Local food writer Deanna Thomas shares the latest culinary trends in Greater Manchester.

With rising food prices and the recession, many independent food and drink businesses have had to get creative, resulting in a rise in top quality street food, with a number of talented Manchester chefs quick to get hold of the idea.

Diners across Greater Manchester are now spoilt for choice, with delicious rare breed burgers, handmade hot dogs, bulging burritos and artisan ice creams on sale at the growing number of farmers markets, food festivals and other local events where food is a central ingredient.

Guerrilla Eats is an exciting new collective group of local street food vendors. Many trade regularly in their home town, source quality local ingredients and just love the food they make. Guerrilla Eats also hosts regular pop up events and night markets around the region – in basements, backyards, skyscrapers and secret gardens, with music and independent breweries to create a buzz around their creative recipes. Gone are suspect sausages and questionable kebabs, their mission is to supply good quality, fairly priced street food across Greater Manchester.

The cream of the street food crop:

Chris Birchall from The BarnHouse Bistro is easy to spot in his green corrugated iron clad trailer. He provides a range of fantastic homemade burgers made using rump steak sourced from Nixon’s farm shop near Manchester Airport. All his burgers are served on a brioche bun, specially supplied by Robinsons bakers.

90% of what they sell at Penelope’s Ice cream is made in Manchester and everything possible is locally sourced. Their cones are made in Eccles (as they have been for over 100 years), Penelope’s ‘Yummy Hunny’ flavour is made using Heaton Park honey and they use chocolate from Slattery.

Ginger’s Comfort Emporium sells award winning ice cream from a pretty pink ice cream van. Its seasonal collection of luxurious flavours include Spiced Apple Crumble, Whisky Marmalade or Quince, Honey & Rose plus Manchester’s favourite, the bestselling “Chorlton Crack” – Salted caramel & peanut butter. Ginger’s recently won ‘Best of the Best’ and ‘Best Dessert’ at the British Street Food Awards 2012.

Mal O’Connor from Fire and Salt BBQ is inspired by the traditional art of BBQ from the southern states of America. He smokes whole pigs over hickory smoke for divine pulled pork and sticky ribs all topped with homemade sauces and crisp salads. He sources all his meat from local butcher WH Frosts and his fruit and vegetables come from R. Noone and Son.

Click here for further information on all the Guerrilla Eats traders and events or follow@Guerrilla_Eats

For more information on food and drink in Manchester go to visitmanchester.com/food

http://visitmanchesterblog.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/manchester-gets-a-taste-for-street-food/

Stewart and Sandra pictured with their truck

The revolution in street food is set to hit Scotland’s streets at the beginning of May when Stirling based Loving Food launches its ‘trucking good street food’ truck in Stirling City Centre.

Owners, Sandra Milne and Stewart Pleace are paving the way for the start of what they hope will become an exciting new street food scene in Scotland, serving freshly prepared, wholesome, interesting food with friendly banter to customers from their converted vintage Citroen H Van.

The company will launch Scotland’s newest street food offering at Stirling Old Town Jail on Friday 3rd May offering the City’s shoppers, businesses, tourists and foodies an exciting new culinary experience.

Quality street food trucks are the centre of a revolution in British food and Loving Food is championing the movement in Scotland. Leading the way through innovation and collaboration, Loving Food is working with quality suppliers, chefs, businesses, tourism and creative bodies to bring something new and exciting to the streets of Scotland.

Commenting on the launch of the new enterprise, owner Sandra Milne said; “Stewart and I are driven by a passion to bring fresh, quality and intriguing food together with people from all walks of life in Stirling and pave the way for a thriving street food scene in Scotland.  We want to create a happy hub of relaxed, fun, interesting and enjoyable food experiences for everyone: from foodies, to lunchtime workers to shoppers, tourists and passers by. The beauty of street food is that customers can have a new, ever-changing and exciting quality food experience that doesn’t break the bank.”

Stewart added; “Loving Food isn’t a snack van – it’s a personality and experience on wheels! We want to create a food experience that makes people smile.  We’re hugely excited about the launch next week, after which we’ll have a regular base at Stirling Enterprise Park and we’ll also be taking the truck off to a number of events over the coming months including festivals, weddings, sporting events and creating our own street food celebrations.”

To celebrate the launch in Stirling, Loving Food will be serving up a delicious menu at a discounted price on Friday 3rd May from 11am to 3pm.  Stewart and Sandra are also inviting all customers at the launch to ‘Name the Truck’, a 42 year old converted Citroen H Van which the duo brought all the way from France to serve their ‘Trucking good street food’.  The customer who chooses the most fitting name for the vehicle will win a free lunch for a month from Loving Food.

The launch will take place at Stirling Old Town Jail, St. John Street, Stirling, FK8 1EA on Friday 3rd May from 11am – 3pm.

http://www.scotlandfoodanddrink.org/news/article-info/4348/trucking-good-food-company-paving-the-way-for-new-street-food-scene-in-scotland.aspx

The Brixton People’s Kitchen team has been busy designing and building a kitchen. On a bike. Just because. And we are planning to take it to different places over the Summer. But before we do that, we would like to celebrate (again!) in our usual venue, Myatt’s Fields Park.

So come and join us for yet another feast cooked from surplus food, and check out our newly built bike! We will also have some live music, and a little crafts workshop if you are coming with children.

Please, let us know in advance if you want to volunteer as a cook, or help with the food collection. Contact Camilla: 07884418319 volunteerwithbrixtonpk@gmail.com

11-12pm FOOD COLLECTION & DROP-OFF
We are calling for surplus food from local houses, gardens, parks and businesses. Any fruits, vegetables, dried and canned foods that you don’t quite know what to do with, bring them down!

12-3pm COOK! If you can chop, pick, stir, peel, wash, grate, serve, or smile, you’re in! Please let us know in advance if you would like to volunteer, as cooking places are limited.

3-6pm EAT! Join the communal table and make new friends. Food will be served up on a donations basis. Put what you can or will into the pot, or feel free to eat for free! We will serve until the food runs out, so we recommend you arrive early to avoid any disappointment.

Please bring food containers, in case there are an leftovers!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

http://brixtonpk.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/unveiling-the-mobile-kitchen/

 Ahead of the Young British Foodie awards, Chloe Scott catches up with the rising stars of the food and drink world. This week it’s The Rib Man, who jointly won last year’s Honorary YBF award

When Mark Gevaux had a car accident, his life changed overnight. Leaving a strenuous job in butchery, heaving around heavy carcasses, he started cooking and selling ribs from a stall.

Gevaux’s flawlessly executed slow-cooked ribs and adventurous attitude saw him win the Honorary category of the YBFs 2012.

He says of his accolade: ‘It helped me decide where I wanted to take things. I never started out to have a business. Selling ribs was my way of enjoying life again after losing my leg.

‘I am still trying to come to terms with the fact I do actually have a business but I’m not sure you are supposed to enjoy it as much as I do.’

Despite the job satisfaction, running the stall requires long hours and dedication. You may have seen him in the early hours of a Sunday at his stall in east London’s Brick Lane, slow-cooking ribs to soothe the locals’ hangovers come daybreak.

The secret to his popularity is in his knowledge of meat. He slow-cooks baby back ribs from pigs reared outdoors on Norfolk and Suffolk farms.

‘I cook my ribs in three processes but, in total, they take around eight hours to fall off the bone. The reason they taste so good is they cook in their own juices so you get all of the flavour from inside the bones,’ he says.

Then there are his sauces, which have been rolled out nationally. You’ll spot his chilli-fuelled Holy F*** sauce on the tables of some of the country’s best diners, burger joints and cafés, while his second-edition Christ On A Bike rib sauce has been known to make pregnant women go into labour.

Working outdoors each day come rain, hail or shine, in a fair bit of pain, Gevaux says he plans to continue to feed the masses. In his entry for the YBFs last year, he said: ‘I love working on the street with real people and never want to have a bricks and mortar place. I really just want to be “The Rib Man”.’

And his advice to the next generation of YBFs? ‘Keep trying to improve, keep it simple and listen to your customers.’

Follow @theribman on Twitter or catch him on Thursday at London’s King’s Cross with @kerb,www.kerbfood.com. He’s at Brick Lane on Sundays and will be at Street Feast London every Friday night from April 12 @streetfeastLDN, www.streetfeastlondon.com

http://metro.co.uk/2013/04/09/the-rib-mans-street-food-is-finger-lickin-good-3587855/

Amazing Graze is Leeds’ first ever festival celebrating all that’s good about life on the street. Organised by Left Bank and Manjit’s Kitchen, Amazing Graze will feature the best street food, street performers, street art and street traders. Imagine all the best things about street life distilled into one beautiful space – that’s Amazing Graze!

Come and join us on Friday 5th of April from 5-11pm, and also Saturday 6th April from midday to 11pm.

Entry is free but you will need to bring money for food, drink, workshops, stalls and buskers. Kids are welcome.

Please follow the event on twitter or Facebook for the latest news on confirmed artists and traders:

http://www.facebook.com/events/198944900248601/
https://twitter.com/Amazing_Graze

A variety of art workshops will take place on the Saturday afternoon for people of all ages. Please get in contact for more info:whatshappening@leftbankleeds.org.uk

Left Bank Leeds, for directions please see:http://www.leftbankleeds.org.uk/main/travel.html

http://www.aboutmyarea.co.uk/West-Yorkshire/Leeds/LS8/News/Whats-On/244128-Amazing-Graze-featuring-the-best-street-food-art-and-performers

The launch of SubPoint this weekend sees street food come full circle and back to its roots. Simple submarine sandwiches – served in freshly baked 9 inch soft rolls – are reinvented with an interesting twist on classic fillings. Beef and horseradish is replaced with a version that includes roast beef, dark chocolate sauce, blue cheese, roasted red peppers and bitter leaf salad which might sound bizarre but we have a feeling it will work.

Other unusual options we can’t wait to try include smoked mackerel with grilled pineapple, shaved fennel and lemon crème fraiche or turkey with Swiss cheese, smoked aioli, poppy seed and apple slaw.

Find SubPoint at Cabbages and Frocks Market this Saturday from 11 AM-5PM.

St. Marylebone Parish Church Grounds, Marylebone High St., W1; 020 7794 1636

http://blog.zagat.com/2013/03/new-food-truck-alert-subpoint.html

Food poisoning victims are launching legal action after being diagnosed with salmonella at a city centre festival.

Hundreds of people suffered sickness symptoms after eating at the Street Spice event at the Centre for Life in Newcastle.

An investigation discovered 14 of the samples submitted had tested positive for salmonella. Now legal teams are considering courtroom action that could lead to huge pay-outs for those affected.

Sandi Sidhu, an illness claim specialist with Irwin Mitchell, said they had been contacted by a number of people and are investigating the cause of the outbreak.

She said: “We are in the initial stages of proceedings at present and we are asking the council to be as open about it as possible. They are involved with the Health Protection Agency and they are doing their own inquiries. It’s clear that something did go wrong.

“With something on this scale, it’s obvious that some sort of health and hygiene procedure has not been complied with and we need to work out exactly what went wrong.

“With salmonella, sufferers can experience long-term consequences six months down the line.”

Solicitors were unable to say how many people would form the basis of litigation but added they had received a number   of calls.

A total of 342 people have now reported sickness symptoms after eating at the event.

The findings were released by the Outbreak Control Team, made up of officers from Newcastle City Council Environmental Health and the Health Protection Agency.

The team is still talking to businesses and food suppliers to try to identify the source of the outbreak.

Suki Chhokar, a partner and expert in illness claims at the law firm, which has a Newcastle office, said: “We have now heard worrying accounts in relation to what those who have attended the festival have been through.

“It is clear authorities need to continue to work quickly and thoroughly to determine the source of these problems.

“It is becoming increasingly evident that a huge number of people could have been affected by this illness and both they and their families will be seeking answers as to what has happened, as well as reassurances as to what will be done to prevent the circumstances from being repeated in the   future.”

It is estimated 12,000 people from across the North East attended the event in Times Square between February 28 and March 2.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/newcastle-street-spice-food-festival-1764306

 When I left the US for Glasgow my experience of food trucks was limited to Manoosh, a guy who had a hot dog and pretzel cart late at night on GWU’s campus.  Of course then a few years later I was introduced to the infamous “burger van” when my office was on an industrial estate and that was the only dining (I use that term loosely) option within walking distance. Neither is a fair representative of the now booming food truck trend.

They suggested dishes were to share but 3 dishes per person, which to be honest I found a bit confusing but we went for five between the two of us. Our Smoak dishes came out first:

Truffle Mac and Cheese with Brioche Crumb

This picture does not do it justice—the mac and cheese was amazing. I may or may have not stuck my fingers in the sauce after all the pasta was done. Seriously delicious.

Next up was the dishes from Scoop:

Confit Pork Belly, Viet Slaw, Scratchings Lettuce Wraps & Nouc Cham

This was NotBlondeHusband’s choice. He’s a big fan of pork belly but for him the winner of this dish was the Viet Slaw. It wasn’t that the pork belly was bad but it was quite fatty and didn’t really stand out on its own. If you took away all the other components of the dish it wasn’t palatable.

Ox Cheek Taco, Guacamole & Sweet Pickled Onion

We both love tacos but the ox cheek was far too rich. The guacamole and onions were both nice but for me taco fillings should be lighter and less heavy. It didn’t taste bad it just was too rich for my taste.

Butternut Spring Roll, Beetroot Pesto, Feta & Toasted Hazelnut Dukkah

This was hands down my favourite. I love beetroot and the pesto was so fresh and the perfect pairing with the sweet butternut squash. It was so good I tweeted Scoop to ask how they made it. Also hands down the best feta I’ve ever had. I might have to tweet them again to find out where they source it from as it was light and fluffy rather than dry and salty like some feta.

We went for both desserts on offer because well that’s how we roll and oh wow I’m so glad we did.

Smoak: White Chocolate Cheesecake, Raspberry & Bourbon Cranachan

Normally I’m not a huge fan of Cranachan because it can be a bit too boozy for me but this was perfectly balanced. To be honest I don’t really like cheesecake that much but it was creamy without being sickly and smooth without being overly rich.

Peanut Butter Parfait & Jam Sorbet

Being American I’m a huge fan of the peanut butter and jam combination and this did not disappoint. We expected it to actually just be strawberry sorbet but the sorbet was actually made of strawberry jam and was tart enough to counter balance the peanut butter parfait. Again I may or may have not stuck my fingers in the leftover melty bits on the plate.

With £10 entry, £38.50 for our food (plus one more beer) + tip it certainly wasn’t cheap but the quality of food was high. Yes everything was served in paper baskets but you had proper china and silverware to eat out of—it’s street food that doesn’t bother me. I’d hope if these trucks go out and about (and have no warehouse overhead) that item costs would be slightly lower. On the whole we had a great evening but that’s not the kind of money we could spend on a regular basis.

I hope this was just a taste of what’s to come for Glasgow and we’ll soon have food trucks all over our dear green place with amazing and interesting alternative dining options for us all.

 

 

 

 

 

http://transatlanticblonde.blogspot.com/2013/03/glasgow-street-food-cartel.html

The sun is out and we’re getting in the mood for spring. Another reason we can’t wait for the weather to warm up is the launch of The Ice Kitchen – a new food truck selling hand made ice lollies which will hit the streets as soon as the weather warms up.

The artisan ices made with all natural fresh fruit will be available in original flavours like pistachio and rose or grapefruit and lemon and raspberry, blueberry and mint – many of which will count as your five-a-day. They are making a few quiet appearances before they officially launch so follow @TheIceKitchen on Twitter and find out exactly where to find them.

http://blog.zagat.com/2013/03/food-truck-of-week-ice-kitchen.html

Shop til you drop at Gloucester Quays’ popular monthly markets

Taking place on the first weekend of every month, Gloucester Quays’ Orchard Street Food & Craft Markets have developed a great reputation for their bustling atmosphere – and this Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 March 2013 will be no exception.

Kicking off at 10am on the Saturday and 11am on the Sunday, the market will once again feature the finest selection of artisan arts and crafts, jewellery, homeware and accessories – plus delicious and locally-sourced food and drink from award-winning producers. Plants and seasonal goods will be available too.

While visitors will also be able to take advantage of savings of up to 70 per cent off high street prices at the outlet’s range of stores. Some of Gloucester Quays’ most popular destinations include the likes of Calvin Klein Jeans, Gap Outlet, Le Creuset, The White Company, White Stuff and more.

And with Mother’s Day just around the corner, March’s market is sure to prove the perfect place to pick up a great gift for that special lady in your life.

Event :   Gloucester Quays Orchard Street Food & Craft Market

Venue :  Gloucester Quays Outlet, 1 St Ann Way, Gloucester, GL1 5SH

Dates :    Saturday 2 March 2013; Sunday 3 March 2013

Times : From 10am on the Saturday, 11am on the Sunday.

Admission :  Free of charge

Telephone : (01452) 338933

http://www.soglos.com/food/33923/Gloucester-Quays-Orchard-Street-Food-And-Craft-Market