing up recently. You may yourself have spotted their pastel-pink razors plastered across Instagram or creeping into your DMs.

The offending email was infantilising, playing on Gen-Z terminology to hook in a customer – “we’re like you!” the email screamed. Between liberal rainbow and heart emojis, they denoted themselves as a ‘female-first razor brand that celebrates inclusivity, body positivity, and equality’. They even offered a free razor, all for the low price of an #ad on your personal Instagram account. Now that all sounds good in theory, doesn’t it? But how exactly do they fit into a new era in which empowered personal choice shapes consumerism?

Image credit: Harper’s Bazaar 1922

Though body hair removal has been practiced by women for centuries, only more recently has it become a ‘necessity’ through social stigmatisation. The first female-specific razor was introduced to the market in 1915 by Gillette – the Milady Décolleté. Beneath this flowery name lay the new implication that body hair was unsanitary and unsightly, with shame functioning as a vehicle to further this new industry. Thus, the war against female body hair was born.

Feminine razor and hair removal companies have built their empire by creating a problem and inspiring insecurity. Women shouldn’t be hairy, they told us. Women should be smooth, sleek, sexual. This message stuck, for the most part, until very recently when self-empowerment and body positivity movements changed the game. Body hair removal brands now occupy an uncomfortable space, and have quickly changed tack, with new businesses bubbling up to fill the emergent market gap.

Image credit: Fern McErlane

Gillette now gleefully crows ‘Say pubic!’ on their social media, openly celebrating hair-down-there, and shares ‘feminist icon’ Ruth Bader-Ginsburg quotes. It’s a far cry from the ‘embarrassment’ of female body hair that they previously shilled. Estrid’s Instragram account is flush with carefully curated, aesthetically pleasing images, and memes likely created by an underpaid intern. They do raise valid points surrounding the necessity of vegan, cruelty-free, and sustainable products (something that in my opinion they should focus more upon). Yet, there is no admission from Gillette, or any other brand in the industry, of their part in creating the body hair stigma that they now “fight” against. In the era of real body positivity movements, it cloys of corporate desperation. More importantly, there is an unspoken unwillingness to take the blame. Should we let the same businesses that shamed and politicised our bodies now encourage us to choose for ourselves? It’s important to remember that as appealing these new brands may be, they’re not your friends. They’re selling you something, be it a product, or an idealised lifestyle (attainable only by using said product).

So, to these companies, my takeaway message is: back off. If we want to seek you out, we will. You don’t get to offer us a choice that was our own to make in the first place.

(But thanks for the free razor.)

Literary Calendar: Books to Look Forward to in 2021

Emma Rivers on 6 March 2021

Emma Rivers introduces twelve of the best books to look forward to in 2021, including powerful poetry, short story collections and children’s books that are bringing neurodiverse representation to the forefront. Add these books to your ‘to-buy’ list right away!

Poundland Perfumes Giving Marc Jacobs and Viktor & Rolf a Run for their Money

Anushka Searle on 1 March 2021

Love a designer dupe? Well, look no further than Poundland’s perfume range…that’s right, perfume for a pound! With most designer perfumes ranging from £50-£100 and made from ingredients that can cost as little as 20p, it is no wonder people are thrilled about this bargain. So, I decided to take a closer look at their ingredients and put them to the test…

Lily Petals vs. Marc Jacobs’ Daisy

Like many others, I am a fan of Marc Jacobs’ Daisy and the whole range of Daisy perfumes and so it is a scent that I have memorised, and Lily Petals did not disappoint. Lily Petals smells almost identical to the Marc Jacobs version. If you compare the ingredients between the two Lily Petals has 52.94% of the same ingredients as Daisy, with the addition of the cheaper oil, Hydrogenated Castor Oil.  Ingredients not included in the dupe include Acrylates/Octylacrylamide Copolymer (microplastics), Benzophenone-3 (absorbs UV and can cause allergic reactions), Benzyl Benzonate (used to treat lice), BHT (used to treat Herpes), Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (absorbs UV and can disrupt glands), Ethylhexyl Salicylate (absorbs UV)¸ Methyl 2-Octynoate (synthetic fragrance), and Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters (used as an emulsifier). Considering only one of these ingredients is contributing to the fragrance it is unsurprising that Lily Petals smells so similar. Also, as Lily Petals seems to lack a lot of the UV absorbing ingredients, I would recommend keeping the bottle away from direct sunlight. That being said, it appears that the £59 price tag for 50ml is mainly down to unnecessary ingredients, a fancy bottle and branding. I have to say I do miss the beautiful Daisy bottle, but £1 for 100ml is pretty convincing. I also decided to test the longevity of the perfume; I put Lily Petals on each wrist at 10am and although the scent was weak for me, my boyfriend said he could still smell it at 8pm.

Rating: 3/5

Fleur Bloom vs. Viktor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb

Flowerbomb is another personal favourite of mine, but as it is £78 for only 50ml it is definitely not one for a student budget. Though Fleur Bloom does smell extremely similar to Flowerbomb, it only has 35.29% of the same ingredients as the original. Fleur Bloom has the additional ingredients of PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, D&C Yellow No.11 and FD&C Yellow No.6 and these colour ingredients do make the perfume look a lot more yellow than the original. Ingredients that are not found in Fleur Bloom include Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate and Benzyl Benzonate – both of which were not included in Lily Petals – along with Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (absorbs UV), Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate (an antioxidant), Benzyl Alcohol (fragrance and human neurotoxin) Citral (natural scent), and many colour ingredients (Ci 19140 / Yellow 5, Ci 60730 / Ext. Violet 2 Ci 17200 / Red 33). In terms of ingredients Fleur Bloom does not match up to Lily Petals, but it is still a good dupe nonetheless and I find the scent to be exceptionally similar. I tested the longevity of Fleur Bloom; I put it on my wrists at 11am and amazingly the scent was still strong when I went to bed! So, although Fleur Bloom loses against Lily Petals on ingredients, it is a clear winner for a long-lasting fragrance.

Rating: 4/5

Living Green: From Almond to Oat – Your Ultimate Guide to Plant-Milks

Alicia Ward on 5 December 2020

In 2019, 32% of UK households bought dairy-free milk. With the prevalence of lactose allergies, the rise in people converting to veganism and increasing awareness of the negative environmental impact of purchasing dairy, it comes as no surprise that more people are going dairy-free. But with all of the different plant milks that are available to buy, from those made with nuts to rice to coconut, which is the best? And what is it that people look for when choosing a plant milk?

Round 1: Cost

Some – especially students – may be swayed by the price when choosing from the huge variety of plant milks that UK supermarkets offer. Based on a litre of Alpro milk at Tesco’s almond, cashew and coconut milk appear to be the most expensive, retailing for £1.70 a carton, with oat and rice following at £1.40 and soya the cheapest at £1.30 a litre.

However, if you’re looking for luxury when choosing a plant milk and can compromise on price, Califia Farms is a brand that sells plant milks infused with sweet flavours like vanilla and even sell litre bottles of chilled coffee made with dairy-free milk. But you may find yourself dishing out a whopping £2.95 for some of these.

A little tip for those wanting to switch to dairy-free milk on a budget is to have a look in the long-life milk section on the shelves in supermarkets, where many sell their own-brand plant milks. For example, Tesco’s own almond milk retails for £1 a litre and their soya milk is just 85p. However, bear in mind that some of the supermarket-own brand milks can taste slightly different to the Alpro versions so you might want to buy a selection to see which you prefer.

Round 2: Taste

Speaking of taste, it is common that plant milks all work well for different uses. PETA UK give recommendations as to which plant milks are best for different things. For tea and other hot drinks, they recommend oat milk. I strongly agree, as oat milk makes a deliciously creamy coffee or hot chocolate. Many people agree that oat milk tastes the closest to cow’s milk in tea and it’s very important for us Brits to get a cup of tea right!

For cereal, almond milk is recommended by PETA. With its light texture and nutty taste, it is great poured over any cereal, especially nutty granola. I personally think almond milk is also great in any chilled drinks like iced coffees or milkshakes.

Soya milk is preferred for baking; with its creamy and sweet taste, it’s a great substitute for cow’s milk in anything from cookies to cakes. Try unsweetened soya for savoury cooking – to make a roux for a dairy-free lasagne – or try coconut milk stirred into a homemade soup for some extra flavour.

Round 3: Health & Nutrition

As some people can be intolerant or allergic to soy, soya milk is not the best health-wise, however, it is the most nutritionally similar to cow’s milk. Soya milk contains as much protein as cow’s milk but is lower in calories, low in saturated fat, cholesterol-free and offers nearly 50% of the daily recommended intake of vitamin b12 (which is generally lacking in a vegan diet).

While it lacks protein, unsweetened almond milk is the lowest-calorie option on the market with just 30 calories a cup, however, this isn’t an option for those with nut allergies. Oat milk is an alternative choice for those with nut or soya allergies but also great for everyone, containing a good amount of protein, being high in fibre and available as a gluten-free option.

Round 4: Environmental Impact

Despite soya milk using four times less water to produce than cow’s milk, two times less land and producing two and a half times less CO2 emissions, there is still a lot of controversy surrounding the effects of soybean farming. The WWF state that ‘behind beef, soy is the second largest agricultural driver of deforestation’, however, 70-75% of the world’s soy is used as feed for livestock and farmed fish. So, if you’re buying soya milk because you are vegan, your contribution to the deforestation caused by soybean farming is already massively reduced.

Despite the downsides of soya milk, it also has its advantages. Soya milk production uses the least amount of water compared to other plant milks, taking just 28 litres to produce 1 litre, compared to the mind-blowing 628 litres that it takes to produce just 1 litre of cow’s milk.

In comparison, almond milk uses half the amount of water as cow’s milk (371 litres) and is the highest out of all the plant milks. Almond cultivation has also had its fair share of controversy. California, which provides 80% of the world’s almonds, frequently experiences droughts which have become increasingly worse over the past decade. It takes 5 litres of water to produce a single almond, meaning that these mass exports are taking away from the local communities.

Winner!

It appears that oat milk comes out on top as the most favourable plant milk. Not only is it suitable for soya and nut allergy sufferers, but can also be gluten-free, has little impact on climate change and deforestation compared to other milks and is one of the cheapest available in UK supermarkets.

Despite this, all plant milks are great alternatives to cow’s milk. Whether you choose to buy them for lifestyle choices, allergies or just because you prefer the taste, each one can offer something different.

Next time someone asks you what the big plant milk hype is about, tell them they really ‘oat’ to know more…

Make this Christmas greener: ways to be kinder to the planet over the festive season.

Alicia Ward on 20 November 2020

Did you know that Christmas is considered ‘the world’s greatest annual environmental disaster’? According to Business Leader, we use 125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging for gifts, with 794,000kg of CO2 being emitted during the production of wrapping paper alone, not to mention the impact of wasted wrapping paper. 

It’s fair to say that Attenborough wouldn’t approve of the continuation of our current festive habits. However, it’s not yet too late for change. Having an environmentally friendly Christmas is so easy with a spoonful of swaps and a pinch of creativity.

Gifts

Conventional Christmas gifts are wrapped in layers of plastic and often discarded after Christmas, with a whopping 40% of children’s toys being thrown away by March every year! It’s so important to make sure that the gifts you’re giving this year also give back to the environment. How about baking festive treats for someone? These can be stored in a glass jar with decorative twine and a homemade paper label – gift packaging that can be reused for years to come. Or buy experiences for those people who are usually so hard to buy for. These could include restaurant vouchers, concert tickets or even a session at a trampolining centre for the kids (that the adults can also join in with). Eco-friendly gifts like a metal water bottle or a keep-cup are great for their long-term impact on the environment. 

For any other green gift ideas check out some amazing UK sites like The Ethical Superstore, The Green Tulip and Plastic Freedom, which stock everything from organic clothing to gorgeous wooden and metal decorations.

Decorations

Speaking of decorations, keep an eye out for items to display around the house during the festive season when you’re on your next winter walk. Evergreen branches, flowers, holly leaves and berries and even dried oranges and cinnamon sticks will make your home feel and smell festive! Decorate the Christmas tree with pinecones on ribbons, punch a hole in polaroid pictures of you and your friends to hang on a branch, or make homemade decorations as a house, or with younger siblings at home. 

This year, my housemates and I have set ourselves a challenge to decorate the Christmas tree with unconventional decorations that we can find around the house. As well as having a laugh together it also makes the decorations personal, rather than the usual red and gold plastic baubles that everyone and their Gran has. 

Gift wrap

Make sure you have the best looking presents this year with the new and greener way to wrap gifts that has become so popular in the last few years. Using brown paper, old newspaper or even cutting up and using the paper shopping bag that you bought the presents in can make your wrapping look rustic and chic, as well as being great for the planet. Get some inspiration on Pinterest and switch up your wrapping with strips of waste-paper, fabric ribbons and decorative flowers and branches. Learn a new skill with the style of Japanese wrapping, Furoshiki: the art of wrapping gifts in a bundle of fabric. 

Cards

Send a virtual video message to your loved ones this year to save on wasted card and paper, or go for another green alternative with seed paper cards. Seed paper can be planted in soil and watered to grow beautiful wildflowers. Not On The High Street are currently selling their eco-friendly seed paper cards in the style of woodland creatures. Each card comes with a little paper hedgehog, squirrel or other animal for the receiver to plant, and it’s only 95p to deliver them anywhere within the UK!

Christmas Dinner

Enjoy an ethical and sustainable Christmas dinner this December with some delicious vegan food. M&S’ vegan Christmas range is unbeatable this year with ‘No-Chorizo pigs in duvets’, their Plant Kitchen butternut, almond and pecan nut roast, and their vegan chocolate torte or sticky toffee pudding for dessert. Other Christmas classics are also very easily made vegan, such as Christmas pudding, roast veg, Yorkshire puddings and gravy. Check out vegan chef Gaz Oakley’s “Vegan Christmas” cookbook and the Vegan Food & Living Magazine Christmas edition – subscribe for a year and receive a £30 voucher for the Vegan Kind Supermarket!

Christmas Tree

If you want the smell of pine needles in the house this Christmas and don’t fancy buying a fake tree (which would have to be used for at least 20 years before it is classed as a greener option) please dispose of your tree wisely once the festive season is over. Residents from LS6 postcodes and 9 other postcodes can book to have their tree collected from the door between 7th and 11th January 2021. Simply visit events.st-gemma.co.uk and choose ‘Christmas Tree Collection’. Alternatively, there are eight different recycling centres in Leeds that accept Christmas trees, including Kirkstall and Meanwood Recycling Centres.

There are also services outside of Leeds that rent out and then replant the trees! Do some research to see if your family could use this service, or for anyone from the Leicester, Coventry and Nottingham areas you can use www.loveachristmastree.co.uk. 

Don’t want the hassle of messy pine leaves but don’t want to support a business selling trees of plastic? Purchase a fake tree that you can reuse for many years to come on Gumtree or from a local charity shop. Or if you and your house see no point in getting a tree for the 3 weeks before you all go home for Christmas, decorate your house plant that has been sitting there bare for 11 months of the year!

Have a greener Christmas this year by being kinder to the planet and your conscience. Whether it’s taking up a new hobby in Furoshiki, having a browse on The Ethical Superstore, or sending cards that can be planted to make wildflowers, make sure you enjoy Christmas this year and send joy to the world!

‘Becoming vegan is a big missed steak’: Tips on Transitioning and Sticking to Veganism

Alicia Ward on 6 November 2020

Whether you’re thinking about going vegan or have recently transitioned and are struggling, these are some tips and tricks to help you stick to the lifestyle, as well as ways to make it fun and enjoyable.

Going vegan doesn’t mean you have to miss out! One of the most important things to do when you’ve recently become vegan is to make sure you’re still really enjoying your food. Veganism isn’t all kale salads and green smoothies. A great way to do this is to ‘veganise’ some of your old favourites so that you aren’t left craving them and wondering why you punished yourself by cutting out animal products. Whether its homely meals, sausage and mash or lasagne, or desserts that you didn’t even know could be made vegan, it’s important to make sure you’re still tucking into these whenever you want to. If you’re unsure how to make your favourite dishes vegan, try to find some recipes online, or ask a vegan friend for advice! Make cooking your new hobby and purchase a cookbook by amazing vegan chefs such as Gaz Oakley, Henry Firth and Ian Theasby (otherwise known as Bosh) or Deliciously Ella. There are also so many vegan cookbooks tailored to students as well, if you would prefer to follow quick, easy and cheap recipes.

Exploring shops that sell vegan products allows you to dive into the vegan world of delicious food! Have a look at local shops in Leeds, such as Out of This World or The Jar Tree that are both in the city centre. Explore the vegan sections in your local supermarkets – look out for ‘Free From’ labels or the big green V – or browse in your pyjamas at home on The Vegan Kind Supermarket’s website. Doing this made me realise that yes, vegan Nutella exists and yes, it is just as delicious. Also download apps like Happy Cow and Vanilla Bean to find vegan restaurants near you.

Did you know that chocolate bourbons and hobnobs are already vegan? And that there are such things as vegan advent calendars and easter eggs? Keep regularly updated with new vegan products and get to know what products are already accidentally vegan by following pages on Instagram like @accidentallyveganuk and @leedsvegandiary.

Remember it’s completely normal to have thoughts like ‘why am I doing this to myself?’ and ‘I might just give up on this whole vegan thing’. If you’re starting to feel disappointed in yourself, remind yourself of the reasons that you went vegan. Re-read those articles, speak to that person who changed your perspective, or re-watch those eye-opening documentaries.

DON’T BE TOO HARSH ON YOURSELF. In the first few months of transitioning, if missing out on that chocolate ice cream while you’re on holiday (I know this from experience) is making you annoyed at yourself, then just go for it. The vegan Gods won’t punish you. If that little cheat makes you realise ‘this tastes the same as the vegan version’ or ‘this isn’t even that amazing’, it will spur you on. After 4 or 5 months, the strong cravings for things like cheese and bacon will be replaced with the amazing vegan alternatives that you’ve found and, like me, it will become so easy and you won’t be able to imagine yourself eating any other way.

Worried about the social implications of becoming vegan? Will your friends and family think you’re just following a trend and now you’re going to preach at them? It’s important to be mentally prepared for the social stigma that unfortunately comes along with being vegan. Whether you’re choosing to make the transition for health reasons, the environment or animal welfare, these reasons can often be perceived by others as accusations that what they do or eat is wrong. Try to prepare how to explain to family and friends why you’ve chosen to become vegan so that they understand, but also to reinforce that you’re not trying to control or change what they eat, that you don’t think they’re horrible people and that being vegan doesn’t mean you’re going to be attacking them every time they pick up a chicken wing. Remember not to worry. At the end of the day it’s just food and if someone is aggressive with you because of what you choose to eat and not to eat, that’s on them.

Making some vegan friends can also be helpful to ask for advice, cook with or try out some plant-based restaurants or fast-food. Join groups like Leeds Vegans & Vegetarians on Facebook or the Vegetarian & Vegan society at LUU and also feel free to message me with any questions at @alicia_ward on Instagram. Whatever stage you’re at in your vegan journey, don’t be too harsh on yourself, explore new products and recipes and, most importantly, enjoy it!