Foodies pack out Palmerston Road as first day of Southsea Food Festival kicks off

More than 40 stalls offered foodies goods including paella, hog roast, cookies, pizza, churros, acai bowls, and gin.

This year, the festival is taking over Palmerston, Clarendon and Osborne roads as well as Avenue De Caen with some road closures in place to give more space for businesses.

Tables have been sent up in the street for people to enjoy their food and drink, and live music from the Wedgewood Rooms is playing over the weekend.

Among the stalls on Palmerston Road was South Coast Bagel Co.

Owner Jack Rose set up his company during the third lockdown.

He said business has been ‘mental’ but ‘really good’, and added: ‘It’s been a lot of trying and testing’.

Jack was inspired to start the South Coast Bagel Co as he has family in the United States - and has found that his ‘New Yorker’ bagel has been the biggest seller.

By lunchtime, Jack had already sold about half of the 280 bagels he brought to the festival.

He said: ‘Today has been hot, but really good.’

Daria Michailova and her partner Kristaps Bukeafins were hard at work at their ‘Tornado Tent’, selling ‘potato tornados’ - spiralized potato on a stick with chicken sausage in the middle.

Daria said that while today has been ‘fun’, helping her partner run his business has been ‘interesting but hard’.

She added: ‘We’ve got about 130 sausages with us but lunch has only just started.

‘People really like the presentation.’

Southsea Food Festival will also take place tomorrow (July 17).