A family-run bistro nestled in the heart of the North Yorkshire countryside is a new hidden gem.
The Bistro, at Leeds East Airport in Church Fenton, is reaching new heights as it’s been taken over by a family business. Jonathan, Katrina, Hayley and team have been bringing fantastic food to frequent flyers and the local community – and the feedback has been sky-high positive.
YorkMix spoke to Hayley to find out more about the family-run bistro.
The family run the catering business F4D Events, which is solely outside caterers, for weddings and events.
However F4D Events started doing the catering for some private flights at Leeds East Airport, and they were approached by the airport to see if they would be interested in taking over the cafe space.
“We thought we were quite happy with what we were doing,” explained Hayley. “But we went down to take a look and liked the look of the space, so we thought – let’s go for it.”
The family took on The Bistro at the beginning of February and “it’s been great ever since.
“I think the good thing about us taking it over is we’ve already got a following from our other company. Not just from our wedding couples or past customers, but during Covid we obviously couldn’t provide any event catering, so we had to switch to a takeaway service. So lots of local people then started to use us as a business, and lots of those local people are now using The Bistro.
“People are really liking the fact that they can go to The Bistro and have a really nice meal provided by us, and they didn’t think they could!”
Alongside the support from the local community, The Bistro has been welcoming in new faces too.
“We do get a lot of people coming across on the flights, and there’s a lot of cyclists as it’s on a lot of cycle routes – so it’s been a real good mix of people that are coming in.”
As well as opening up for breakfast and lunches, The Bistro has also been “trying to do different things” such as special theme nights like ‘Spanish tapas’.
“It was a brilliant night,” said Hayley. “People were loving the food, loving the atmosphere – it was really good.”
They’ve also done special sharing board lunches for occasions like Mother’s Day and Easter, and event nights like bingo and disco.
“Church Fenton is a very small village, but it’s trying to get the locals to come to something a little bit different.”
The menu at The Bistro includes a variety of tasty lunch dishes such as flatbreads, sandwiches, poke bowls, jacket potatoes, burgers and grazing boards.
The breakfast menu has a Full English offering, as well as vegetarian and lighter options and hot breakfast sandwiches.
“A lot of people have been coming in and coming back for our burgers – once you’ve eaten it at lunchtime you don’t need any tea, let’s put it that way!”
The Bistro is open at Leeds East Airport on Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to 4pm offering breakfast, lunch, snacks, weekly specials, pastries, cakes and coffee.
So whether you’re popping in for a flying visit or settling in for a long-haul, take a trip to The Bistro in Church Fenton – find out more at the Leeds East Airport website here.
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