Scotland The Brave

The Scottish Street Food Awards have announced the finalists competing at the Edinburgh Food Festival in July – and it’s an impressive lineup. Nine amazing traders will be going head-to-head on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 July at the capital’s largest free-to-enter food festival as part of its ten-year anniversary programme. Who will you vote for?

Cala Cala – Those famous arancini
Knights Kitchen – Kenyan fusion
Lazeez – Lebanese street food
Planet G – Scottish cuisine with a vegan twist
Steam Bunny – Homemade bao
Pit Beef Boys – Baltimore soul with Edinburgh smoke
Ting Thai – Authentic Thai street food
Chock Shop – Artisan chocolate brownies
The Crumbleologist – Scotland’s first crumble bar

As well as trying to impress an all-star panel that includes Michelin-starred Condita Head Chef Conor Toomey, comic Jay Lafferty and The Scotsman Food Editor Gaby Soutar, traders will be vying to win the public vote for the People’s Choice Award as both winners will then go on to London for the finals of the 2024 British Street Food Awards on September 13-15. And, maybe, to Saarbrucken for the finals of the European Street Food Awards on October 4-6.

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 third bricks n’ mortar restaurant in Hoxton. MEATliquor, who won at the Awards back in 2009 – now have 12 establishments, Bao have five. BSFA winners go places, literally, and this year the BSFA champion will be going to compete in the grand final of the 2024 European Street Food Awards in Germany.

Richard Johnson, Founder Food Mutiny said: “Scotland is on top of the world – it’s official. 2022 and 2023 proved to be the best years EVER for street food in Scotland – with traders winning big at the British AND the European Street Food Awards. Our Scottish finalists will be hoping for a repeat performance this year when they park up at the Edinburgh Food Festival in George Square Gardens in July. We don’t want a fixed starter-main course-dessert menu anymore. We want a bit of this and a bit of that. Flirty, low-commitment dining. Plus, it’s inclusive. And in a world like ours, that’s a positive message right now.”

Dani Rae, Managing Director Assembly Festival added: “We’re excited to be partnering with British Street Food Awards – showcasing Edinburgh and Scotland’s best street food and supporting up and coming entrepreneurs is what Edinburgh Food Fest is about, so it’s a match made in heaven. We’ll be celebrating 10 years of bringing excellent food and drink to Assembly George Square Gardens, kicking off with this fantastic event, what a summer it’s set to be.”

The Scottish Final of the 2024 British Street Food Awards will be held at Edinburgh Food Festival as the event celebrates its ten-year anniversary. Started in 2015 as part of Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink, the Edinburgh Food Festival has become a mainstay of Edinburgh’s event calendar, celebrating food and drink producers from Midlothian and across Scotland by placing them at the centre of the table.