Gluten free at The Oxford Place in Leeds

We had another amazing meal at The Oxford Place in Leeds last Sunday.

Pan-Fried North Sea Cod with Crushed New Potatoes, Lilliput Capers and a Prosecco and Brown Shrimp Sauce - this was one of the best things I've ever eaten

It was my first meal out since last September!

Mozzarella Carozza with a Rich Basil and Tomato Sauce - note the side order of Skinny Fries, another must have to share before the main courses

I've had some brilliant meals there before, and this was right up there with the best food I've had. Delicious.

As someone with Coeliac Disease it's always nice to be able to eat out-of-the-home with safety and peace of mind. And when that is combined with delicious and interesting food (such as the Carozza) and a variety of drink options it makes the experience absolutely marvellous.

Emily had the Tempura Battered Vegetables with Homemade Sweet Chilli Sauce for her starter

The Oxford Place is a must visit restaurant if you're a Coeliac or on a gluten free diet. I've dined there with people with Coeliac Disease as well as people on 'normal' diets and we've always been impressed by the food and service.

Emily's main course of Slow Cooked Belly Pork with Baked Apple, Celeriac Purée, Crackling and a Red Wine Jus

I'm really looking forward to my next visit already.

99.9% of the time I have the Sticky Toffee Pudding for my dessert when I'm at The Oxford Place

Check out The Oxford Place's website for more information.

Our friend had the Vanilla Cheesecake - and I nabbed a bit of the ice cream. It's so nice to be able to share meals with friend, something that is very tough for people dining gluten free, unless they're somewhere that is 100% like The Oxford Place

Puttstars Mini Golf at Hollywood Bowl Leeds

There's a Puttstars Mini Golf course at the Hollywood Bowl in Kirkstall, Leeds.

The recently refurbished Hollywood Bowl tenpin bowling centre in Kirkstall, Leeds is now home to a 9-hole Puttstars mini golf course too.

Puttstars Mini Golf in Rochdale. Visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in June 2021

The course is the second Puttstars to open in Leeds. There's also a Puttstars Mini Golf venue at The Springs retail and leisure park.

Check out the Puttstars website for more information.

Dystopia-on-Sea - Minigolf and Art

A look at a crazy piece of art.

We love the British seaside. Back in 2006 we got our first car and began travelling around the coast. That's where we caught the minigolf bug. Since then we've visited, and revisited, a lot of the UK's towns and resorts. From the big ones of Blackpool and Great Yarmouth, to classic spots like Southend-on-Sea, Cleethorpes and Skegness, to some lesser know places like Sutton-on-Sea and Maryport.

One of the seasides we visited on a road-trip back in 2008 Filey, North Yorkshire, where we played the 9-hole Ocean Drive Crazy Golf course.

Minigolf meets art

That course (and its BIG minigolf lobster) has been captured in a new piece of art by Leeds-based artist Jack Hurley (aka Loud Ribs) in his tongue-in-cheek, affectionate and characterful Rubbish Seaside 'Dystopia-on-Sea' collection.

You may recognise a couple of the characters in the piece too.

Check out the Loud Ribs website to see more of Jack's work.

You can find me depicted on a coaster (among other things) at the Fabrication shop in Leeds

Here's the blog post from our visit to the Ocean Drive Crazy Golf course in Filey. It was the 56th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Ocean Drive Crazy Golf course in Filey (June 2008)

The Ocean Drive Crazy Golf course on the seafront in Filey has actually been removed and is being replaced by a new layout, so it's doubly nice that the old layout has been captured for posterity in Jack's art.

We've now been to 1,012 miniature golf courses. 967 of them have been in the British Isles.

Crazier Golf at Boom: Battle Bar, Leeds

There's a Crazier Golf course at Boom: Battle Bar in Leeds.

Boom: Battle Bar in Leeds

Emily spotted the distinctive sign and colour scheme from afar as we were having a wander round Leeds city centre before heading for lunch at our favourite restaurant, The Oxford Place. 

We played Crazier Golf at the Boom: Battle Bar in Norwich in-between the various pandemic lockdowns

A look at a discarded scorecard

We NEVER throw our minigolf scorecards away!

The Rules of Crazier Golf

Visit the Boom: Battle Bar website for more information.

Golf Fang Crazy Golf opening in Leeds

A new Golf Fang Crazy Golf venue is opening in Leeds.

Golf Fang (formerly Ghetto Golf) is opening a new Crazy Golf venue in Kirkstall, Leeds in 2023.

Visit the Golf Fang website for more information.

You can find other Golf Fang crazy golf venues in Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow and Sheffield. There are also plans for a Golf Fang to open in Cardiff too.

Gluten free at The Oxford Place in Leeds

We had another superb meal at The Oxford Place.

We revisited our favourite restaurant at the weekend and had an excellent three-course meal.

It was lovely to return and once again were in the nice position of having lots and lots of choices on the 100% gluten free menu.

A very happy pair of diners

It really does make a massive difference in being able to visit a restaurant, sit down, place an order, be served, and eat great food without once worrying about cross-contamination. The team at The Oxford Place make sure your dining experience is safe and as normal as can be for someone with Coeliac Disease.

The Oxford Place really is a must visit restaurant for anyone with Coeliac Disease or gluten intolerance.

We were already thinking about what we're going to order on our next visit before we'd even paid the bill for this meal!

Check out The Oxford Place's website for more information.

Palm Swings crazy golf at Chow Down in Leeds

A pop-up crazy golf course will be part of the Chow Down food festival in Leeds this year.

The whole event tees off on the 14th of April and runs through to the 4th of September.

We're often in Leeds and hopefully we'll get to swing by on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour this summer.

Visit the Chow Down food festival website for more information.

A scorecard from Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf in Leeds

One from the Crazy Golf Museum and Crazy World of Minigolf Tour archives.

Here's a scorecard from the now closed Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf location in Leeds.

A scorecard from Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf in Leeds

We visited the two 18-hole indoor adventure golf courses in June 2018.

Our fellow minigolf adventurer Matt Dodd recently visited Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf in Putney, London.

There are also Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf courses in London, Bristol, Glasgow and Brighton.

There are plans for a new Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf course to open in Liverpool too.

Visit the Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf website for more information.

Gluten free at The Oxford Place in Leeds

Having my first meal out since March 2020.

We went out for dinner on Saturday. The location was our favourite restaurant - The Oxford Place in Leeds.

It was the first time I've had a meal out since March last year and the first meal Emily and I have had together since our last visit to The Oxford Place in December 2019!

We're very pleased to report that the food and service was superb, it always is.

I had 3.5 courses as I felt that I needed to treat myself. The .5 was a pre-starter starter of a portion of French Fries.

I then had the marvellous Posh Prawn Cocktail, followed by the Sea Bream, with the trio of Ice Creams (Cherry, Rum & Raisin and Honeycomb) for dessert.

We're really looking forward to our next meal there already.

The Oxford Place is a must visit restaurant for anyone with Coeliac Disease or gluten intolerance.

Check out The Oxford Place's website for more information.

When you have Coeliac Disease dining out can be hard work at the very best of times, let alone during a pandemic!

Luckily we have found a handful of 100% gluten free places that are able to cater to the specific needs of people with Coeliac Disease. As well as The Oxford Place in Leeds there is Off the Wheaten Track in Altrincham, Remedy Kitchen in Manchester, the Wildcraft Bakery in Leeds and Gloof in Soham.

New Roxy Ball Room in Leeds

A new Roxy Ball Room is opening in Leeds.

The new Roxy Ball Room venue in Leeds is replacing the former Roxy Arcade on Merrion Street. The location will be home to a Crazy Pool course as well as Duckpin Bowling, Bank Shot Shuffleboard, ping pong, beer pong and pool.

Crazy Pool is a cross-between Crazy Golf and Pool, with players using a cue to 'putt' past a range of obstacles on a variety of table shapes.

Check out the Roxy Ball Room website for more information.

We've played Crazy Golf at Roxy Ball Room in Leeds and at the Manchester Deansgate venue.

We're yet to play Crazy Pool. There are two Roxy Ball Room locations in Manchester city centre and the new one at Withy Grove has a Crazy Pool layout.

We visited Roxy Arcade on our last trip to Leeds in November 2019!

Gluten free cakes and bakes from the Wildcraft Bakery

As we haven't been able to get over visit Leeds or go to any gluten free food fairs during the pandemic we've recently made two orders from the Wildcraft Bakery in Leeds. Both were superb.

For our first order we went for a mix of sweet and savoury items including whoopie pies, cookies and cheese rolls.

For the second order we ordered one of each of the doughnuts (donuts) on offer in that particular 'doughnut drop'.

Check out the Wildcraft Bakery website for more information on the products and how to order.

We're looking forward to making our next order. It's brilliant that the Wildcraft Bakery is 100% gluten free. What do you think we should get this time?

Tales from a Gluten Free Christmas

With Christmas fast approaching I'm pleased to share my experience as part of Coeliac UK’s ‘Tales from a Gluten Free Christmas’ campaign. Visit the Coeliac UK website and check out the #gfchristmas hashtag on social media to find out more.

This year we've been missing meeting friends for a meal at our favourite restaurant, The Oxford Place in Leeds.

With a bit of luck we'll be able to get over there for a meal this year after the current national lockdown in England.

Dining out gluten free

Since we first heard about The Oxford Place in 2016 we've eaten there a lot. Not only is the entire restaurant and kitchen 100% gluten free and safe for Coeliacs, it serves superb meals that my non-Coeliac friends have loved eating too. They pass the "you can't tell its gluten free" test every time.

Last year I had my first Christmas Dinner at a restaurant since I don't know when!

Last Christmas at The Oxford Place

It wasn’t any old Christmas Dinner either. The Oxford Place always put so much effort into the dishes they serve up and they are a treat for the taste buds and the eyes.

Normally by this point of the year we'd have been to Leeds for celebration meals, for fun, to attend events and see friends. In 2020 we've been there a grand total of zero times.

We've had so many wonderful meals at The Oxford Place. From light lunches to three-course meals, to birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas Dinners with all the trimmings I've been able to feel somewhat normal again by having the choice of anything and everything on the menu without worry of cross-contamination, or the annoyance of having something removed or replaced to 'make it gluten free'.

We can't wait until we're able to get back to the city and The Oxford Place. I know I'll be making up for lost time and ordering a lot of food on my next visit.

If you haven't been to The Oxford Place I suggest you make a booking and try it as soon as you are able to.

A gluten free Christmas at home

Being a Coeliac doesn't mean you have to miss out on treats. I've certainly snacked on and scoffed my fair share of Christmas food since being diagnosed in 2008.

Last year you could get Lebkuchen by Schar at Asda. They were something I'd really missed so I bought a lot of them. I haven't seen them in store yet this year, but fingers crossed they'll be doing them again.

It'll be fun making some too. There's an excellent recipe for gluten free Lebkuchen in the Gluten-free Baking at Christmas book by 'The Happy Coeliac' Samantha Stein.

Home-made gluten free Lebkuchen biscuits

We'll be enjoying Christmas at home again this year, cooking up a superb festive meal with all the trimmings, including Yorkshire Puddings.

The range of gluten free food available in supermarket's Christmas ranges has also improved over the last ten years and we've ordered a few extra treats from M&S already.

What is your favourite thing about being gluten free at Christmas?

Check out Coeliac UK's Christmas website for more information, ideas and inspiration for gluten free food and drink.

Links:

• Coeliac UK
• The Oxford Place

Related blog posts:

• Coeliac
• Gluten Free
• Christmas

The British Transplant Games

A look ahead to the 2021 British Transplant Games in Leeds.

We were due to be heading down to Coventry this week to support our friend (and minigolf rival) John Moore in the British Transplant Games. Unfortunately the 2020 Games in Coventry have been postponed to 2023 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

However, plans are well underway for the 2021 British Transplant Games that will be taking place in Leeds next August. We love visiting Leeds and are really looking forward to the event.

Transplant Sport’s flagship event aims to raise awareness of the life-saving benefits of transplantation.

The Westfield Health British Transplant Games have been running for over 40 years. Each year the games sees teams from hospitals across the UK come together to compete in a number of sports. The four-day event attracts around 1,000 transplant athletes and more than 1,500 supporters.

Find out more on the British Transplant Games and Transplant Sport websites.

We've attended the British Transplant Games in Newcastle Gateshead (2015), Liverpool (2016) and Birmingham (2018).

Last summer we were at the 2019 World Transplant Games in Newcastle Gateshead. They were the 22nd edition and the first held in the UK since the Manchester Games in 1995.

I've run in two races at the transplant games - The Gift of Life Run last year was my second 5k, after the Donor Run at the 2018 British Transplant Games in Birmingham.

The Westfield Health British Transplant Games, organised on behalf of the charity Transplant Sport, will take place in venues across Leeds from the 5th to 8th August 2021.

Visit the NHS website to join the NHS Organ Donor Register.

InterFun Expo 2021

A look ahead to next year's InterFun Expo.

With the coronavirus pandemic affecting all areas of daily life and businesses around the world, the team at the InterFun Expo have moved the event to April 2021.

InterFun Expo is open to anyone in the business of providing fun activities for families and friends. The event has a wide-range of trade exhibitors and expert speakers from the industry including family entertainment centres, arcade games, aerial adventures, minigolf, VR, tenpin bowling, interactive surfaces, edutainment, laser tag, table games and more a lot more.

I'm really looking forward to attending and speaking about minigolf and competitive socialising at the InterFun Expo next year.

I was due to be speaking at the event this week. I can't wait for the 2021 event

The InterFun Expo takes place at New Dock Hall in the Royal Armouries complex in Leeds on the 27th and 28th April 2021.

You can find out more and register for your free ticket on the InterFun Expo website.

You can read my blog about keeping active, social and competitive in the new world of physical distancing at 'Competitive socialising in isolation'.

Puttstars in Leeds

The first of Hollywood Bowl's new Puttstars minigolf centres is opening in Leeds next month.

The location at The Springs at the Thorpe Park shopping and entertainment site will be home to three 9-hole indoor crazy golf courses.

The minigolf venue from the Hollywood Bowl Group will also include a bar, diner and amusement arcade.

Puttstars Leeds will be followed by Puttstars York opening in April and Puttstars Rochdale opening in May.

Visit the Puttstars Leeds website for more information.

New Ghetto Golf course opening in Leeds

The new Ghetto Golf location in the Burley area of Leeds, West Yorkshire has been given the green light and it's hoped that the venue will be open in October this year.

The adults-only Leeds venue will join the existing Ghetto Golf courses in Liverpool, Birmingham and Newcastle upon Tyne.

A bowling-themed hole at the original Ghetto Golf at Cains Brewery in Liverpool

Ghetto Golf at the Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham

One of the holes at Ghetto Golf at Hoults Yard in Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne

All of the Ghetto Golf courses feature UV glow-in-the-dark sections of the course

Related blog posts:
- Leeds
- Ghetto Golf

Arcade Club in Leeds

A visit to Arcade Club in Leeds.

We visited the new Arcade Club venue in Leeds yesterday. What a place!

Earlier this year we visited the original Arcade Club in Bury and were very impressed by the selection of games on offer to play.

Always nice to visit Pac-Land

Once you've paid your entry fee (we paid £16 per adult) you get to play hundreds of games all set on free play.

Three floors of fun

It's an amazing place to spend anything from a few hours to a whole day.

A very small selection of the hundreds of games available to play

As someone who grew up going to arcades in the 80's and 90's it's superb to relive those memories by playing arcade classics like Pac-Land, The New Zealand Story and Bubble Bobble. But I also really like the fact there are games available that I'd only had a glimpse of back in the day, or those that were out of my price range to play.

Pac-Land

One of those was The Last Bounty Hunter, a live-action on-rails LaserDisc light-gun game. Back in the day it would've been one of the expensive 50p or a pound a go games I could only dream of playing. Watching older players pumping the machine full of money while firing away at a selection of bad guys and then seeing the really cheesy cut scenes as the actors die is indelibly burned on my mind like screen burn on a CRT monitor.

The Last Bounty Hunter

I easily got my money's worth by playing The Last Bounty Hunter and managed to get to the third stage. I could've spent more time on it but I had to wander and play other games.

The ground level is home to pinball tables, quirky Japanese import games, old racing and driving games and new arcade machines.

As a big fan of Resident Evil games there was one game I spotted and immediately wanted to play. After waiting for some other players to finish their go Emily and I jumped on the Taito game Elevator Action Death Parade. It was brilliant.

We arrived at 11.30am and there was a steady flow of people of all ages into the venue while we were there. Even though it was busy, there was a nice buzz and we never felt cramped in playing machines and there are plenty of games on offer we didn't have to wait long to play any games.

Tempest. I'd never played the arcade game before, but I love the Atari Jaguar version

There were still plenty of games I could've had a go on there but there just wasn't time.

The Neo Geo section

We're looking forward to our next visit to Arcade Club. There will also be a new Arcade Club venue opening in Blackpool next year. Wonderful news.

Bubble Bobble, a true classic

You can find Arcade Club at the Abbey Retail Park in Kirkstall, Leeds.

Arcade Club - retail entertainment done right

Check out the Arcade Club website for more information, opening times and prices.

Ghetto Golf course planned for Burley, Leeds

A new Ghetto Golf course could be heading to Leeds.

Plans have been submitted for a new Ghetto Golf indoor minigolf venue to open in the Burley area of Leeds, West Yorkshire.

There are currently Ghetto Golf courses in Liverpool, Birmingham and Newcastle upon Tyne.

Ghetto Golf at Hoults Yard in Byker, Newcastle

We love visiting Leeds and a new course will give us another great reason to go back.

Related blog posts:
- Ghetto Golf
- Leeds

Roxy Arcade in Leeds

A visit to the new Roxy Arcade in Leeds.

While we were in Leeds for the Collectorabilia event at the weekend we visited the new Roxy Arcade.

I had a play on Defender, X-Files Pinball, Moon Cresta, Street Fighter II and Track & Field on our visit

The downstairs section

There are also consoles available to play

The new venue from the Roxy team is next door to the established Roxy Ball Room Merrion Street.

Merrion Street in Leeds

The first Roxy Ball Room we visited was the one on Boar Lane where we played the indoor Crazy Golf course in November 2016.

Roxy Ball Room venues have a lot of competitive socialising activities

We've also been to Roxy Ball Room in Manchester where we had a brilliant time last New Year's Eve.

There's a Roxy Ball Room in Liverpool we're yet to visit. That venue has a new minigolf course too.

Check out the Roxy Arcade website for more information.