Guest Writer: Simon Willis is the Co Founder of Lola’s Wings, a street food truck selling free range, organic chicken wings & pulled chicken, with his wife Lauren, a native New Yorker. They combine New York style, with Devon quality, serving at festivals and events across Devon and around the country, as well as their local pitch on Croyde Bay Resort, in North Devon.

A Great Year for Street Food in Devon

As the nights close in, the wind picks up and year draws to end, most of Devon’s street food traders are looking forward to a few weeks off in January before gearing up for another year of festivals, food fayres and street food events. The traders have been out there in their food trucks, trailers and marquee’s during 2015, lovingly serving gourmet dishes to Devon’s ever growing foodie community, and winning some impressive awards along the way!

Who are they? These small, independent businesses are usually just a couple of friends or family, some chefs, some home cooks, with a passion for bringing world cuisine to your doorstep. There’s Seadog, winner of Best of the Best at the British Street Food Awards and Lola’s Wings, serving authentic New York style chicken wings and included in Streetzine’s prestigious ‘Best Street Food Dishes of 2015.’ Cracking Nuts and Seasonal Samosas who have both taken the world famous Glastonbury festival by storm. Good Game, Posh Kebab Company and Carne Catering giving you your meat fix.

What can you expect to eat? With their passion for food, you can expect top quality for a great price, such as Pig & Olive’s rare breed pulled pork, from their own farm, and smoked on their fire pit, Good Game’s regional meat with specialist curing, Lola’s Wings free range, organic chicken from Piper’s Farm just outside of Exeter, Cafe Brazil’s deep friend and stuffed coxinhas or churros with chocolate. Love fish? Try The Glorious Oyster’s seaside specials or Seadog’s fish burger. Then there’s Seasonal Samosa’s sustainable and seasonal Punjabi inspired dishes, or how about some sugar coated cashew’s from Cracking Nuts or chocolatey goodness from the Green Brownie.

Where will you find them? There are events all over Devon, here’s just a few;

Electric Nights- Tiverton Pannier Market, traders such as the Posh Kebab Company (a kebab like you’ve never had before, grass fed, slow cooked...yummm) and Eat the Smoke’s authentic pit BBQ.

Barnstaple Real Food Market- try Calaca Loca’s Mexican dishes, Big Pot Kitchen’s gourmet sausages and cider potatoes & producers like Red Dog Bakery.

Exeter Street Food- Pop up night markets on the Quay and the Piazza, as well as a regular market by the Guildhall shopping centre.

Festivals– from Scrumpstock in Exmouth, to Exeter Food Festival and Plymouth Flavour Fest The 2016 street food season will soon be here, make sure you get social and follow your favourite’s on Facebook and Twitter.

If you want any information on bringing street food to your event or just have a few questions on best places or even starting your own, feel free to contact Simon at lolaswings@hotmail.com