Leeds YouTuber Danny Malin shares his favourite food memories and Rate My Takeaway moments of 2023

It’s amazing what can happen in a year. Life can go from feeling impossible to incredible within 365 days.

Just over a year ago I felt depressed, lonely and dragged my way through each day for my kids. I was putting a happy face on for the cameras but behind the scenes I was eating kebabs from Trojan in Morley and sleeping all the time.

Then I met my now wife Sophie. She’s a journalist and personal trainer and she was interviewing me over a coffee at Greggs in Crossgates Shopping Centre. I found her interesting so I invited her on to my LDC Radio show. For once I didn’t have my sandwich platter from Costco near the studio as we were too busy chatting away.

We started meeting as friends for coffee at Starbucks and The Castle pub before going GoKarting and TGI Fridays at Xscape, playing board games in Geek Retreat and then tenpin bowling.

Several trips to restaurants throughout Leeds city centre later, including Tattu and Blue Sakura, we started dating.

Fun, love and laughter with food is the best therapy and by the end of 2022 we were engaged. Then by January 2023 we had bought a TukTuk bar for Chinese New Year from Leeds when we had the in-laws to meet up at our house.

We went to Sing Kee wholesale for ingredients for a Chinese steamboat which involves freshly prepared vegetables and meat all in tapas dishes ready to be cooked in the steaming boat of water. A few weeks later we discovered we were expecting our first child together in the bogs at Asda and celebrated with a Toby Carvery takeaway.

This year we have managed to move into our first home and establish that Saturday night is always takeaway night, we’ve gotten married at Leeds Minster complete with an old school crisp and pop buffet and we then had our wedding breakfast at Aria Suite where we had delicious Indian food. I love mixed grills and butter chicken with fresh naan.

We’ve also been on our honeymoon to the Dominican Republic where I discovered my latest weird food combination to be lemon curd on cheese. Despite the free bar on holiday I’m not bothered about alcohol these days, I was more about the buffet.

The first 10 days of the honeymoon including a real tuktuk ride were the best days of our lives before my wife Sophie got ill and was rushed to hospital for fear of her health and that of our unborn baby’s.

There’s nothing like time in a non-NHS hospital to help you appreciate the healthcare in this country. I vowed that when our daughter was born and we knew she was ok I would do something to help the NHS.

A year of food

While my personal life has been colourful to say the least, I’ve been blessed to have kept peddling away with my professional career as a presenter on Rate My Takeaway, a radio host and now director at LDC Radio and as well as being president of Morley Knights, I’ve become a patron of Rugby League All Stars.

Some of my highlights on Rate My Takeaway have been interviewing Eddie Hall in Stoke where we ate a mega breakfast with oat cakes instead of toast. Eddie aka The Beast made me look small. Although I’m more of a bread man but I wasn’t going to mess with Eddie's oatcakes.

For that reason I enjoyed trying out Gilchrist Bakery in Leeds where I filmed a new day in the life series for YouTube. I couldn’t believe they even make bao buns to supply to places.

I’ve also eaten the best burger I’ve ever had this year and believe it or not that was at a little joint in Saltaire opposite Victoria Hall called Digins Hut.

I ordered The Steaky One burger, a chicken wrap, the Dirty Mac fries, and a Crème Brulee doughnut.

We have travelled around the world and this is the best burger I have ever had in my life. And the best 25 quid I have ever spent on food.

Last year, I did an American tour sponsored by Parliament who also sponsored Barnsley FC who I’ve been working with a lot this year. I reviewed their Yorkshire pudding wrap recently. I also love Rugby League too and enjoyed going to Hull KR to try their independent street food stalls.

I have also become a patron of Rugby League All Stars charity with my wife Sophie Mei Lan Malin - together we are dubbed ‘Mr and Mrs Yorkshire’. I think it’s easier than pronouncing our actual surname.

I’ve not been working away as much this year as we’ve been getting our new house and blended family settled, which has given me more time at home. My wife normally cooks but I’ve had time to do my weekly Sunday roasts too and create some of my fatman specials in the kitchen.

I also had my annual meet-and-greet where fans get to meet me and see the Rate My Takeaway van. We put it on in the Ridings Shopping Centre in Wakefield and it was packed with a 3.5-hour-long queue with over 400 people turning up.

I was so touched to meet so many people who had overcome life challenges and escaped by watching me. On the day the local Patio cafe bar delivered me food including pasta, garlic bread and a burger. They’ve even named a burger after me.

I’ve also had a few trips away with Rate My Takeaway to Germany and London.

I went to Berlin which is arguably the home of the Doner Kebab to try one of the world's best kebabs. I’ve also been t’London town to review the Chinese food at Chop Chop at Hippodrome Casino which is bang on.

I’ll never forget this year for the dramatic birth of my daughter. I was out in the Rate My Takeaway van in Bingley and I’d just ordered a £35 Sunday Dinner with Beef, belly pork and all the trimmings. It had just arrived when I got a phone call from my wife who’d gone into labour.

I was gutted to leave it behind but I needed to get home as fast as I could. She ended up giving birth on FaceTime with only our 11-year-old son there.

Anyway it was that dramatic we ended up talking about it on Channel 4 Steph’s Packed Lunch.

Steph’s Packed Lunch has also been a highlight of my year as I’ve appeared on the show weekly as a lunch mate and also presenting sharing my top Valentines Day ready meals.

Sadly, Steph’s Packed Lunch has finished this year, but for my last show they interviewed me about my latest Christmas song which is all about Yorkshire Puddings.

I made the song with music producer Toddla T and it’s in aid of Leeds Hospitals Charity as a thank you to our NHS. We then premiered the video we made with Leeds-based Motiv Productions at a secret bar with a cinema in Wakefield called RBT Video.

My wife who is a feeder also ordered us an Indian takeaway to the bar from Abdul’s and served up some locally made bakes which were some of the best I’ve ever had from Asma’s Cakes.

I never expected to finish the year singing about Yorkshire Puddings at Leeds Minster’s carol concert but that’s the kind of year I’ve had.

From the personal rollercoaster ride of having my beautiful daughter Athena to the professional highlights that you’ll soon see on TV and hear on LDC Radio, all in all this year has been a Solid 10.

Tune in, tune up, tuna sandwich for a spot on new year for all.

By Danny Mei Lan Malin (dannymalin.co.uk/yorkshirefamilies.co.uk/@MrMrsYorkshire)