"What Bradford people get wrong about Bradford, is the idea that we're worse than everywhere else - and we're not". This is according to Dave, who has lived happily in the West Yorkshire city for nearly 30 years. And indeed, while Bradford's more confident Northern counterparts have a certain swagger when it comes to their hometown pride, Bradfordians tend to be a little more self-deprecating. I caught up with Dave in The Record Cafe, an award winning independent vinyl shop, craft beer bar and charcuterie. It's a trendy place than wouldn't look out of place in Manchester's Northern Quarter or Liverpool's Baltic Triangle. Afterwards I moved on to North Riding Brewery, enjoying a half of Superdelic for £2 - bemoaned as pricey by some locals, the personable bar owner Keith tells me, but an undeniable snip compared to stylish haunts of the same ilk elsewhere.
All comparisons aside, Bradford has a distinct personality of her own that is finally being appreciated thanks to it recently winning the title of City of Culture 2025. Dave hopes this accolade will give residents "the confidence to shout about the good stuff" in Bradford. As I learned during night away in Yorkshire's overlooked gem, there's plenty to shout about. First of all, the architecture. While pretty York may get all the compliments, Cinderella city Bradford has a quiet grandeur, with enough breathtaking Victorian architecture to please passing history buffs, and blue plaques aplenty.
The 500-year-old Bradford Cathedral and Grade I-listed City Hall are remarkable, but the Wool Exchange will delight book lovers. Built in the 19th century, this Gothic Revival masterpiece was once a bustling wool-trading centre at the very heart of the city's historic industries. Nowadays, it's home to a Waterstones and cafe, proving an oasis of calm. And what a gorgeous oasis it is. The Wool Exchange is often referred to as the most beautiful bookshop in the world. And, speaking as a professional writer who physically cannot walk past a bookshop while on holiday, I have yet to see a more beautiful one.
Steeped in history and with a gentle hush about the place, the high ceilings and ornate windows give the feel of being inside a cathedral. I could happily stay here and write about it all day, but the hours are ticking on, and so, onto my favourite minibreak activity - lunch. Spoiled for choice, I settle on Rum-shack-a-lack, a quirky Caribbean street food restaurant nestled on Bradford's boho North Parade. It's famed for having the "best rum cocktails" in town, but as I still have a full day's stomping around to do, I settle for a juicy Very Berry Mocktail (£4.50), which I sip quite happily in between bites of my Tantoni Turkish Steak Wrap (£8.85).
It's delicious, satisfying, and very generously portioned. If you're after saving your appetitie, and pennies, for the evening, one could do for two. As I'm flying solo today however, I can't help but take the excuse to polish off the lot. Before I head back out on my travels, I chat with Rum-shack-a-lack's manager Mustafa about Bradford's City of Culture status. "We see it as our last chance to show everybody how beautiful Bradford is," he tells me.
"People need to come and see it, see what a beautiful place it is, and hopefully, we can carry on from there. Because there is no reason for Bradford not to be touristy, because it's more than beautiful enough.". Reflecting on whether he regards Bradford as a hidden gem, Mustafa, who has lived in the city for 21 years, says: "It really is. Especially the city centre, People seem to think it's rough and all that, but all you have to do is lift your head as you are walking, look at the buildiings you are walking inbetween, to realise what a beautiful place it is.".
Mustafa, who says he "couldn't live anywhere else", reckons the best part of Bradford has to be its diversity, with the city benefiting from so many different cultures living within close proximity. He also heartily recommends the five minute drive to the surrounding moors with a cup of tea and fish and chips takeaway. I walk off my lunch with a stroll around Bradford's National Science and Media Museum. Up until May, you can catch David Hockney: Pieced Together, an exhibition which displays the iconic Bradford artist and photographer's 'visual collages'.
For those fascinated by the history of photography - a rich seam in Bradford's creative culture - the Kodak Gallery is a must-see, while little ones will be kept entertained while they learn in the interactive permanent gallery. By the time dinnertime rolls around, I'm hungry once more, and it's a good job, too, because a full-blown feast awaits me at The Sweet Centre Restaurant. It has been a Bradford institution since 1964, when it was opened by entrepreneurial brothers Abdul Rehman and Mohammed Bashir, who was later joined by Abdul Aziz.
Originally from Mirpur, Pakistan, the brothers pawned their family jewellery to make a new start in the UK, working in the textile industry and grocery stores before opening what would become an enduring family legacy. Beginning small, the brothers would deliver breakfasts and snacks to the mills for the homesick fellow immigrants working there, and to the cinema where they'd lose themselves in Bollywood films. The food caught on like wildfire during the 'curry revolution', and customers from all different backgrounds turned up to give it a try. Dr. Zulficar told me: "We are part and parcel of the heritage of Bradford.".
