British Street Food Awards winners 2014
Taiwanese buns served from a scaffold rig, crispy pakoras from a car boot and fish'n'chips from a massive boombox… Richard Johnson, founder of the British Street Food Awards, applauds the ingenuity (and heavenly flavours) of this year's winners
![Best-looking mobiler: Hip Hop Chip Shop (Bill Robinson)](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2014/10/09/11/street_hip.jpg)
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Louise Thomas
Editor
The finalists in the 2014 British Street Food Awards had already been through seven regional heats before going head-to-head in the national finals in Leeds a fortnight ago. The coolest vans, trucks and trailers (including a Gujarati horse box and a solar kitchen from Helsinki) traded all weekend. Here are the winners…
Best of the best
Fu-Schnikens
This Yorkshire team served up great Guo Bao – Taiwanese steamed buns – from a simple wood-clad scaffold rig. Filled with hoisin, cashews, sesame, palm sugar, pickled carrot and mouli, they come in three flavours: glazed portobello mushroom, crispy panko chilli chicken and braised pork belly.
People's choice
Little Blue Smokehouse, Kent
This smoking team cure, brine, dry-rub and, over oak, hot-smoke the meat themselves. The smoked pigs cheeks, marinated in Korean barbecue sauce, served in a brioche bun, with miso mayo, spicy Gochujang sauce, kimchi and pickled mustard greens made a lot of friends.
Best snack
Fresh Rootz's woodland mushroom, roasted pepper and spinach pakoras
Having lent their Mad Max caravan to DJ/producer Naughty Boy to cook his garam masala shepherd's pie at the awards, this street-food collective fried up their crisp pakoras, served with a 'slaw citrus salad, off the boot of a car.
Best main
Fish&'s east coast fish & chips
Classic fast food with a twist; lovingly cooked out of a van and trailer, with flecks of chilli in the batter and sides of chipotle 'slaw.
Best burger
Original Patty Men's Sumo
The togarashi seasoning in their burger gave the Original Patty Men the edge. That, plus the Gyu dare-marinated beef patty, crispy togarashi onions, cucumber ribbons pickled in mirin, wasabi ketchup, tossed sesame oil, beansprout and watercress salad. And a good shot of alcohol off the sake.
Best sandwich
Cauldron Catering's Ham Shank Redemption
The Cauldron Catering are Al and Hannah James, who buy animals whole from neighbouring Devon farms, do the butchery themselves, and cook over sustainable charcoal. "We forage for sorrel, black mustard and dandelion root," says Al. "Our power comes from solar panels on the van, and our packaging is 100 per cent compostable." Their mission, to "prove fast food can be delicious and ethical", is born out by the smoked ham hock in a wrap with smashed peas and mint, black pudding, and mustard-pickled fennel and cucumber.
Best drink
HY Kitchen's Schnapps Made From My Uncle Ludwig
Monica Waltner is a famous nutritionist in Austria, and she insists that her Uncle Ludwig's schnapps has restorative qualities. She came to Leeds with only eight bottles and there was a lot of toasting going on, so get it while/if you can.
Best dessert
Antto Melasniemi's liquorice chocolate pots
Melasniemi, from Helsinki, is a true individual. Who else would bring a solar-powered kitchen to Leeds in September?
Best-looking mobiler
Hip Hop Chip Shop
The Manchester music-mad chefs put the hip in chip. And they do it by cooking out of a massive stainless-steel boombox.
Best overseas trader
Malmo's Nordic Street Food
Jens and Pernilla drive the only food truck in the world to serve new Nordic food. They brought slow-cooked venison, sour cabbage with parsley, horseradish cream and sweet-and-sour lingonberries on flatbread from Jämtland, washed down with Äppelmust and birchwater, with the taste of elerflower and blueberries.
Best newcomer
Nusou
Nusou has been trading for just a few months, but is already attracting attention. The truck has just a noodle cooker, soup kettle, six-ring burner and deli counter full of fresh veg. Oh, and Derek, a chef with formal restaurant qualifications, rosettes and a Bib Gourmand.
Best street-food collective
Guerilla Eats
Manchester's Guerrilla Eats and Birmingham's Digbeth Dining Club (below) illustrate how far street food is spreading beyond London. Guerrilla Eats has an inspirational set of traders, and held the Northern heats of the street-food awards in the old Granada studios – right next to Coronation Street's cobbles.
Best street-food event
Digbeth Dining Club
Digbeth hosts full-on food raves in an up-and-coming part of the Second City, illustrating the power of street food to regenerate an area. If only councils would take note. 1
British Street Food is now on a nationwide tour, appearing in Edinburgh today. For details: britishstreetfood.co.uk/2014/ 09/all-aboard/
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