Wow. I'd been past Cook before, and not had an opportunity to stop by, but man. I so wish I had all…read morethose months ago. Let me let you in on a wee secret. Do you get too busy and tired to cook? Does packing in fresh veg become a strain? Are you sick of getting a take away, because at the end of the day it's easier than cooking? Have you lost the will to find new recipes to learn? Here's the secret: visit Cook. Basically, they're like the microwaveable meal kings. And, that sounds like a slight -but it's not. What: Home cooked, freshly frozen, deliciously healthy, wonderfully diverse meals. Frozen in a little microwavable/oven cook tray for you to bob in and eat. Honestly, I was so overly impressed with what they had to offer. The chap in the shop was, for starters, an absolute star. He introduced me to the ideals behind the franchise, and where it came from, talked me through all of the products on offer and we basically ended up having a lovely natter. There are huge packed fridges, filled to the brim with delicious meals, in a range of sizes and cuisines. Everything from Thai red curry, to chilli con carne, to Indian dishes and some other items that were so exotic I've forgotten what they're even called. It really is a place of solution, especially if you're often tired and end up relying on substandard ready meals. They've also a range of desserts, drinks and other such edibles to browse, so I ended up grabbing a Thai curry, chilli and banoffee pie. I've had the chilli and it was just epic. The flavours were fantastic, and went perfectly with the veggie rice, and all for 5 minutes of microwave time. Of course, the washing up was cut down dramatically, so I almost felt a little lost after eating as there was so little to do. The prices are reasonable, perhaps not for a complete eating solution compared to home cooking, but certainly for when you're in a pinch and don't want to eat crud baked in oil, that's been greased up a little. Basically, I've not known such excellent customer service from the wonderful chap in the shop, and never known anything that I've put in a microwave taste edible, let alone that gourmet. You really should get down there and see what's cookin'. And on that note, I'm off to eat my dessert. Sucks to be you - you don't have Banoffee goodness!

Ready meals so good that I would be happy to serve to guests and proud to pass off as my own…read morecreations. I have bought from them on several occasions and there is always a good amount of variety and sizes available. Puddings are also excellent and you can even get celebration meals too. Staff are very helpful and the shop itself is well laid out and a pleasure to wander around. Not a cheap option but better than supermarket options in terms of quality,

Located inside the Bargain Booze store on Burley Road, you've probably seen the gopping cartoon…read moresign of Herman and his slice of pizza as you drive past, but their absence from just-eat.co.uk and a complete lack of their own proper website or flyering means that's probably all you've seen of them. A shame, because it's one of the best takeaways in the city. Pizza, pasta bakes and chicken and chips, all available for under £3, with free delivery on orders over £5. Friendly guy on the phone. Delivered within quoted time. Their pizzas have a pretty thin base and the selection isn't huge, but the dough and tomato sauce is excellent, and consequently the whole thing tastes a lot fresher and a lot more home-made than the stodge-fests you normally get locally. Obviously, you can build your own if you're super picky. Likewise with their customisable pasta bakes, which may seem an odd choice for a takeaway to offer, but they're ideal for when you want something half normal but you just don't want to cook it yourself. Potato wedges for £1.50 too... next level root vegetable manoeuvre! Being inside an off licence means they can take your booze order on the same call, which is handy, and they regularly have competitive offers on. The only downside is that with no online menu you're stuck asking for it to be dictated to you down the phone the first time you ring. They've gone to the trouble of posting camp videos of someone in a giant cartoon head on youtube so hopefully a useful web presence will follow. They shut pretty early in the week but 1am close on Friday and Sat nights.

This is a brilliant service of those people who want amazing food but don't have time to get to the…read moreshops. I have found when you get a delivery from some supermarkets the fruit and vegetables aren't of the standard I would pick out. I have been delivered bruised bananas and limp lettuce before so I was delighted with my delivery from this deli. An online ordering service that delivers fresh deli products straight to your door is a winner in my book. The salmon was fresh and tasty, the bananas perfectly ripe and the lemons large and juicy.

I firmly place Salt's in the category of local hidden gem. A charming little shop, it is packed to…read morethe rafters with whole Italian sausages hung from the ceiling, beautifully presented pasta and oils, chutneys and jams. Priding themselves on creating a Spanish-style delicatessen, Salt's have gone to great lengths to import an intriguing selection of hams and cheeses. This provides wonderful variety, but Salt's clearly understands the importance of locality with regards to their ingredients. Their sandwiches and salads are made using Yorkshire outdoor reared dry-cured ham and sausage, cheese from the Hawes creamery and various chutneys from the Ripon based Elizabeth Smedley range. Salt's came to my rescue recently by solving the problem of what to buy a couple for a Golden Anniversary gift. Their Spanish Hamper (£64.75) was a huge success - apparently the fig bon bons and partridge pate were the stand-out items. The price definitely makes it a special occasion gift, but the presentation and quality of the products are exceptional. A fantastic range of hot specials are available daily, a recent favourite was a deliciously succulent chicken and chorizo stew with vegetable couscous (£5.95 for an extremely generous portion). The local sourcing of ingredients and the involvement that Salt's has in the local farmer's markets, give this business a positive community feel, worthy of support.

In the run up to Christmas I was busy away trying to finish my family gifts and they simply would…read morenot have been perfect had I not visited Salt's. My plan was to create hampers for my dearest and I needed the final few items - I wanted a mixture of food, drink and non-edible gift items and I'd sorted most of these at a variety of places but for the finishing touches! Having been advised that Salt's was *the* place to go for hamper-type goodness I wasn't disappointed. The arrangement of the shop is delightful to begin, as you wander through the door you're greeted by a veritable cornucopia of goodies. It's filled to burst with meats, cheese, chocolates, pickles, pate, chutneys and more. Can I say "yum"? Whilst the lunch time offerings come at a hefty price I can only imagine the delights one might experience in consuming some divine looking goods! Now to the hampers. The friendly lady asked me if I needed a hand and I explained that I was compiling my own hampers, but I needed the baskets and a few more final treats. She was only too happy to help me, in spite of the fact that they had their own ready made hampers (which looked fantastic!) and readied two baskets whilst I picked up a few extras. I opted for some of their specialist chocolate, the sea salt and rose varieties I can personally recommend having sampled it after Christmas, a few of their pates and some other added extras. Everything went down brilliantly and my folks couldn't be happier with their selections. As an extra bonus the lady even allowed me to take some of her cellophane wrapping to finish off the presentation, which was extremely kind and at no extra cost! A truly delightful deli with a hoard of specialist delights - worth every penny!

Those of you familiar with Leeds-locals on Twitter may well have come across Manjit and her kitchen…read morebefore. I first noticed her tweeting back in November time, before she was even open. The idea immediately grabbed me: a twitter-based ordering system, an independent and friendly business, and an authentic, all-vegetarian, Indian cuisine. And then, I won the competition to sample the service for free! Winner! Since then, many people have written about their experiences. (Google her and 'Megabites' or 'Culture Vultures' for a couple of good 'uns..) Manjit's Kitchen only delivers on Friday and Saturday evenings, and gets pretty busy, making it sometimes difficult to indulge, but last weekend (a whole 6 months later!) I managed to order again. You can call, email, tweet/DM with the order and delivery time-slot and she'll send you a message when the food is on it's way. My food arrived piping hot (I ordered far too much, so as to have some for the next day too. :) Clever..) and promptly - it's worth mentioning, you can also order the food chilled if you'd like a mid-week treat instead - complete with a complimentary (and I believe locally-grown) salad. Manjit supports the local market and often tweets about where she gets her veg (be it from the ground that morning, or Leeds Kirkgate market that afternoon) and that, coupled with a her very obvious talent in the kitchen, makes the food even more delicious than you could hope for. Even with only a few dishes to choose from, it's still tough to decide! I fully recommend giving this a go - you won't even miss the meat, promise. ;)

Manjit's Kitchen started off on a very good note but has since failed to impress. Their menu…read moreconsists of 3 items the paneer wrap, the masala dhal bowl and the samosa chaat. This in comparison to their competitors in the Trinity Kitchen sounds too less. I have been here about 2-3 times since they opened and while their Masala Chai (spiced tea) is generally always sold out, they could surely up the ante. Another thing that puts people off is the queuing time that they have compared to their bigger companions within the Trinity Kitchen. I would have loved to give them a 4 star but knowing what they are capable of, it is hard to give them a 4 or a 5 as I would really like them to succeed

Well, after weeks of walking past Fatsos, I was initially disdainful of the place due to it's name,…read morebright decor and the fact they had a man holding a sign stood outside. However, after many recommendations from colleagues I decided to try it out. These guys have got it SO right on the fast food sandwich front. There is none of your soggy, packaged, overpriced sarnies that the likes of nearby establishments offer. It is fresh, fast and sooooo filling. Loads of salad, much better value than say subway. And, AND it's a mere £1.69. The choice is huge. If you steer away from the mayonnaise based fillings and refuse the butter it is possible to eat healhtily here. Did I mention they do jacket potatoes and salads too? Oh and the crisp of choice for fatsos is the king of crisps (in my opinion anyway), Seabrooks. Overall, excellent value without compromising on taste. It is no surprise that these guys are expanding quickly and the queues are out the door. The extremely efficient staff mean you won't be waiting long though. Fun fact as well, former Apprentice contestant Rocky is the owner!

I realised today that I've never had a bad lunch from Fatsos. It is exactly what you'd expect -…read morecheap, no-nonsense food on the go. But everything I've had has been great. The jacket potatoes are hot, cooked all the way through and crispy on the outside; sandwiches are packed with proper Northern portions so they barely close; the salads are varied and huge and taste fresh. Best of all, everything is dirt-cheap. If you can stand the hectic queues and don't mind that almost everything is glistening with fatty dressings or mayo, then Fatsos is definitely worth checking out when you need a quick, filling lunch to haul back go the office.

There are literally hundreds of takeaway businesses in Leeds so it is sometimes hard to tell one…read morefrom the other. However after living in Leeds for a few years I have managed to sort the rubbish from the superb (and there is a lot of rubbish!). A particular favourite of mine is Zak's! Zaks specializes in Indian cuisine however offers other dishes such as kebabs, burgers, chicken and calzone's which are just as yummy! (Calzone combo is just amazing!) Zaks curries are a tiny bit more expensive than some of the thrown together takeaways in Leeds, nevertheless with that extra bit of money bumped on the price, you know you are going to get a quality takeaway! I always order a chicken pasanda from Zaks which comes in at £5 which is really reasonable for a really tasty dish! All their sundries and startes are equally yummy scrummy with a huge selection of nahns, rices and bhaji's! (oooh getting hungry now!!) In addition to the obvious Korma's, Vindaloo's and Masala's, Zaks creates dishes created for your tastes. I always add sultanas to my pasanda and they are more than happy to do it, often for free! If you are eating as a group the set meals are a really good idea. Not only do they offer a variety of Indian dishes but are good for money! (Set Meal for 4 could feed the 500 and only costs £30!) Perfect for a night in with film or in my case, X Factor! My pals always say that Zaks does "THE BEST" donner meat and chips. It is not dripping with grease, it is not dry and is not too large. My girl friends swear by it as their favourite takeaway guilty pleasure! The pizza's are the weakest point on the menu and are nothing to rave about. But if you stick to the curry menu, calzones,, chicken and donner meat you really cannot go wrong!

My last review on restaurants in Leeds (did I mention that when I reviewed Las Iguanas? If so,…read morepardon me. I forgot that I had food from Zaks). We decided to order in from Zaks. It was my last night in Leed and we just got back from Fruity Friday, so it was like...2 am and one of the places that's still open is Zaks. I think we waited for 30 minutes to finally have our food delivered. I thought that was fair enough. It really didn't feel like 30 minutes because we were all gossiping and having so much fun. haha I have to say, finally! I got my fix of Indian curry!! I've been craving it ever since I got to Leeds and I Zaks didn't disappoint! We had the spicy curry (forgot what it's called, sorry!) and the butter chicken. The only reason I remember butter chicken is because I have been saying it over and over again during the 4 days I was in Leeds, my friends got sick of me mentioning it 24/7. I finally shut up when I got my chapati and butter chicken!!!!! I love love love love the butter chicken! perfectly buttery and the chapati was chewy and pull-able. haha so goood I can cry... The spicy one was a bit too spicy but it's good from time to time to switch from the butter chicken to the spicy one. I wish I have Zaks and my friends here in the US ='( haha oh well. If I were in Leeds, I'd probably order from Zaks for 1 week straight or until I get sick of butter chicken and chapatis. hahaha

If you're looking for choice, Tasty is a surefire bet when it comes to sandwiches in Headingley. As…read moresoon as you enter the modest downstairs area you can see the huge board of options laid out before you, and a list of 10 special named choices that I presume are their recommendations. As I entered the shop there was already a bit of a queue but it seemed to be swift moving and they had about four staff members on so it was all looking good. I opted for the mozzarella, basil pesto and tomato panini and asked for chorizo as an extra. It came to £4.10 with the added chorizo, which is a little pricier than expected, but still comes under the "lunch for under a fiver" bracket! Whilst I was waiting I noticed some rather intriguing milkshake drinks, so I'm thinking I may have to treat myself next time I'm in. The panini took about five minutes plus to arrive, which was not a problem as I had a nice seat to sit in whilst I waited. You can opt to eat in, upstairs and peruse the free wifi if so inclined, but on this occasion I wasn't stopping. The staff were lovely and friendly and the service was really swift given the volume of orders that were coming in. My sandwich was really delicious, a generous amount of melted mozzarella was the real highlight, but my only complaint was that the tomato made the bread a little too soggy to eat in places. Just something to consider for next time!

Tasty is a fitting, if unimaginative name for this sandwich joint off Otley Road in the heart of…read morestudentville. They pride themselves on using fresh, healthy ingredients to create unique sandwiches, and they succeed for the most part. You can order by phone, online or simply go in and pick your sarnie up. Or, if you've got too much time on your hands (like I did) go and eat your sandwich in the lounge area upstairs and take advantage of the free wifi. You'd think that such a place would perhaps be on the upper end of the pricing spectrum, but there are no such issues - the most you'll pay for a footlong sub (just one of the many choices of bread) is £3.50. One final point - though it brands itself as a fresh, healthy, classy sandwich shop, its best offering is undoubtedly the down-to-earth and shamelessly unhealthy cheese-dog. Mmm.