Green Room Leeds: Chef at popular city centre bar on 'delicious and nutritious' food on the way in 2023

The coffee shop, eatery and bar near Leeds City Station has proven hugely popular since it opened in May 2022, with its roof terrace packed out even on the first weekend. Founders Will Habergham and Kirk Allen had faced numerous setbacks during the pandemic, but their determination to complete the project was rewarded when the venue was listed last summer as one of the best rooftop bars in Europe.

As the bar’s Head of Food, Natalie is on a mission of her own to prove that healthy eating does not have to be a chore. It was cooking with her mum that helped to spark her own interest in food and through the menus at Green Room, she hopes to inspire that same joy for others.

Speaking to Local TV Leeds, she said: “There’s lots of clean eating places. There’s ones that have sprung up in London and Manchester, and it’s very calorie-controlled, macros, micros, this has so much protein, etc. I just don’t think that’s a nice way to live. I love food, I enjoy food. We’ve got to do it every day to sustain our lives, so we might as well enjoy it.”

Having previously worked at Gron in Oakwood, she wanted to continue that ethos of feelgood using healthy, fresh, quality ingredients at Green Room. Natalie said: “We’ve just started planning for this year and we’ve got lots of exciting things. It’s very much delicious and nutritious, without preaching to you about calories.”