The Scotland and North East heat of the British Street Food Festival hits the Boiler Shop in Newcastle on July 18-19 with 12 of the region’s best street food outlets aiming to book a place in the finals in September.
The event includes DJs and live music, plus the chance to try all of the street food and cast your vote.
Tickets on sale on the entrance or book now, here
Vendors taking part include:
Dim Sum Su (Manchester)
Sue Chiu-Fan Lee was born in Hong Kong and worked in the family food business as soon as she was old enough to reach the till. She’s now all grown up, and cooking authentic dim sum, gua bao, wontons and spring rolls for in the North West – exactly the same way her family did back home.
Kukoo (Bradford)
Ten years ago Mudassar Amjad and his brother Tayub set up a small 10-cover restaurant in Bradford. They continued to trade at small melas and local street markets from a trike too. The mix helped them helped perfect their chicken tikka marinade (“our secret weapon” says Mudassar). The brothers’ favourite place for street food is India. “It’s completely effortless” says Mudassar, “and not like you’re being sold ‘culture’.”
Bangwok (Leeds)
The man behind BangWok is a Thailand native called Dong. Standing at the back of his converted tuk tuk – long-retired from speeding around the side streets of Bangkok – Dong wants the sounds and the smells of BangWok to be 100% authentic. Working with his English wife Sara, expect big flavours no matter whether they’re serving fried green curry rice balls, a classic pad thai, or a steaming bowl of beef noodle soup.
Ginger’s Comfort Emporium (Manchester)
Ginger’s Comfort Emporium serves ice cream for grown ups. Claire Kelsey launched the business in 2010 without a plan for her new ice cream van, but she knew it would be something special. She got hooked on the alchemy of cream, sugar and flavour and, before long, was recruited by The Experimental Food Society. Her goat’s milk ice cream is still talked about in seminars. “I understand my menu is different “ says Claire. “Sometimes odd. That is why we take the time and care with our customers. Try before you buy is totally fine with us!” She has won three British Street Food Awards so far and has promised something extra special for this year’s heats.
Riley’s Fish Shack (Newcastle)
Trading from their bbq bicycle, Riley’s specialise in charcoal grilled fish and shellfish. From mackerel wraps with their own special ‘Hepplewhite’s Relish’ (a smoky chip sauce) to a whole chilli lobster.
Fish& (Leeds)
Fish& serves classic of British fast food with a twist. Winner of Best Main Dish at the 2014 British Street Food Awards, this is lovingly cooked fish and chips out of a van and trailer – but it’s just too good to wrap in newspaper. Offerings include a lemon, lime and chilli batter and or a masala marinade.
Scream For Pizza (Newcastle) Sunday Only
Meet Goldie – a J7 vintage Peugeot aka The Scream Wagon. She is very gold with red and mint green trim, and is the pride and joy of Alex and Victoria. Their motto? “To Gold-ly go where no van has gone before”. Goldie is best known for serving up Neapolitan pizza with a twist, but people go mad for The Mountie – mild gouda, smoked pancetta from a local farm and drizzled in maple syrup. There is talk of a Craster Crab Thermidor for the British Street Food Awards.
Crema Caravan (Edinburgh)
Callum is a chef. Mel has a background in marketing and design. They fell in love, and set up a really well-designed food business. Crème brûlée was originally going to be the dessert option to complement something savoury but they saw a niche and decided to start the UK’s first crème brûlée van. They bought Florence in May 2014 and The Crema Caravan was born!
Pickled Porker (Nottingham)
The Pickled Porker trade from the Pig Shed. It’s a one-off – part Basque cider house and part Yorkshire pub – and a place where you can sit down and enjoy Yorkshire craft ciders with low and slow meats on brioche, or a Yorkshire tapas board. With cider-glazed Yorkshire chorizo and fennel seeds on the menu, and cider-braised pork cheeks with rosemary and white bean smash, why on earth would you share?
Claw Hide (Newcastle)
Steak is more than a food – it’s a life philosophy. At Claw Hide, it’s chargrilled flat iron in a wood-fired flatbread. Plus something of the sea, if you’re a surf and turf fan.
Quinoa Caravan (Leeds)
Why Quinoa? Well, it’s versatile, in the same way as rice. But it carries more flavour. Thomas Fraser spent three months gutting a 1960 Thomson T-Line caravan to present dishes like pulled jackfruit with quinoa. His setup is now an advert for sustainability, and completely self-sufficient – all the cooking appliances use LPG, and the fridges, lights and sockets are powered by solar panels. Not as daft as it seems….
Banger And Bacon (Manchester)
Such a simple idea – bangers and bacon. “But we make all our own sausages” says Richard Brown, “and cure all the bacon ourselves. That way we know where it came from, and what’s in it, and we can create a bespoke flavour for a particular dish.” And then there’s the touches that turn the dish into an art form. Take the Porchetta – rolled middle of pork stuffed with herbs and garlic, slow roasted and set on a flatbread with salsa verde and dressed leaves.
