I wrote a few weeks ago about a gr8 opportunity I got to be the only food blogger at Beacons Festival 2014, and I now have for you here an ~official round up~ (that is something journalists say isn't it?) of all my favourite vendors at their Street Food Festival. Pretty much everything I ate was incredible, and I wanna say a particularly massive thanku to Dough Boys Pizza and the boy Ben Davy for all the hookups (feel like I'm doing an Oscars speech) and for choosing properly great food for me and all of the other hungry festival-goers to chow down on.
So, with no further ado:
1) Dough Boys Pizza///@DoughBoysLeeds
Starting with these guys 'cause my heart belongs to pizza. Dough Boys know what they're doing and they do it dope. Soft, bready dough compliments a super authentic-tasting sauce ('just like my grandma used to make!' - imagine me saying this in an exaggerated Italian accent and also wearing a large moustache and u get the idea), which is all topped off by really great quality toppings. Our special vegan beetroot pizza was all kinds of delicious, and the sunny weather made it even better. Also, these guys had my favourite sales patter of the festival so there's that.
If this sounds up yr street (if you're reading this blog it almost definitely is), you can catch the Dough Boys at their slice bar at the Belgrave Music Hall in Leeds. Tell 'em I sent you.
http://www.belgravemusichall.com/kitchen/
Belgrave Music Hall, 1-1a Cross Belgrave Street, LS2 8JP
2) Bundobust/@Bundobust
Bundobust had to come next 'cause they were the only stall I ate from twice. I ate two consecutive meals of the mung bean curry and if I'm real with you it might be my favourite curry I've ever eaten. Simple and perfectly portioned, this not-quite-dal but who-cares-because-it's-better-than-dal has everything you could wish for from curry - amazing texture, gr8 flavours and just the right amount of warming spice for a cold night time at a festival.
Again, Bundobust is based in Leeds - they just opened an ALL VEGETARIAN!!! venue which also serves craft beer (lol I say that so casually as if I know what it is) and I would get my butt down there sharpish if this curry is anything to go by. Easily my favey dish of the festival.
http://www.bundobust.com
Bundobust, 6 Mill Hill, LS1 5DQ
3) Yummy Yorkshire/@YummyYorkshire
VEGAN CARAMEL ICE CREAM HAD ME LIKE *PRAYING HANDS EMOJI*. I was so excited to try these guys out, 'cause I knew they'd have some vegan flavours. What I was not expecting was to be told, when I asked which flavours I could eat, that ALL BUT ONE was dairy free. It was so cool to have such a big choice, but I had to go for caramel and I definitely made the right decision (though it was a toss up between that and their mojito flavour which also looked amazing). This stuff was rich and creamy and everything you want from ice cream. I was in raptures (I kept going AS IF THIS IS VEGAN after every mouthful). Yummy Yorkshire are based at their family farm in Huddersfield, where the ice cream is also made. Swoon.
http://www.yummyyorkshire.co.uk/
Yummy Yorkshire, Delph House Farm, HD8 8XY
4) Noisette Bakehouse/@NoisetteBakes
I wanna cry at the memory of this cake for real. I had a slice of the orange loaf and it did things to me. My mouth is literally watering as I type this. Noisette Bakehouse was hugely popular at Beacons - by the Sunday morning, these ladies had pretty much sold out of everything, and for good reason. The cakes all looked gorgeous, and tasted even better. I was also really heartened to see the number of animal friendly options on offer: again, there was more choice than I think most vegans are used to, so that was an extra treat.
From what I can gather, Noisette Bakehouse doesn't have a permanent address just yet, but if you're anything like me, you'll be hoping to catch their Madeleine Express at a food market near u soon.
http://noisettebakehouse.com/
5) Margo and Rita/@MargoandRitas
Ain't al fresco dining without a lil Latin, right? Margo and Rita were serving up tacos and nacho boxes over the weekend, and everything was in good, spicy, flavoursome order. Our nachos were doused in fresh pico de gallo and a smoky chipotle sauce, and finished off with a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of coriander. The freshness of the salsa was especially pleasing, and the portion size was great (but where, for the love of god, were the burritos? I woulda dug that pico on a burrito so hard).
Like Noisette Bakehouse, Margo and Rita are roving souls - you can catch 'em at events up and down the country.
http://www.margoandrita.co.uk
Beacons was great////I ate too much food////but it doesn't matter because it was all delicious////go visit and find out about all of these class vendors immediately. Mwah.
