Best Menu Ever
And so begins the serious business of the Awards. At Peddler Market from September 4-6. Each finalist arrives in Sheffield with two dishes to put before the judges, spread across a whole host of fiercely contested categories — meaning there is a lot of silverware at stake, and an awful lot of eating to be done. Our brilliant judging panel will spend Sunday working their way through the lot, taking one delicate forkful of every entry. One forkful. Per dish. In theory. It’s a noble exercise in discipline, but when you’ve got the country’s best street food landing in front of you all day, restraint becomes a rather abstract concept. The judges will, of course, remain entirely professional. Mostly. Winners of all the categories, plus YOUR winner – the People’s Choice – and the overall Champion announced on Sunday at 3pm.
BEST SNACK
Mama Lala
Sichuan Wonton Soup
Mama Lala’s Sichuan Wonton Soup features pork mince wontons served in an aromatic broth with house chilli oil.
Cegin HalfnHalf
Onion Bhaji
English onion, Pembrokeshire potatoes, spinach and carom seed fritters. Crisp and golden on outside, soft and tender within, served with fresh coriander and green chilli chutney plus mint and cucumber raita.
Friends Corner
Grilled Crispy Pork Belly Skewers with Tare & Citrus Garnish
Friends Corner’s Japanese-style pork belly skewers are grilled over binchotan charcoal on a konro grill and brushed with tare as they cook, creating a smoky, caramelised glaze and crispy edges. Finished with fresh orange, rocket and mixed leaves, lightly dressed with wafu dressing.
The Hungry Cowboy
Brisket Loaded Cowboy Nachos
The Hungry Cowboy’s Brisket Loaded Nachos feature 18-hour oak and pecan-smoked brisket. The brisket is double cooked to create soft melt-in-mouth burnt end style bites. Served on crisp, salted tortilla chips with homemade garlic cheese sauce, 5hr smoked cowboy chilli pit beans make this dish pop! Finished with, crispy onions, house aioli and fresh chimichurri.
The Thai Food Van
King Prawn Pad Thai
Rice noodles slicked in a sweet-sour tamarind dressing, with prawns bringing a gentle sweetness of their own, and crushed peanuts, chilli and lime snapping the whole thing into focus.
Mama Lala
Sichuan Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs
Mama Lala’s Sichuan Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs feature succulent pork ribs that are gently poached, then deep-fried and glazed in caramelised sugar. They are finished with toasted sesame seeds and a delicate Sichuan touch of chilli and pepper.
BEST SANDWICH
Stones Throw
L’Italiano Panuozzo
Stones Throw’s L’Italiano Panuozzo features sliced Serrano-style plant-based “ham” in a beetroot glaze, loaded with pistachio pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and house-made plant-based mozzarella. It is finished with fresh spinach and balsamic glaze.
Ember
Ayrshire Pork Porchetta Panuozzo
Ember’s Ayrshire pork porchetta panuozzo features crisp crackling, salsa verde, celeriac and truffle remoulade, rocket and Parmesan.
BEST BURGER
The Hungry Cowboy Burger
The Hungry Cowboy Burger starts with two crispy and juicy 30% fat, prime cut beef patties, coated in our secret Cowboy Burger seasoning. Sandwiched between the patties are 12 hour oak smoked pork burnt end style bites, glazed with BBQ and honey mustard. It’s all held together with melted American cheese and housemade chimichurri mayo, then finished with crispy, sweet pink pickled onions.
The Burger Society
Double Bacon Stack Burger
Burger Society’s Double Bacon Stack Burger features two 140g Aubrey Allen patties pressed rather than smashed, allowing the quality and flavour of the beef to shine through. The burger is topped with American cheese, homemade house burger sauce made with homemade mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard, and house pickles packed with aromatic spices. It is served medium-rare.
The Bucket List
The Space Jam
Organic beef patty in a wild wheat bun, with homemade cherry BBQ sauce, unpasteurised cave aged Gouda, small batch chilli jam, Roscoff onion and nitrate free bacon
The Burger Society
Crispy Carver Chicken Burger
Burger Society’s Crispy Carver Chicken Burger features chicken marinated for 24 hours in buttermilk, mustard, pepper and crème fraîche, before being coated in a seasoned dry mix of flour, chip spice, oregano, sage, thyme, basil and pepper. The chicken is fried, then served in a bun with house pickles, homemade sriracha sauce and hot honey.
BEST VEGETARIAN
Paella Garcia
Vegetarian Paella
As a Spanish family-run business, the Paella Garcia team takes great pride in bringing customers an authentic taste of Spain. The vegetarian paella isn’t a yellow risotto – market fresh vegetables are slowly cooked with fragrant Spanish seasoning, sweet red peppers and perfectly-seasoned rice, allowing every grain to absorb the rich flavours of the pan. As with all of Paella Garcia’s paellas, the real star is the socarrat. IYKYK.
Oh Mei
Oh Mei Have It All Vegan Platter
Handmade vegan dumplings, pan-fried and steamed, served with soft rice noodle rolls and fresh Asian slaw. The platter is accompanied by homemade chilli oil and dipping sauces.
Stones Throw
BBQ Polenta Fries
Stones Throw’s BBQ Polenta Fries feature triple-cooked polenta coated in their BBQ spice rub, topped with sesame mayo, pomegranate dressing, crispy onions and fresh chives.
BEST MAIN DISH
The Bucket List
Surf and turf
Wild black tiger buttermilk shrimp served with organic pasture-raised steak. Dressed with homemade bang bang sauce and umami mayo.
Ember
Scotch Beef Flat Iron Steak
Ember’s Scotch beef flat iron steak is served with cold-smoked beef-fat chimichurri butter, Ember-seasoned fries, smoked tomato ketchup and salad.
Oh Mei
Oh Mei Have It All Meat Platter
Oh Mei’s Have It All Meat Platter features a selection of handmade mixed-meat dumplings, both pan-fried and steamed, served with soft rice noodle rolls and fresh Asian slaw. The platter is accompanied by homemade chilli oil and dipping sauces.
Joy & Gladness
Best of Both Worlds
Joy & Gladness’ Best of Both Worlds brings together two much-loved Jamaican flavours in one meal: rich, tender and flavourful curry goat alongside smoky, spicy jerk chicken. Served with rice and peas and creamy coleslaw.
Friends Corner
Crispy-Skin Duck Breast with Yuzu Tare & Japanese Pearl Rice
Friends Corner’s duck breast is cooked sous-vide to keep it tender and juicy, then seared until the skin is golden and crisp. It is served with Japanese pearl rice and finished with a yuzu tare, combining the richness of the duck with the bright, citrusy flavour of yuzu.
Cegin
Welsh Lamb Biryani — Awadhi Style
Cegin’s Welsh Lamb Biryani is made with Welsh leg of lamb cooked slowly and layered with basmati rice, rose water, kewra, mint, brown onion, ghee and saffron. It is served with mint and coriander raita.
Paella Garcia
Seafood Paella
Paella Garcia’s traditional seafood paella is lovingly prepared with tender calamari, juicy gambas and fresh mussels, combined with sweet red peppers and carefully selected Spanish seasoning. At the heart of the paella is the socarrat — the golden, crispy layer of rice that forms at the bottom of the pan.
SPICE AWARD
The Thai Food Van
Massaman curry
The Thai Food Van signature curry. Its sauce has the perfume of toasted spices and roasted aromatics, with coconut milk lending a velvet richness, while tamarind and palm sugar keep the richness from becoming too heavy.
Suya Boiz
Suya Lamb Chops
Juicy flame-charred lamb chops marinated in authentic Northern Nigerian suya spice(yaji) with a note of aged dried ginger, garlic and cayenne pepper.
Joy & Gladness
Flavour-Locking Lamb Cutlets
Joy & Gladness’ succulent lamb cutlets are generously seasoned with their signature deep rub. Beautifully cooked to lock in the juices, the lamb is finished with a sticky honey jerk glaze, creating the perfect balance of sweet, smoky and spicy Jamaican-inspired flavours.
BEST DESSERT
Flats
The Triple Chocolate
Flats’ Triple Chocolate features chocolate whipped cream, an in-house-made chocolate brownie and rich chocolate sauce.
Pudd
OG Banana Pudd
Pudd’s OG Banana Pudd is a light, creamy, vanilla-custard-based pudding layered with soft sponge and fresh banana. Each spoonful brings together silky vanilla cream, softened sponge and fresh banana, with a texture somewhere between a mousse and a very soft-set trifle.
Flats
Lemon Zinger
Flats’ Lemon Zinger combines homemade zingy lemon curd, piped vanilla cheesecake topping, blueberry and digestive biscuit, all served on hot, fresh doughnuts.
Suya Boiz
Puff Puff
Beloved Nigerian street snack, made of deep fried dough balls known for their signature golden brown crust and soft chewy inside. Served with salted caramel sauce.
Pudd
Tiramisu Pudd
Pudd’s Tiramisu Pudd combines layers of their signature vanilla custard cream with savoiardi sponge fingers dipped in espresso, a rich mascarpone-based tiramisu cream, chocolate sauce and dark chocolate chips. It is finished with a dusting of cocoa powder.