Don’t Judge Me

Over the years we’ve had some great chefs give up their time to judge the Scottish Street Food Awards supported by Hellmanns. Chefs who were quite frank — if they were starting out today, they would be serving up street food. There was Dale Mailley from Gardener’s Cottage. The inestimable Neil Forbes from Café St Honore. And Mark Greenaway, currently up to his eyes with Grazing. In 2019? We have outdone ourselves. Check out this little lot.

Since opening Fhior in summer 2018, chef Scott Smith has been busy wowing food critics with his take on the best of Scottish produce, all sustainably sourced from the Highlands, lowlands, and islands. Fhior is derived from the Gaelic for ‘true’. The word represents exactly what the restaurant offers – an ultra-seasonal and consistently innovative dining experience. Like Ben Reade, he’s tipped for greatness in the 2020 Michelin guides.

Ben, a Great British Menu contestant from 2018 and 2019, is the co-founding director of Edinburgh Food Studio, a crowdfunded restaurant and food research hub that combines eating and drinking with “arts, sciences, fun times and banter”. Before the Studio, he headed up development for Noma, voted the world’s best restaurant a total of four times. Two chefs that brilliantly reflect the excitement that surrounds Scottish food right now.

But what will they make of the finest street food Scotland has to offer? They will be joined by two of the country’s preeminent food bloggers. There’s Adele Conn, a wine enthusiast and gin guru known as Tartan Spoon, and Ailidh Forlan from Plate Expectations. “I am a Foodie 100% and I will and love to travel for food” says Adele. Ailidh is too busy to travel right now, up to her eyes with her book Street Food Scotland: a journey of stories and recipes to inspire (Black and White Publishing, October 2019). How about that for a panel?