Scotland The Brave

Scotland has it all. Wild salmon, oysters and game, with some of the best beef in the world; an exciting culture of smoking, salting and curing; and a brave, outspoken people who love their food. That’s why Scottish traders have always done well at the finals of the British Street Food Awards, from Wild Rover (twice) to The Mussel Men, Crema Caravan and Nusou, who came home with Awards in 2014 and 2015. The first ever Scottish heat was in Edinburgh — the same year we took our own village of Scottish street food traders (plus a converted double-decker bus) out to retail parks in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Street food in Scotland is making more and more noise. There are cool new options outdoors — and indoors. Glasgow’s got The Big Feed (the city’s first indoor, fully-licenced street food market, so they say) and Ross Street Market (who’ve ganged up with Streat to host a collection of lunchtime traders). Buchanan Galleries are taking it indoors, with a food court that offers up a taste of the new bloods. In the dry. And Edinburgh has the wonderful Grassmarket, Food + Flea plus Stockbridge and Waverley Markets — and street food in police boxes. Holding a Scotland and the North ‘heat’ — as we did in 2016 — just wasn’t enough. We needed The Scottish Street Food Awards. So here they are. On the 12-14 May, at the Pitt — the amazing street food space in Edinburgh. A food fight, on the Friday and Saturday, with a public vote to chose the finalists competing for bragging rights on the Sunday. Interested traders should make sure they’re registered on the British Street Food app, with up-to-date pics and trading information, and then drop a line to [email protected] saying WHY they should be chosen. After May 14, the Scottish champion will then compete in the British Street Food Awards at the end of September. And then…..well…..WATCH THIS SPACE.