Inspired by food-loving cities from San Francisco to Saigon, a new generation of well-travelled entrepreneurs is taking British kerbside cuisine into a brave new world of flavour. Susan Low reports.
Food in Britain is going through an exciting phase. From pop-up restaurants to secret cafés, underground supper clubs to one-off dinners served by experimenting chefs, the food scene is stubbornly refusing to conform to the staid, silver service and starched, white naperied type of yore. These days, if you want to find the best – or the most interesting – food around, posh restaurants are possibly not the places to go looking for it.
The food mood out on the pavements of Britain has changed, too. If the term ‘street food’ conjures up aromas of stale grease and fried onions, and images of late-night kebab shops and stumbling drunks, it’s time to think again. There’s a new breed of outdoor vendors who are in the business because they want to serve great food, but with a bit more freedom and without the trappings (and high costs) associated with traditional restaurant set-ups.
Rich tradition
Street food in Britain has a long history. In Norman times, cookshops were commonplace in the capital and cities such as Norwich, Leicester and York. The stalls sold hot food to eat with the fingers: pies, flans, tarts and pasties filled with all kinds of meat including veal, kid or goose. In London, cookshops were open day and night, and street-sellers would walk through Cheapside and Eastcheap hawking their wares.
In Victorian times, too, street food was well established, as we know from reading Charles Dickens or from children’s nursery rhymes about the (sadly departed) Muffin Man of Drury Lane. Food historian Colin Spencer in his book British Food lists ”hot eels, pickled whelks, oysters, sheep’s trotters, pea soup, fried fish, ham sandwiches, hot green peas, kidney puddings, boiled meat puddings, beef, mutton, kidney and eel pies” as items that might have tempted passers-by. For dessert, “tarts of rhubarb, currant, gooseberry, cherry, apple, damson and cranberry” were on offer.
Hygiene standards may not have been perfect and food adulteration was rife, but the variety of food was astounding – a far cry from the greasy burgers, limp chips and soggy kebabs that are the staples of contemporary kerbside cuisine. In the same way that the reputation of British food declined after the Industrial Revolution, so street food’s reputation descended into the gutter.
An illicit food fix?
Change is afoot, though. And, as is often the case in Britain, some of the impetus is coming from urban centres overseas. Brits love to look to the US for inspiration and, sure enough, New York and San Francisco are coming up with the culinary goods. In Manhattan, hot-dog hawkers and pretzel purveyors have been joined by trucks and carts selling anything from Korean bulgogi (barbecued beef) or South Indian dosas (large flat rice- and lentil-flour pancakes, often filled with spicy potatoes or other vegetables) to Dominican pupusas (small, flat cornmeal cakes stuffed with meat, cheese or veg).
In San Francisco, meanwhile, hungry enthusiasts can indulge in a range of world dishes such as Filipino-style chicken adobo or spicy pumpkin curry followed by crème brûlée flavoured with lavender. There’s a non-conformist undertone, too. Many of the vendors in San Francisco and New York aren’t fully licensed, so they change their pitches frequently and communicate with their followers via Twitter to let them know where and when they’ll be able to get their next mobile food fix.
Britain’s street food scene may not have the same sense of subterfuge – most vendors have regular set pitches – but the food available is every bit as varied as what’s on offer Stateside. In markets in London, traditional street food such as jellied eels and pickled whelks has been nudged aside to make way for Mexican burritos, Thai curries, Spanish paella, Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches and Moroccan fish tagine.
Changing how we eat
Again following in the footsteps of the US, the UK will soon have its own street-food awards. In 2005, the Vendy Awards were launched in New York to celebrate the city’s street-food culture. The annual event is, as the organisers put it, “a festival of respect and gratitude for everything vendors provide – from our morning coffee to the $2 umbrella when you get caught in a thunderstorm”. Street food is being celebrated over on the west coast as well. In the San Francisco Bay area in 2009, three street-food festivals were launched: one in the city, one in Oakland and another in nearby Napa Valley.
Britain launched its own Street Food Awards in the same year. Throughout 2009, food journalist Richard Johnson has been looking for the country’s best mobile food sellers, or ‘mobilers’. Johnson and a team of judges will choose the winners this autumn (see p26). Says Johnson, “Food criticism in Britain never focuses on street food, yet whether it’s a burger stand, pancake seller or even a Mr Whippy ice-cream van, it’s the food we all eat, the food we can all afford.”
“It’s about time we had an awards show for the 10,000 people who sell their wares on the streets of Britain,” says Johnson. “I want the British Street Food Awards to start to change the way we eat. Some of the best food in New York, Tokyo and Ho Chi Minh City is served on the street – why should London, Cardiff and Edinburgh be any different?”
The impetus for change is coming largely from the mobilers themselves. Petra Barran of Choc Star, typifies the entrepreneurial, free-spirited nature of the UK’s new breed of street vendors. Barran launched Choc Star in November 2005 and says she senses there’s “a movement brewing”, with more people wanting to get involved in making and selling street food. “Partly it’s the economy,” she says. “And once people see others doing it, they see what’s possible.” Some are in it for the travel, others for the freedom and independence, and others because they want to cook food they love with few restrictions.
Barran has set up a website called Eat.St (www.eat.st), which acts as an online hub for mobilers and as a resource for those wanting to set up their own mobile food business. The movement is still in its early stages. But, says Barran, getting accessible, good food onto the streets is achievable. “If the Pie Man and the Muffin Man could be resurrected, I can’t see people not wanting that.” Nor can we.
Where to find the best
Other than on the street, festivals – music, literary or arts – are also a good place to find street food. Some mobilers, such as the Goan Seafood Company, sell their food only at festivals. David Hunkin, a scientist (and food lover) who worked in research and development, took early retirement five years ago. He launched his new career at a food festival in his native Cornwall, cooking Goan-style mackerel, which proved popular. “It got me thinking about how I could turn it into a part-time venture – there’s only so much playing with the grandchildren one can do and my pension was going south,” he says. He now works from June to September selling at about 10 festivals. “It’s a hobby that pays for itself,” says Hunkin. “My pleasure comes from the compliments we get – and from the great festival atmosphere.”
The flying burrito brothers (and sister)
Luardos is Simon Luard, John Bell and Sarah Maxwell. They serve up sublime burritos (our favourite is the slow-cooked pork carnitas) that have customers queuing each day at their pitch in London’s Whitecross Street. Simon worked at festivals with Petra Barran from Choc Star (see below) and liked the lifestyle enough to buy and fit out a Citröen H van. His love of Latin American food settled him on the burrito.
Best thing about the job?
“Getting people’s reactions – and the community at this market.”
Worst thing about the job?
“The repetitiveness. And I hate wasting food.”
When will we find you?
“We’re here every day.” (Weekdays, 11.30am-2pm, London EC1)
luardos.co.uk
The travelling chocolate lady
Petra Barran of Choc Star cooks up a range of chocolate treats, from dense, fudgy brownies, cupcakes and cookies to hot chocolate, ice cream and malted milkshakes, all sold from a customised Scottish ice-cream van.
What inspired you to get started?
"I believe if you put good food on the street, no one’s going to feel unwelcome or that they can’t afford it.”
Best thing about the job?
“The variety. Being on the road, getting to see lots of places and never having to stay in one place – and the access to all walks of British life.”
Worst thing about the job?
“The antisocial hours and the weather.”
Where can we find you?
“I’m moving all the time – festivals, markets, weddings, parties.
chocstar.co.uk
From designer lippy to curry couture
Gujarati Rasoi is a mother-and-son team: Lalita Patel and Urvesh Parvais. Urvesh used to be a designer for a cosmetics company. The veggie curries they cook up are full of fresh, spicy and salty flavours.
How did you get started?
“When I moved out of home I missed my mother’s amazing food, so I helped her set up a stall at Broadway Market in London’s East End.”
Best thing about the job?
“Being free.”
Worst thing about the job?
“Rain.”
Where can we find you?
“We’re at a few London markets and cater at weddings and festivals. We plan to launch a range of food products, too.”
gujaratirasoi.com
The British Street Food Awards: in search of the best, affordable food
Inspired by street food eaten on his travels, Richard Johnson has set out on a quest to find the best street food in the UK. Members of the public can nominate their favourite vendors through the website in categories such as Best Pie, Best Dessert, Best Main Dish, Best Sandwich and overall Best of the Best. Judging will take place on 10-12 September at the inaugural event in Ludlow, Shropshire, scheduled to coincide with the annual Ludlow Food Festival.
And the judges are… Richard Johnson, chefs Marco Pierre White, Thomasina Miers, Mark Hix and Antony Worrall Thompson, plus Bob Fox, who heads up the trade association for the mobile catering industry in the UK.