• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs/Events
  • About
    • Published Articles
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

British Street Food Awards in Leeds: my first food truck

September 27, 2014 4 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

British street food awards in Leeds 2014, The noisy table Pic Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover

Recently returned from Portland, centre of the street food world, I collaborated with The Noisy Table to participate in the British Street Food Awards in Leeds. I first met Noisy Table’s Nicola Baker when she worked for me as a chef at Camp Bestival. I’ve been watching her progress on Facebook for the last couple of years since she shipped the shell of a vintage (1947) ‘airstream’ style (Sparton Manor built by the Spartan aircraft company) trailer from the States. Nicola has completely refurbished the inside as a food truck, with 6 burner oven, hob, griddle, fryer, several fridges and freezers. It is truly beautiful, almost like the interior of an aeroplane.
Then I saw a message from Nicola, a single mum like myself, on Facebook saying she hadn’t got any bookings and was considering selling it and giving up on her dream of taking it on the road. Well we couldn’t have that, could we?
So I messaged Richard Johnson, supremo of the British Street Food awards, taking place this year in Leeds. I came up with an American-inspired menu. Nicola arranged for The Noisy Table to be towed up to Leeds. We managed to accomplish this in about four days.
This morning we switched on the oven, hob, griddle and fryer for the first time. There were teething problems; no fire extinguishers for the gas bottles, the water pump wouldn’t work. Some of the ingredients we had ordered didn’t come up to scratch, always a problem when using new suppliers. But we opened at 4pm and sold out of everything by 9pm. Here is what was on the menu:

Home-made root beer (with float option) (*our entry for the drinks section in the awards)
Mac and cheese with either: truffle paste, parmesan and garlic breadcrumbs, tomatillo and jalapeño salsa (grown in my London garden)
Grilled cheese sandwich with rocket on sourdough
Black bean and chocolate soup
Smoky cheese and jalapeño cornbread muffins with lime, honey and chipotle butter
Fried battered dill pickle spears with chipotle mayonnaise
Pecan pie with vanilla ice-cream (*our entry for the dessert section in the awards)

Tomorrow it’s a double shift but in some ways it’ll be easier, we know this works, we know people like the food, we know, just a little bit more, what we are doing.

We’ll be serving for breakfast:

Marmite on sourdough toast
Avocado and Jalapeño on sourdough toast
Toasted bagels, cream cheese and smoked Sockeye salmon
Toasted bagels, cream cheese and gin infused trout

Street food, like supper clubs and underground restaurants, is a chance for talented cooks without big budgets to start up a business. You are getting a restaurant-quality dish for the price of a fast food meal. And I have to say, I love doing this sort of seat of the pants stuff, took me back to the early days of starting the supper club/pop up revolution, to my Underground Farmers Markets. You are on your mettle, you push yourself until it hurts, there are always a few tears but also big laughs, plus it’s fun working with a team.
Here are some pictures of the day, plus some of the other amazing food stalls in the British Street Food awards. This can only get bigger…

British street food awards in Leeds 2014, The noisy table Pic Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
British street food awards in Leeds 2014, The noisy table Pic Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
British street food awards in Leeds 2014, The noisy table Pic Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover

British street food awards in Leeds 2014, The noisy table Pic Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
British street food awards in Leeds 2014, The noisy table Pic Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
British street food awards in Leeds 2014, The noisy table Pic Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
British street food awards in Leeds 2014, The noisy table Pic Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
British street food awards in Leeds 2014, The noisy table Pic Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover

Recent posts

Adventures in Kent on International Women’s Day

March 27, 2023

Spring budget recipes for Willesden Library

March 23, 2023

Smoked haddock chowder recipe in Suffolk

March 17, 2023

Previous Post: « Cooking fish the easy way: the ‘hobo’ pack
Next Post: Our food at the British Street Food awards in Leeds »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous

    September 27, 2014 at 12:42 am

    Inspiring! Hope tomorrow is a huge success. x

    Reply
    • theundergroundrestaurant

      September 27, 2014 at 7:35 pm

      It was inspiring. Am now on train to London tired but happy!

      Reply
  2. Anonymous

    September 28, 2014 at 9:07 am

    Everything sounds so delicious (Marmote on sourdough, delightful!). This IS inspiring, wishing you well.

    Reply
    • theundergroundrestaurant

      September 28, 2014 at 4:35 pm

      The marmite on sourdough was amazing. Even if nobody else ordered it, I needed it!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

Subscribe to my mailing list

msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
I went to Wembley in north west london to talk to I went to Wembley in north west london to talk to Sophie of @tobia.teff she uses the iron-rich, gluten free teff grain from her homeland Ethiopia. She showed me how to make injera, the Ethiopian flatbread which is fermented. She also talked about the coffee ceremony, 3 cups, which they pair with toasted barley or, currently, popcorn! I’d love to visit Ethiopia and find out more about their ancient food culture, history, 3.5k year old monarchy and religions.
Doing a spring budget recipe cooking demo for @bre Doing a spring budget recipe cooking demo for @brentcouncil Willesden library. I’ve been doing this a few times a year for the last few years. Wouldn’t it be great if they had a kitchen set up permanently. Libraries are community centres and could be used to teach how to cook from scratch.
Mother’s Day flowers from @siennamarla who is ex Mother’s Day flowers from @siennamarla who is experiencing her own first Mother’s Day with Ophelia. I’m still living in chaos & work was slow yesterday due to rain. Only another month…
Last week I did a wild foraging walk with @luciath Last week I did a wild foraging walk with @luciathewildkitchen in Kent @kent_downs_aonb just outside Canterbury. I’m going to help out during her May wild asparagus workshop. This chef lived in France, is a brilliant forager and cook. Her campfire meal of lentils, wild garlic raitha and a dukkah of alexanders, Parmesan was genuinely delicious not worthy like so much foraged food.
I did a bushcraft workshop with @naturalpathwaysbu I did a bushcraft workshop with @naturalpathwaysbushcraft Hannah Nicholls in Kent. An all female group, this felt very empowering and I must get myself one of these fire sticks. @kent_downs_aonb
Me @hamyardhotelsoho where I participated in a BRI Me @hamyardhotelsoho where I participated in a BRILLIANT block printing workshop with @mollymahonblockprinting it was a belated birthday present from @siennamarla The hotel is gorgeously designed, look at the fabric wallpaper behind me. Every corner is a feast for the eyes. Lunch was included and unlike many hotel restaurants the food was so tasty (and vegetarian), perfectly judged in quantity. Congrats to the chef. I got so excited on Friday I bombarded my timeline with stories which may have been a tad overwhelming. I’ve had a great week, going to Kent @kent_downs_aonb to meet foraging chef @luciathewildkitchen and bushcraft teacher hannah @naturalpathwaysbushcraft so it’s been one of extremes, from urban high glamour to roughing it outside in frosty countryside. I’m loving life as a journalist and photographer, I get to meet so many inspiring people. At home things are a bit grim because I’m having building work done and for almost 3 months I’ve lived in rubble, without heating, and sometimes without cooking or hot water. So these days out are fab for my mental and physical health. I will be posting more on Kent, Molly Mahon, Ham Yard hotel and the building works. #springiscoming🌸 dress by @designerfriday
Artichoke lasagne. I made a white lasagna with bec Artichoke lasagne. I made a white lasagna with bechamel, Parmesan, mozzarella and artichokes. I prepped the artichokes from fresh but you could use jarred. I had this @nonna_betta in Rome. It was so good I had to figure out how to make it myself. #artichokes #carciofi #romanjewishfood
Hags by Victoria Smith @glosswitch on twitter. On Hags by Victoria Smith @glosswitch on twitter. On the demonisation of middle-aged women. We are all karens now. We’ve passed our last fuckable day. This book, an easy read, not an academic one, is brilliantly written, with an ice cold anger at the way women over 40 are erased, told to shut up. Yes we call the manager. We are sticking up for ourselves. We don’t take shit anymore. We aren’t beholden to being liked by men, being girl-friend material anymore. Embrace your hagdom. You can buy your own flowers. #books #feminism #hags
Carciofi alle giudia, artichokes, Roman Jewish sty Carciofi alle giudia, artichokes, Roman Jewish style. I learnt how to prepare these from @silvia_nacamulli a local Jewish Italian cook and teacher, who recently wrote a book ‘Jewish flavours of Italy’ available from @green_bean_books you need the right type of artichokes: mammole are currently available @natoora via @ocadouk have some lemon quarters to rub on the newly exposed parts of the artichoke and put them in water with lemon juice to stop them going black. #you take off many of the outer leaves until they are half pale green. Then cutting in a circular upward stroke, you take off the hard green purple tops of leaves. It ends up looking like a peony. Cut off the fibrous parts of the stalk. Smear salt and pepper inside the flower. Fry at 150c for 15 minutes. Remove and drain, open up to look like a sunflower. Then fry again at 180c until the outer leaves are golden and crispy. Serve immediately. Divine! #jewishitalianfood #carciofi #artichokes #mammole #artichokeseason
@silvia_nacamulli has just brought out a fantastic @silvia_nacamulli has just brought out a fantastic book ‘Jewish flavours of Italy’ . She lives local to me so I went round to see how she prepares artichokes for the famous carciofi alle guidea and artichoke stew. You need mamole artichokes that are in season now from @natoora I’ll be publishing a longer video on YouTube and a piece on her cooking in the @hamandhigh
Whipped feta dip is so simple: a block of feta, a Whipped feta dip is so simple: a block of feta, a couple of spoons of yoghurt, some lemon juice, whizzed up. Add black pepper or herbs. #5minuterecipes
This is what I’ve been doing for the last month. This is what I’ve been doing for the last month. Want to replace window overlooking garden with a wider, lower one but struggling to find something nice. All new sash windows look kinda fake. #vintagewindows #building #exposedrafters
Baking for the builder: cranberry pie with cream. Baking for the builder: cranberry pie with cream. Just because you are a builder it doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate pretty pink china and home baking. #builders
My piece is The Great Read: My piece is The Great Read:
Naples at Christmas- discovering piennolo di vesuv Naples at Christmas- discovering piennolo di vesuvio,the Christmas 🍅, which lasts up to a year fresh. It’s given boxed as gifts around Christmas being the only local fresh tomato available. It dresses all the Christmas pizzas and pastas. It’s grown on volcanic Vesuvius soil and sparsely watered. As a result it has thick skins, and a sweet intense flavour. #tomatoes #italy #naples
Not cooking much at the moment due to a thick laye Not cooking much at the moment due to a thick layer of dust over my kitchen. This will be my dining room/photography studio. Done on a whim.#unplanneddemolition
Another picture of my granddaughter Ophelia in a n Another picture of my granddaughter Ophelia in a nest of apricot tulle (found at portobello market). Isn’t she lovely? #granfluencer
Broccoli Stilton soup. This freezing week is defin Broccoli Stilton soup. This freezing week is definitely a week for soups. My friend @jimfrommanc is staying & needs his hot lunch.
Cheese on toast with crushed chilli 🌶️ in Ven Cheese on toast with crushed chilli 🌶️ in Venice the fresh food market sells bouquets of colourful chillies. I’ve still got mine, drying in an enamel jug. #travelandfood
The Christmas tomato or piennolo di vesuvio. Read The Christmas tomato or piennolo di vesuvio. Read all about it: https://msmarmitelover.com/2022/12/christmas-in-naples.html  Got a couple of bunches hanging in my kitchen. #naples #campania #tomatoes🍅 #travelphotography
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2023 msmarmitelover