But let's put that aside for a bit. My main reason for posting on this sunny Monday morning is to talk a little bit about Beacons Festival 2014. Beacons is a cool ass music and arts festival, which is now in its third year at Heslaker Farm in Skipton, North Yorkshire. Beacons is specifically gr8 because it is, actually and properly, "not your usual festival" - on top of the music (Action Bronson! The Fall! Charli XCX! Way more other dope shit!) there's film screenings, crafts, art installations, and a friggin theatre tent. However, for me what is most exciting about Beacons is the fact that it will also host a full scale Street Food Festival, which I am delighted (that's the adjective people use when they make 'announcements' about stuff, right?) to be covering for restinpizza this weekend!
The reason I wanted to visit Beacons in the first place, and the reason I'm really excited to be writing about it for you all to read about, is because as a veggie, it's really rare to have as much food choice at a festival as Beacons is offering. The range of food that will be available this weekend is mad diverse - every buzzy cuisine you can think of right now, from pies to pan-Asian, Mexican to Middle Eastern, is covered by independent vendors (loads more plus points). They're even gonna have vegan ice cream. Heart eyes emoji.
I wanted to know what motivated the people behind the Beacons street food festival to make food such an important part of the ~Beacons experience~, and why they've chosen the food and vendors that they have, so I had me a lil chat with Ben Davy, who organised the food festival, and who's also a part of Leeds' Dough Boys Pizza (expect lots of coverage on these guys in the upcoming 'pizza my heart' zine and also probably some photos of me trying desperately to be their best mate in exchange for a free slice). Here is that chat, for your reading pleasure:
RIP: Considering that most festivals are content to serve up suspiciously grey-looking burgers, limp chips and a bottle of Coke for more than your annual salary, something different, such as what is being offered at Beacons, is pretty refreshing, right?
Ben: For us the food offered at Beacons is just as important as the music. Food is what fuels people and good fuel is what you need if you're gonna be partying in a field for 3 days. For years festival food was renowned for being corporate, overpriced, below-average crap, but people just accepted it and parted ways with their money as they had no other choice. The recent rise in popularity of street food has changed all that. It's now possible to get high quality, healthy, interesting food for a really reasonable price and that is what we've brought to the festival this year.
How have you gone about finding vendors for this year's festival? Are you re-using old favourites, or have you mostly gone for new faces? Has there been a particular emphasis on using independent vendors?
We run the monthly indoor street food festival 'Belgrave Street Feast' in Leeds which has served as a great way to try out new vendors, so some have come through that. A lot of the traders I've met through working the street food circuit with Dough Boys Pizza, others we've tried at various events around the country. So there are a lot of new faces but we've mixed it up with a few old Beacons favourites who we've worked with every year, like the Skipton Pie & Mash guys who've become a Beacons institution.
We run the monthly indoor street food festival 'Belgrave Street Feast' in Leeds which has served as a great way to try out new vendors, so some have come through that. A lot of the traders I've met through working the street food circuit with Dough Boys Pizza, others we've tried at various events around the country. So there are a lot of new faces but we've mixed it up with a few old Beacons favourites who we've worked with every year, like the Skipton Pie & Mash guys who've become a Beacons institution.
One thing I've noticed is that the range of cuisines on offer is incredibly diverse - this is so impressive for a three day festival! How important has securing this level of diversity been for you?
Diversity in food is hugely important for me and I think it says a lot about the personality of the festival. There are a few familiar offers in the mix like Reds BBQ, Diamond Dogs and Patty Smith's Burgers for when you need something safe, but then we've got vendors who will make you question everything like Dorshi, Bundobust and Street Fodder. There's literally something for everyone and that's why we're really proud of the lineup.
I'm a veggie, and one of the things that made me want to get in touch with Beacons in the first place was the sheer amount of choice for veggies and vegans at the festival. It's so cool, especially when we're so often an afterthought. What do you think that offering so many veggie options brings to the festival?
Diversity in food is hugely important for me and I think it says a lot about the personality of the festival. There are a few familiar offers in the mix like Reds BBQ, Diamond Dogs and Patty Smith's Burgers for when you need something safe, but then we've got vendors who will make you question everything like Dorshi, Bundobust and Street Fodder. There's literally something for everyone and that's why we're really proud of the lineup.
I'm a veggie, and one of the things that made me want to get in touch with Beacons in the first place was the sheer amount of choice for veggies and vegans at the festival. It's so cool, especially when we're so often an afterthought. What do you think that offering so many veggie options brings to the festival?
Again the mix of veggie/vegan/meat offerings is just part of the package: it's diversity, it's interesting, it opens new doors to people. If you stick a paneer wrap from Manjit's Kitchen in the hand of a devout meat eater and make them eat it, there is no way they wouldn't cry tears of joy because it tastes great! Tasty food is tasty food, meat or no meat. I don't want people to think of veggie food as an after thought, or as anything less exciting than meat based food because it's not. IF IT'S GOOD IT'S GOOD
Finally - where are you personally most looking forward to eating during the festival? Do you have any personal favourite vendors?
I'll probably be too busy making pizzas to eat but my top 5 picks would be... Cafe Moor, Yummy Yorkshire Ice Cream, Dorshi, Bundobust and Margo&Rita… but then again Fish& are ace, and Diamond Dogs… and Manjit's Kitchen and Mumma Schnitzel - DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE!
Finally - where are you personally most looking forward to eating during the festival? Do you have any personal favourite vendors?
I'll probably be too busy making pizzas to eat but my top 5 picks would be... Cafe Moor, Yummy Yorkshire Ice Cream, Dorshi, Bundobust and Margo&Rita… but then again Fish& are ace, and Diamond Dogs… and Manjit's Kitchen and Mumma Schnitzel - DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE!
So yeah, if you need me this weekend I'll probably have a gobful of something delicious and won't be able to communicate with you properly, but all for good reason. I'll be posting over the weekend on restinpizza's NEW NEW NEW Twitter and Instagram feeds (@restinpizza666 for both!) with some updates about what I'm eating at Beacons 2014. You can check out their full roster of food vendors here. Peace out xoxo
photo ℅ http://greetingsfrombeacons.com
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