Leeds has been hailed as the shopping capital of the north and "Britain's Barcelona" ever since Harvey Nichols opened there. The store celebrates its 10th anniversary in Yorkshire next year. The book says: "From cutting edge couture to contemporary cuisine, Leeds will hand it to you in a stylishly designed bag or serve it on a fancy plate."
Ian McMillan, Barnsley football club's poet-in-residence, welcomed the guide's verdict, but said it was a bit behind the times: "It's a cliche that it's grim up north. It's not been grim up north since they did away with industry in 1984.
"Leeds is full of footballers shopping in Harvey Nichols, Sheffield is full of men in hard hats building things and Barnsley is the new Tuscany."
Don Stewart, executive director of Yorkshire Forward, the economic development agency for the region, said: "If you surveyed Londoners about Leeds there's a good chance you'd get flat caps, doilies and Michael Parkinson. But the economy here has changed. It's loft apartments and people with big disposable incomes. It takes time to change that perception."
