Leeds’ first Cereal Cafe opens

Moo’d Cereal House has opened for business in Headingley.

The brainchild of Leeds Beckett marketing graduates Zoe Blogg and Jen Gibb, Moo’d aims to offer a chilled environment for everyone from students to families to chow down on cereals.

They deny that Moo’d is in any way a copycat of Brick Lane’s infamous “Cereal Killers” cafe.

Zoe says: “We came up with the idea when we were students in Leeds. We both wanted to go out and get a bowl of cereal but all we could get were fry-ups.

“We actually registered our business before Cereal Killers registered theirs, so its not like we saw their idea and copied it. We’ve been working on Moo’d for nearly a year now.”

The Otley Road joint seems much calmer than its London counterpart, dispensing with the “retro” vibe entirely.

There are plans for a “Moo’d garden”, art room and milk will be dispensed from that most Yorkshire of things, the ale pump.

Moo’d offers a bowl of anything from Shreddies to Captain Crunch for two pounds, but has impressive range of £3.50 “Cocktails”.

The ‘Wild thing’ cocktail: Animal biscuits, Frosties, coco pops and chocolate milk

Zoe said: “We spent ages trying to work out what combinations of cereals worked for the cocktails. We had one idea called “What Nana Eats”, which had Shreddies, Bran Flakes and Pink Wafers but that was ridiculously dry.”

Zoe and Jen are taking their new business seriously, with hopes to introduce a takeaway option and expand into other cities.

They’ve encountered problems in setting up, having to delay their initial plans to open due to the restaurant springing a leak, but round-the-clock work has meant Moo’d’s doors are now finally open.

Many may scoff at the idea, but the pair say they haven’t received a Frostie reception.

The enterprising owners said: “We had one woman from UKIP on the telly say it was ‘a waste of money and resources’, and another person said everyone should have a fry-up every day, but apart from that the feedback we’ve got has been great.”

Here’s what 2nd-year Politics student Aron Keller made of his first visit to the Cereal House:

“After the recent opening of the UK’s first cereal café in East London recently, I was intrigued to see what Moo’d in Leeds had to offer. To be honest, I was a little skeptical at first.

“Following Bob Palmer’s penetrating expose into the London-ization of Leeds, I had come to view the idea of an eatery specialising in cereal as a little too novelty-driven and gimmicky.

“However, I am, and always have been, a firm believer that each cereal café should be judged on its merit. And I have to concede, I was very pleasantly surprised.

“The owners were really friendly and enthusiastic. The vibe is hip but not too kitschy. The café itself is small but spacious and there’s a definite quaint, coffee-shop feel about the place.

The sugar content of the cereal had this effect on Aron

“I could easily imagine myself moving in here during exam time, or munching on a bowl of cereal while writing my dissertation. I decided to go for one of the trademark cereal cocktails which comprised of Crunchy Nut, Golden Nuggets and…wait for it… a Reese’s Butter Cup – I didn’t anticipate my Thursday afternoon would get this wild.

“It was pretty darn delicious. In fact it was so good that the prospect of returning to Moo’d Cereal Café almost makes me look forward to my next hangover.”