And Finally….

After a summer of competition, HERE are the winners of the FIVE UK heats lining up at the finale of the 2024 British Street Food Awards at Hackney Bridge on September 13-15. Trying to win YOUR vote with £6.50 taster portions of their AMAZING signature dishes. Eat Drink Vote. Will you agree with our judging panel – made up of street food legends and the country’s most exciting, young Michelin-starred chefs? Who will you send to Germany to represent the UK? Tickets here.

Baldy’s Pies (Lancashire)
Baldy’s Pies of Wigan have won more accolades than Meryl Streep – 14 British Pie Awards at the last count, down to deliciously cheffy fillings, imaginative toppings, stunning pastry and gravy that’s good enough to swig. But Baldy’s have only ever been available to feed the people of the North West, with the rest of us left to smell them from afar. Until now.

At the northern heats they impressed the heck out of the judges with the double BPA-winning Chicken Kiev with free range British chicken (breast, leg and thigh) garlic and herb béchamel, buttered leeks, garlic and parsley panko crumb. The crust held its shape well, with a stunning, golden sheen to it. And they won through to the London finals. But what will they bring to London?

Chicken George (Bedfordshire)
Chicken George’s reputation in the chicken wing game is second to none. Multiple Award winners at Wing Fest and Wing Jam, these street food OGs are finally ready to fill up the trophy cabinet with a British Street Food Award.

Expect a menu featuring their award-winning Mango sauce, made from Mango Rubicon, Chicken Shop’s favourite drink. “But we’ll bring something different – like our Louisiana Swamp Wings.” Expect the unexpected.

Loluli’s (Devon)
Loluli’s from Devon is a sustainability success story. “All of our fish is sourced on the southwest coast and in season.” Then cooked directly over fire. Handsome. Their Thai monkfish, spiced cucumber and papad wowed the judges at the Southern heats, giving off raw simplicity and big time beachside excitement. Be ready Hackney.

Degchi (London)
The UK’s only artisan biryani bar cooks on site using narrow neck pots called ‘deg’ – hence the name ‘degchi ‘. Alongside this most loved Mughal dish, Omair now serves the famous Pakistani street eat ‘shami bun kababs’ and Arabian karak chai. All of this comes in vegan and non-vegan versions.

PLANET G (Edinburgh)
Gemma cooks and, without her cheffing skills, Planet G wouldn’t be here; however, without Marta’s social media skills, they wouldn’t go anywhere. A journey, as they say, is easier with the right team.

Gemma is Italian – Marta is Spanish. And their mission is to save the world by helping people swap to a more sustainable diet. They certainly converted Edinburgh with their vegan haggis at the Scottish Street Food Awards, and won the public vote with a ballot box shaped like David Attenborough. Is London ready?

Hills Brecon (Powys)
Owain and Emily Hill took on a Powys caravan site with beautiful views in 2017 and set about transforming it into a destination for something other than caravans. Fast forward to the legendary Hills Brecon – an award-winning burger restaurant – and the Hills Airstream, where every burger comes as a double – as standard. National Burger Awards winner in 2022, they also won the Vegan Burger of the Year in 2023.

Pasta A Mano (Cardigan)
Pasta A Mano are a pop-up pastaria from Cardigan that have a cult following for offering authentic Italian street food in Wales. A business born out of a work trip to Osteria Fratelli Pavesi in Piacenza, it’s run by Derw and Jack – a duo who know a lot about good food. Expect total handmade deliciousness with every mouthful.

Flats (Worcestershire)
Fresh, flat doughnuts that just happen to be vegan. James Fedden is a street food veteran – some might remember him as BSFA finalist The Cake Doctor – but the Flats truck is something new for the 2024 season. “We have custom-fitted it out for doughnut excellence. It is a Shropshire Fire Services ex community outreach vehicle, so it’s ready to bring the heat”.

The signature is still the s’more flats. “It’s been on the menu consistently for 6 years now. I feel it has been perfected and it’s absolutely delicious. We make the marshmallow fluff in-house and blow torch it to campfire perfection. The marshmallow fluff is also made using aquafaba which is chickpea water.”

Papelon (London)
Papelon are confident. As Giovan says, “I believe we have the best Venezuelan food in the UK. And we sell something that not many people have tried before – the cachapas. I’m sure we can win the British Street Food Awards this year.

“The biggest difference between cachapas and arepas” says Giovan, “is that arepas are made from corn flour while cachapas are made from only fresh corn – that’s why they’re sweet. The texture and flavour make cachapas completely different from arepas, and we are certain that cachapas are way better. “

Burgervore (Buckinghamshire)
Burgervore believe they make the best burgers in the country. They’re ethically-sourced, with locally-produced ingredients – and, yes, they do happen to taste absolutely brilliant. “We champion British products where possible” says Will, “and have created a glowing reputation on the street food scene”. But can he win Best Burger at the finals?

The meat is the star – coming from a herd of Belted Galloway crossed with wagyu in Buckinghamshire. “And our butcher uses a local abattoir to keep food miles down. The mill that our bakery gets the flour from is in the same village – and they have zero food waste as all the surplus goes to animal feed.” Feel good burger. And it tastes AMAZING.

Mr Pig Stuff (Surrey)
Reece and Wells are proper chefs who had to jump into their street food side hustle during Covid. They still do the chef whites, micro herbs, private catering thing (check them out on LinkedIn), but they also work the streets – and they love it. 

“If you create food you love to eat, it’s easy to be proud of what you serve” says Iain Wells. Stevie Reece agrees. “We love the raw, honest and personal interaction with our guests that serving street food delivers”

Back-A-Yard (Nottinghamshire)
Shereen Thompson-Spurgeon, champion of the Northern heats of the 2024 British Street Food Awards, wants to bring Jamaican cuisine to a new audience. “I especially want to showcase my grab-and-go jerk chicken stuffed dumpling. People say it’s filling and surprising, to bite into the dumpling and then to be hit with the bursting flavours of the jerk chicken. And it’s unique – it’s a complete meal in one batter case.”