Award-winning donut retailer expands with gourmet Leeds sandwich shop

Doh’hut, the award-winning donut retailer, is set to open a new gourmet sandwich bar called Things In Bread in Boar Lane in the centre of Leeds.

The sandwich bar, which will open in December, will occupy 862 sq ft of retail space at Ambler House in Boar Lane. Ambler House is owned by developer Kinrise, which is also the landlord of the adjacent properties of 34 Boar Lane and Trevelyan Square.

Tom Stafford, the founder and owner of Doh’hut, commented: “I kept walking past the empty retail space and thought how it would be perfect for a sandwich spot. I talked to the landlord Kinrise, pitched them the concept and they loved it.

“It’s a very visible spot, right on Boar Lane with a beautiful frontage. It’s going to be that perfect spot to grab a quick sandwich on the go. My existing Doh’hut retail outlet is based in Trevelyan Square, next door to Boar Lane, so it is very convenient.

“Last year, we found a growing demand for our doughnuts and decided to stop our sandwiches and pasta, so we could focus on making more donuts as space is limited in the Trevelyan Square shop. We basically needed to narrow our focus to fulfil the demand. But I’ve always had a love of sandwiches, so opening our new shop fulfils my dream.”

Tom Stafford, founder and owner of Doh’hut.

Tom’s donuts have been featured on ITV’s flagship programme This Morning and have “triumphed” in the British Street Food Awards.

George Aberdeen, co-founder of Kinrise, explained: “Our aim is to turn iconic but unloved buildings into creative work, retail and community spaces.

“It means that the city’s heritage and soul lives on for the future and real cultural capital remains in the centre rather than being pushed further out of cities. The Things In Bread letting is an excellent example of turning this aim into reality.”

Eamon Fox, partner and head of department at Knight Frank in Leeds, added: “Tom Stafford’s journey from an award-winning purveyor of superb doughnuts to a gourmet sandwich maker is inspirational. His independent and local approach is absolutely brilliant and fits Kinrise’s aspirational culture perfectly.”

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily