Wine bar, charcuterie and cheese room launches in Northern Quarter

Leeds charcuterie and wine bar Friends of Ham has launched its latest restaurant on Merrion Street in Leeds.

The Northern Quarter restaurant, named Ham and Friends, has 60 covers and there are two private dining rooms available to hire with 26 covers.

The refurbished space includes a food hall, wine mezzanine and bar, spread across two floors.

It also includes a walk-in cheese room, stocked with Chapel Allerton-based George & Joseph cheesemongers products.

It will also be the new home to the Yorkshire Wine School, who offer wine and beer qualifications, classes and workshops in their own custom-built space.

There is fresh meat, fruit and veg from local farms and retail products from small independent British producers, as well as small UK distributors who import Italian and Spanish charcuterie, French cheese and wines which are sourced from around the world.

The wine mezzanine includes a collection of 200 bottles of minimal intervention and small production wine, made using traditional techniques, and a list of 20 wines by the glass and customers also have the option to choose any bottle from the wine mezzanine to drink in.

The new space will also host a range of different speciality events including a Wine vs Beer Pairing with Cannon & Cannon, Chocolate Making with Tyto Leodis, Ham Carving with Brindisa, Cheesemaking with Courtyard Dairy, Meet the Maker with Le Grappin and Food Styling and Photography Workshops – as well as monthly wine and cheese clubs.