Danny Malin: ‘Shop local and independent this Christmas - keep these Leeds businesses alive’
In his weekly column for the Yorkshire Evening Post, Danny Mei Lan Malin shares why we should all shop local this Christmas.
I’ve already started shopping around for our Christmas dinner and putting in pre-orders for my favourite ingredients.
We’ve got 15 people around our table this year and it’s the one meal I cook each year so it has to be memorable.
I’m not a fan of chicken or turkey as it’s dry and bland but I do love a bit of lamb and duck on the table - all from the local butchers, of course.
It’s not just about the big roast on Christmas day, this is my favourite foodie season.
When you wander through markets you can already smell the ginger, nuts and cinnamon while sipping on a nice bit of mulled wine.
I particularly love all the cheese too. Brie and cranberry toasties are a must for cheese lovers like me. I love a good strong mature cheddar or Yorkshire Blue too.
While I know youngsters love all the artisan cheeses, fancy combinations and even a cheese advent calendar, I’d rather select my own 24 blocks of cheese.
We really do have to try shop local and independent if we want to keep these businesses alive.
People always think that businesses pay us to do reviews but we’d never charge for an honest review. I know others do but I’d hate to not showcase an incredible takeaway just because they couldn’t afford us.
I’m more than happy to assist any cheese business by paying for fondues, cheese boards, toasties and of course the humble tattie (jacket potatoes).
Talking of Yorkshire Blue, I’ll be giving Blue the boyband a taste of my Yorkshire tunes when I perform at Broadway this Saturday.