A historic town known for its wool trade and textile mills is now becoming recognised for something else – its food.
People from across West Yorkshire and beyond are flocking to the town to sample some of its newest restaurants, from sushi bars to halal pan-Asian experiences, beloved chai shops and decadent dessert parlours.
Business owners and budding entrepreneurs are scrambling to snatch up retail space in the area as they are becoming increasingly hot commodities.
With an overly saturated market in Bradford, restaurants are dipping their toes in Batley to a welcomed response from the local community.
According to the Food Standards Agency, there are 3837 food businesses in Kirklees with 411 restaurants, cafes, canteens, and pubs that serve food in the area. This is compared to 1142 eateries in Huddersfield and 311 in Dewsbury.
A Kirklees councillor credits the entrepreneurial spirit of people from the local community for making Batley a “vibrant space where people want to enjoy food”.
Councillor Fazila Loonat for Batley East (Lab), said: “Like many other small towns, Batley had to go through a lot of economic change with people changing how they use the main highstreets.
“Previously, they would have gone to do their everyday shopping there but now people do it online. I’m really pleased to say that Batley doesn’t have many closed units and it is becoming a vibrant space where people enjoy food thanks to the entrepreneurs who have made the town centre viable.”
Zahid Iqbal, a property developer and owner of the New Batley Plaza said he has rented units to fifteen food outlets in less than two years and has a waiting list of almost a dozen people waiting to rent a shop.
He said: “Over the past eighteen months, we have let to fifteen food outlets in Batley with a waiting list of at another ten who are after premises.
“We’ve found that it is a very strong hub for food outlets and demand has soared and it is not just from locals but people from far and wide. The secret of Batley is that it has a strong local market, as residents support the food industry, and that a lot of visitors from elsewhere in Yorkshire find Batley to be a pleasant town.
“Everyone likes to visit somewhere new and being comfortable in a new area is incredibly important. Batley has established itself as a food hub.”
Adam Najak, who runs the Halal Food Gastronomy blog which has over 20,000 subscribers on Instagram says Batley is giving “Bradford a run for its money” with all the new halal-certified restaurants.
He said: “The variety of food on offer in Batley has increased drastically in the past few years. I remember about five years ago or so everybody would say that Batley was dead, that there was nothing to go there, but now you have so many places to go.
“Before Batley was known for its curry houses but now you have Italians, sushi restaurants, brunch shops, healthy options and dessert shops.
“Batley has become a proper food destination to visit. My followers are from across the UK and many of them travel to Batley to try the new locations. My in-laws live in Batley, so we travel to the borough quite a bit, but my wife always says that she is gutted that she missed all the good restaurants.”
Hafsah, a law graduate and food blogger with 10,000 followers on social media, said: “For a small town, Batley is an amazing hot spot for food. You’ve food big Franchise names such as German Donner Kebab and Icestone Gelato to hidden gems like Sibu, the Sushi Box, Brew, and Snowcold.
“Before I would rarely go to Batley other than to visit family but now it’s always on my radar, there are still so many options, and it is still a nice, quiet family town. To think it just used to be known for its biscuit making!”
Ali Badet, an employee of Salt and Crust, which opened on Bradford Road in Batley in 2018, said: “A lot of businesses moved from Batley to Bradford a few years ago because the market was saturated there.
“People flock to Batley because of the variety. We have pizzas, Italians, curry houses, and sushi which is why people come.”
