Stockport to host the British Street Food Awards this month

A big one for the diary, Stockport has been chosen to host the Northern heat of the British Street Food Awards, and it's happening in the Market Place on Sunday 23rd August, 12–6pm.

It’ll be the first time in the competition's history that the Northern heat has been held in Stockport rather than Manchester, which is HUGE for the SK region. There will be 20 traders, whittled down from over 3,000 applicants nationally, who will set up for the afternoon, where their cooking will be judged against each other and, ultimately, winners will be sent through to the national final in September.

It's being organised by Foodie Friday which, if you've lived in Stockport for a hot minute or arrived yesterday, you should be familiar with the street food festival that transforms the town centre into the ultimate culinary destination every month. The Barratt family have built Foodie Friday from a local project into an award-winning local event that's achieved national recognition (Best Pop-Up at the Manchester Food & Drink Festival Awards, twice, plus a shortlisting at the City Nation Place Awards last year).

Foodie Friday’s John Barratt spoke about what it means for the town: "For Stockport Foodie Friday to be chosen to host the northern heat of the British Street Food Awards is a huge honour as this has previously taken place in Manchester. I see it as recognition of the success that we've been able to achieve with the support of the local community of Stockport and all the independent businesses that we collaborate with, who support us."

The 20 shortlisted traders cover flavours from India, Italy, Thailand, China, Japan, Jamaica, Canada and the US, including a few familiar Foodie Friday faces. A judging panel that includes Sam Buckley, the chef behind Where The Light Gets In, will decide who goes through to the grand final. There's also a People's Champion category, so your vote on the day is just as important and a goof reason to get yourselves along.

There will be live music and kids' activities running alongside the traders throughout the afternoon and will be free to attend. The event's backed by Totally Stockport, Robinsons Brewery and the local Community Rail Partnerships, who'll be encouraging visitors to travel by train rather than drive as parking will be very limited on the day.

Sunday 23rd August, 12–6pm, Stockport Market Place. Free entry. More info at skfoodiefriday.co.uk. Fancy more of what's on this month? Check our What's On guide.