Manchester - British Street Food Awards

This weekend I was lucky enough to attend the Northern heat of the British Street Food Awards.  The event took place in the old Granada Studios, just around the corner from Coronation Street:

At the moment street food is fashionable, and I'm glad about that.  It's a bit of theatre, mixed up with some serious cooking...

After all if you go to a restaurant, and don't like what you see, you may not return.  At an event like this, where there's 15 or more competitors:

it's very easy to go the next stand.  So if the stalls are not interesting, dynamic and different, they may not have any customers at all! 

My problem, however was - how could I try something from 15 different talented businesses, without making myself ill? Thankfully I'd taken my son , and we decided to go for the cheaper items (£3 or £4) rather than some of the more substantial offerings...

Some had stylish vehicles - like Streatza:

with their wood fired pizza oven.  The pizzas were assembled and cooked (in their wood fired oven) whilst you watched:

I would far rather eat this:

than most pizzas consumed in the chain vendors...

I'd already met The Moocher:

at Macclesfield Treacle Market. They specialise in quality seasonal street food using wild, foraged & rare-breed produce, using a vintage ex-army field kitchen.  We'd never seen a menu like this before:

and decided to try their hare in a coffee crepe:

which was much nicer than I'd imagined!

It was a bit like Around the World in 80 minutes!

Bánh mì Booth: 

specialise in Vietnamese street food:

Arepa! Arepa! Arepa! specialise in Colombian food

You can also find them in Levenshulme (Levy) Market.

We tried, and enjoyed, this halloumi with panko bread crumbs and sweet chilli dip from Mumma Schnitzel: 

Flavours Found covers flavours from all over the world!

A special mention should go to Love From the Streets:

- who come from the People's Republic of Manchester!  

I really enjoyed  Chaat Cart's food: 

Their Bhel Puri was described as "seriously addictive street food" from the North West of India. It's suitable for vegetarians, and carnivores won't notice the lack of meat. 

Another vintage vehicle was Noisette Bakehouse:

who were the only vendor selling sweet food (sadly Ginger's Comfort Emporium couldn't make it).

The winner of this heat was Fu Schnikens:

who gave us delicious (and boneless) fried chicken:

whilst we waited for this wonderful pulled pork in a Taiwanese steamed bun:

Sorry I've not been able to cover all the stalls (by now we were full).  Dirty Dogs do proper hot dogs. Fair Game Food serve up locally sourced game with a street food twist.  Fire & Salt BBQ bring you you real pit-barbecue flavours. Mama Ks sell burritos, tacos, nachos, tortilla chips and salsa's.

Look out for Guerrilla Eats - the collection of Manchester street food traders who host street food events in and around the city.

The British Street Food Awards finals take place this year on 26th-28th September in the Millennium Square in Leeds.  It's already in my diary!

  

Web: www.britishstreetfood.co.uk