British Street Food Awards championing zero waste

It’s been a rough year for hospitality. But, slowly, the world looks ready to break bread together again. Informally, in the open air – or big high-ceilinged warehouses. Not at cramped tables in restaurants. Street food is the food people want to eat right now – served up the way people want to eat it. The British Street Food Awards, back for its 12^th year, is part of the biggest street food competition in the world – and it always finds the best that’s out there.

In the virus, street food traders have evolved their menus, trimmed any fat and pivoted their businesses to survive. So it makes sense that the 2021 British Street Food Awards will be the most sustainable ever with Eighth Plate and NCASS helping us deliver a zero food waste final. Once again, we’re pumped to be partnering with the Sustainable Restaurant Association who will be running the application process for the award for the Most Sustainable Trader.

This year there will be FOUR regional heats culminating in a live, national cook-off judged by the general public and a stellar line-up of judges.

Scottish Street Food Awards

The Pitt, Edinburgh
25-27 June

Welsh Street Food Awards

Street Food Circus, Cardiff
6-8 August

British Street Food Awards – Northern heats

Chow Down, Leeds
20-22 August

British Street Food Awards – Southern heats

Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth
28-30 August

British Street Food Awards – the Final

Freedom Festival, Hull
3-5 September

A British Street Food Award is a prize that genuinely changes lives. Wingmans, big winners at the BSFA and the ESFA in 2017, recently opened up their second ‘proper’ restaurant – in Soho. MEATliquor, who won at the Awards back in 2009 – now have 12 of the things. BSFA winners go places. But only when they’ve won through the BSFA heats – and this year they’re in some of the coolest street food arenas in the country.

Food Mutiny – the company behind the Awards in Britain – will take the competition to 16 European countries this summer, and launch the USA Street Food Awards in the Autumn. “It’s been a long ten years since we started” says Richard Johnson, founder of the BSFAs. “And we’ve seen changes. We don’t want a fixed starter-main course-dessert menu any more – we want a bit of this and a bit of that. It’s flirty, low-commitment dining. Plus it’s inclusive. And in a world like ours, that’s a positive message right now.”