Anyone who knows me can tell you that I like to eat, so I was really pleased when I was invited to review Swansea Street Food Festival, which is sponsored by Encona sauces. Thankfully for me, street food isn’t just beef brisket and chicken wings, so armed with a checklist of vegan-friendly traders, I arrived bright and early (and hungry) on a sunny Saturday.
The festival coincided with Swansea Pride and there was a warm and friendly atmosphere with lots of smiley, happy people having a good time.
After a look around the festival, my tummy was rumbling, so I got in line for some tacos from The Bearded Taco. I’d seen photos of the ‘let’s avo cwtch’ tacos plastered across my Instagram feed, but still hadn’t got my greedy paws on them. I’m pleased to say that they are worthy of all the hype. How could you not enjoy gin and tonic tempura avocado with lemon and agave slaw, vegan chipotle aioli and coriander? So. Bloody. Delicious.
Next up was Vegan Ice Green for, you’ve guessed it, vegan ice cream. I’ve long been a fan of Amy and Josh’s dreamy, creamy cones, and I swear, you’d never guess that it’s dairy-free. The chocolate brownie is my favourite flavour, but for a change, I went for the carrot cake and I’m glad that I did. It was really sweet and chewy thanks to the raisins and nuts.
I needed a bit of a break from eating, so I went for a coffee and a wander. The sun was still out in the evening, making it the perfect weather for an ice cold beer. I grabbed a can of Kona Brewing Big Wave from The Pop Up Bar Hire Co and a snack from Pakora Pod, where everything is vegan, gluten and nut free. The pakora wrap (a cauliflower pakora with salad, tomato salsa and Jaipur stew, topped with dairy-free yogurt and sweet chilli sauce) was just lovely.
There’s only so much I can eat, but because I live in Swansea, I came back on the bank holiday Monday. The temperature had dropped quite a bit and it was very busy, so it wasn’t quite the same experience as the first day, but we still enjoyed it.
I queued for half an hour for a Mr Croquewich toasted sandwich, only to find out that they’d run out of vegan cheese (I was a bit sad, but I guess it’s a sign that vegans are eating all the vegan cheese, eh?), so headed to Murray May’s, who do some amazing things with a grill. Last year, I fell in love with the cauliflower kebab, so I had it again, but this time as a mezze box. The combination of grilled, spiced cauliflower, tahini sauce and date molasses is hella good.
I don’t deal very well with cold weather and my fingertips were numb by this point, so sadly we had to leave. I definitely ate well over the weekend though, and it was great to see so many people enjoying themselves at this family-friendly event (dogs were also welcome!). Thank you to the organisers for inviting me to join them!
The street food festival is run by Street Food Warehouse who are running another three festivals in Wales this summer. They are:
- Pembrokeshire Street Food Festival: June 14-16, 2019. South Beach Car Park, Tenby.
- Aberystwyth Street Food Festival: July 19-21, 2019. Aberystwyth Marina, Aberystwyth.
- Milfood Haven Street Food Festival: August 17-18, 2019. Mackerel Quay, Milford Waterfront, Milford Haven.
Register for your free tickets and keep your eyes peeled for my vegan and veggie guide to Pembrokeshire Street Food Festival.
vegging it with Sarah Philpott 