The finest street food traders in Britain – and beyond – will be cooking up a storm in Cardiff next week.
The first heat in this year’s British Street Food Festival has already taken place in Oxford, and now it’s the turn of Cardiff to become the capital of cuisine for a few days.
Over three days, there there will be 14 of the best traders in Britain competing for your vote and the chance to represent Wales and the West at the finals of the British Street Food Awards in September.
Win! Night @britstreetfood awards and taste some of the countries best street food! Enter here http://t.co/nZ69MEHU5a pic.twitter.com/BiwT7tGzCN
— City of Cardiff (@cardiffcouncil) May 28, 2015
And the aim of the culinary game is to find out where the future of the best street food is.
RELATED: 50 brilliant Welsh restaurants where you should book a table as soon as you can
You can even download the British Street Food app here which shows you who’s trading where and when. It details the specials of the best traders, and encourages punters to photograph – and review – their food.
Feeling hungry yet? Thought so! Here’s all you need to know about it.
When’s it on and where?
The Wales and the West heats will be at Street Food Circus, Old Stable Yard, John Street. Tuck in from Friday, June 5 at 5pm to Sunday, June 7 at 10pm. And don’t forget that loads of traders will be at Street Food Circus until the end of June.
How do I get tickets? And how much is it?
It’s a fiver to get in each day, but for that you do get a free pint of Sharp’s beer. Kids get in for free.
Who’s going to be there from Cardiff?
Make sure your belly’s empty as there will be 14 AMAZING vendors to check out, with many coming from Cardiff. The home-grown favourites include Purple Poppadom, the high-end Indian, pushing out a menu that changes with the seasons.
This is street food with stars, from a restaurant that is Michelin and Good Food Guide listed, as well as Welsh Curry House of the Year 2013. Which explains the ambitions to do more than just serve dun-coloured stews or be constrained by standard repertoire.
The language may be on the pretentious side, but the cooking really isn’t.
Street food traders Wild Fig Farm that live on a fruit farm – a match made in heaven. Wild Fig served their ice lollies at street food events last summer, but for the British Street Food Awards they are bringing their little vintage van with brûlées and ice cream sandwiches.
Dirty Bird does controversial fried chicken.
Brined, buttermilked and secretly spiced, it’s as crunchy as you like. The logo attracts the eye, but it’s the chicken that keeps you coming back for more.
And then there’s Chucks who do third wave beach burgers, inspired by a visit to the west coast of America.
The menu is all, like, totally awesome but go for the Bloody Mary chuck muffin on Sunday morning and you’ll forget the night before.
— Chucks (@ChucksCDF) March 15, 2015
Anyone else from Wales?
Yeah, previous winners Café Mor from Pembrokeshire.
Jonathan Williams is a street food legend from the coast of Pembrokeshire, where he still likes to park up, forage a while and talk about seaweed. Oh, and if you’re lucky, share a tale or two about the time he won the 2011 British Street Food Awards.
Fingers crossed he’ll be trading from his Beach Shack, made from driftwood which has survived hurricanes, tidal waves and sea monsters.
Also from Pembrokeshire is Slow Pig and what makes them different, is that all the meat on the menu – pork or lamb – is farmed by the team in the kitchen.
Which explains why they don’t want to faff around with too many sauces and reductions.
Their crispy pig burger creates a bit of a stir wherever it goes — tender shredded pork in a crispy panko crumb, topped off with an apple slaw in a brioche bun. Not one for the faint hearted. But the pork shepherd’s pie is a pretender to the crispy pig’s crown.
What else can we tuck into?
The Pizza Bike from Bristol – the world’s first portable pizzeria
Nelly’s Barn from Devon – traditional beef burgers from award-winning butchers
The Cauldron from Devon – ethical and edible goodies from a pair of self-confessed country
Le Swine from London – elevating the humble bacon butty to exciting new heights, served up from the ‘ham-bulance’
The Cheeky Indian from London – adapting Mumma’s recipes for the modern age. Freakie Tikkie lamb burger anyone?
The Bowler from London – beautifully seasoned balls of chicken, beef, pork and fish
Chai Guy from Bristol – authentic chai from a shiny gold tricycle named Hyacinth that once ferried people through the humid streets of Jakarta