Southsea firm up for national street food award – as contest comes to Gunwharf Quays

FOODIES will get the chance to try a catalogue of tasty treats this weekend as the southern heats of the British Street Food Awards return to Gunwharf Quays.
Need Street Food founder Pete Hunt (left) and head chef Stu Armstrong (right).Need Street Food founder Pete Hunt (left) and head chef Stu Armstrong (right).
Need Street Food founder Pete Hunt (left) and head chef Stu Armstrong (right).

The contest’s 13 competitors have been whittled down from thousands of entries and the public will vote for their favourite after sampling their snacks. 

Just one outlet from Portsmouth has made the cut – Need Street Food – which founder Pete Hunt has hailed an ‘amazing’ achievement. 

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Formerly known as Feed Hot Dog Co, the brand has soared in popularity thanks to its ‘test kitchen’ at The Merchant House pub in Southsea, alongside its charity work. 

Proceeds from its base and its pop-up events across the UK go toward Plumpy’Nut, a malnutrition-fighting peanut paste used by global relief programmes. Need Street Food sent 119,000 packets of the vital substance to northern Syria last year. 

Pete said: ‘Just to be considered is amazing. Being in Portsmouth, we're hoping our fan base might help us by coming down and voting for us at the weekend. That will put us in with a shot at becoming one the best street food outlets out there.’ 

Other outlets set to appear include Flour Power, a Cornish pizza firm inspired by authentic Italian pizzas; Turo Turo, specialising in Filipino cuisine and Dolly; the world’s smallest food truck – a converted Citroen 2CV serving dishes made from West Country free range eggs.

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A judging panel, which will decide who progresses, will be fronted by Jon Marsden-Jones, head chef at the Michelin-starred Black Rat restaurant in Winchester. 

The British Street Food Awards at Gunwharf Quays will run from 11am until 6pm from Saturday to Monday. 

These are all the other street food outlets competing for a place in the finals, in London, in September: 

- Flour Power, from Cornwall

- Indian Street Kitchen, from London

- Dumpling Dumpling, from the Isle of Wight

- BEYRoots, from London

- Rok, from Essex 

- Utter Waffle, from London

- Staks Souvlaki, from Kent

- Turo Turo, London

- Baggio Burger, London

- Dolly, from Sussex

- Feral Food Store, Kent

- Pabellon, from Brighton

- Carne No Carvao, from Surrey