'It's just a labour of love': Inside the one-man Leeds taproom winning fans with pies and pints
Dave Knowlson turned his love of pies and pints into a thriving one-man taproom in Leeds
On paper, Dave’s Pies & Ale is a tiny taproom on a busy stretch between Burley and Kirkstall, tucked into a corner that looks as though it has been there for decades.
In reality, it’s a one-man engine room of pastry, pints and personality, powered by someone who doesn’t even like calling himself a chef.
“I’m not a chef,” laughed owner and namesake Dave Knowlson, who opened the shop in 2021. “I’ve always cooked, I’ve always been around food, I’ve always worked in hospitality… From a bar point of view, I guess it’s just a labour of love.”
But that "labour of love" has helped him turn his compact bar and bakehouse into one of the city's most distinctive independent food spots.
Dave came to Leeds as a student in 1990 from the North East, drifted into bar work and never really left.
“I got into hospitality and have done that ever since,” he said.
That first job developed into a career and, eventually, business ownership.
His pie journey began while he was running The Grove in the city centre, particularly during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Forced to concentrate everything into the front taproom because of restrictions, he realised “you could just run it on just one member of staff” and still create that old-school, social atmosphere.
At Dave’s Pies & Ale, that concept has been scaled down and made permanent: a small room, a big reclaimed bar, and one person doing just about everything.
“Anyone who works in hospitality will know,” he said. “Being a bartender or a cook or a chef or front of house or whatever… it’s just a small part of it. Part psychologist, part plumber, part whatever needs doing.”
One minute, you might be rolling pastry. The next, you’re pouring a pint, cleaning tables or unblocking a toilet.
“You’ve just got to be prepared to get into doing it,” he said. “Every day allows for a bit of action and adventure.”
Despite the many hats worn by Dave, his business partner and their one part-time member of staff, the pies themselves are anything but improvised.
He talks about “good pastry, proper cuts of meat, well-seasoned, just good-quality ingredients.”
“You know exactly what’s in it,” he said. “It’s not something from the supermarket that’s got 40 ingredients in it… it’s got six things in it.
“Even though it is quite a routine process - lots of the same thing - we try and do specials through the week. We do some sausage rolls, we do a little bit of experimenting here and there, for better or worse.”
He approaches each batch with the same mindset.
“Still enjoyable, still approach it with eyes open, just hoping that every day is going to be the day they’re the best ones.”
Recent successes include the jalapeño and cheese sausage roll and a pork, chilli and apple version. The latter is topped with apple sauce, red chilli and a fiery relish from local producer Psycho Bill.
“Every time we make them, they fly straight out,” Dave said.
Running a business like this in 2026, however, is far from romantic. Asked about the hardest part, he doesn’t hesitate.
“Similarly to everyone, just the cost of everything,” he said. “Some ingredients have doubled. Anything that needs moving around that's susceptible to changes in fuel prices, having an oven going all the time… things are expensive.”
Then there’s VAT.
“A lot of stuff you buy food-wise doesn’t have VAT on it, but when you’ve prepared it and sold it, or eaten it, then it’s subject to VAT,” he explained. “You’re then paying that on it and not being able to claim back any VAT which has been applied at the purchase point.”
All of that comes at a time when customers are finding their wallets increasingly stretched.
“People don’t have as much money,” Dave said. “They’re spending more filling the car up or heating the home, so they have to be a bit more careful with what they’re choosing to spend on. You’ve got to make sure it’s worth them coming. You’ve got to make sure they’re going to get value.”
Despite the pressures, he still loves the customer-facing side of the job: talking to regulars, welcoming newcomers who have spotted the place on social media, and watching strangers end up chatting across the bar.
“First and foremost, it’s just the people that you meet, be it staff or customers,” he said. “It’s a constantly changing and evolving thing, so you never know what you’re going to get every day. There’s a good chaos to it.”