We all love pigging out on street food, and now it's being called "the most important trend in British food for years". With an annual revenue in the UK of over £600 million (that's a lotta hot dogs), it's growing at 20% per year, and it's getting more and more competitive thanks to the British Street Food Awards.
Starting in 2009, the prize at the first Awards was a blender. Now, five years later, the winners will gain a business makeover from Marks and Spencers and a pitch at the Olympic Village. That's some progress, but it's necessary when you see the competition out there - some of our fave restaurants, including Pizza Pilgrims, Meat Liquor and Homeslice all started off modestly on the streets, before making themselves an integral part of British food culture.
The 2014 British Street Food Awards are being held at the For The Love Of Food festival in Leeds over the weekend of September 26-28, and if past competitions are anything to go by, we're expecting to see contestants from all over Europe driving to the UK to compete for the much-coveted title. In 2013, the festival saw traders from Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Brussels and Amsterdam all wrestling for the number one spot.
The food fest will see plenty of street food, of course, alongside artists at work, crazy golf, robot-making and live music performances, as well as lots of other surprises - so a chance to have a good laugh as well as stuff yourself silly with culinary delights.
The 2014 British Street Food Awards are being held at the For The Love Of Food festival in Leeds over the weekend of September 26-28. Buy tickets here.
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