If there’s one thing I love: IT’S STREET FOOD!
So you can imagine how happy I was when I found out that Northampton was getting it’s own monthly street food event, which consisted of lots of local food producers and street food vendors gathering together to serve the public every Friday night and Saturday.
As a lover of both Northamptonshire and food: I WAS THERE!
BiteStreet NN is a new pop-up street food event that is held at Duston Mill in Northampton, literally a stone’s throw away from Sixfields. Who knew an empty warehouse would be the perfect location for a street food event?
UPDATE: During the Covid-19 pandemic, BiteStreet NN is currently operating as a drive through takeaway service at Northamptonshire County Cricket club.
But it proved that when you bring street food vendors to a local venue, you can create a whole community of food lovers that gather together for a monthly event that celebrates everything local.
I’ve been attempting to attend every monthly event that happens to write up a complete guide on every vendor I see and eat from because as always, I only write about the things I experience and enjoy myself!
It’s organised by the same man behind Towcester Food Festival and Northampton Winter Food Festival and has been inspired by other local events such as Eat Street MK.
Crispin is the said man behind this and I must say, he has done a stellar job in executing this event and ensuring all of Northamptonshire and beyond is aware.
Josh and I didn’t hold back in attending its debut weekend on Saturday 4th May. Although the weather was mixed between sunshine and showers, it did not stop us from pigging out. Lots of street food vendors gathered to feed and satisfy the hungry public.
Here’s a ‘taste’ of what we have had so far:
Bandit Street Food
To my surprise as we headed towards the entrance, I spotted a familiar face: my old secondary school drama teacher!
It’s been years since I’ve seen Jonathan, but he’s the man behind Bandit Street Food, who create some AMAZING burgers! I knew this was the first street food vendor I had to try…
It was a tough decision between the John Dillinger Burger and the Southern Chick so we decided to go for both and split them between us! Bandit Street Food brought a lot of laughter whilst we waited for our burgers and the wait was worth it.
We both loved the taste of both burgers, but the Southern Chick was defintley the top one for us: crispy chicken with melted habenero cheese on top… dreamy!
Good Times Cafe
I have to thank Sophie etc for this recommendation, as just before we ventured out, I noticed she had posted about ‘the best cheese toasties’ you’ll ever try. I suppose you can say I was ‘influenced’.
You might think… cheese toasties are not your typical street food choice! But I’m here to tell you that if you ever see Good Times Cafe, you need to get yourself there ASAP!
We went over and was greeted with nothing but smiles and the smell of grilled melted cheese. Josh chose the Classic Four Cheese toastie with jalapenos, whilst I went for the same but with Marmite, with some pickled gherkins on the side.
Oh. my. Goodness. That was the best cheese toastie I’ve ever eaten! It was gooey, it was cheesy and dripping in marmite – I LOVED IT. The pickled gherkins were a really nice addition too, despite Josh’s disgust (he’s not a fan!)
Saxby’s Cider
Inside, there was a fully functioning bar that had many local pale ale’s, gins and more available for guests. But when I saw that Saxby’s Cider was there (my absolute FAVOURITE Cider ever) and they had their Strawberry Cider ON TAP – I went straight over!
Their Strawberry Cider is one of my favourites alongside the Rhubarb one, as it’s not too overpowering, but has a sweet, subtle taste that makes you want to glug down the whole pint in 2 seconds.
It washed down well with my Classic Four Cheese toastie as we enjoyed the atmopshere.
Smoke BBQ
Specialising in cooking with fire and smoke, Smoke BBQ were in attendence for the Friday night BiteStreet NN event on Friday 31st May and you could smell their food from a mile away.
I was really craving fries, so when I saw that they were serving varieties of loaded fries, I ran straight over there!
I was feeling the Cajun Fries with loaded pulled beef brisket, which was dripping in BBQ and covered in chilli’s and pickles which soothed the spiciness of the cajun on the fries.
SUCH A GOOD CHOICE! It’s rare for me to go for fries at a street food event, as they tend to fill me up – but luckily Josh and I shared them on this occasion.
Healthy Jamaican Kitchen
I was after something a bit different, a bit spicy and the Healthy Jamaican Kitchen ticked all the boxes for me on this occasion.
The Healthy Jamaican Kitchen are all about good, healthy food which was characterised from their humble origins, the Bodybuilder’s Kitchen. They offer somthing very different to foodies – including vegans, vegetarians, bodybuilders and carnivores!
We couldn’t stop eyeing up the menu and we spotted that they were serving a Curry Goat with rice and salad on this occasion. My only experience with Curry Goat has always been whenever I have visited Turtle Bay; The Healthy Jamaican Kitchen exceeded this completley!
The meat was so tender and didn’t give me too much of a kick and went really well alongside our Cajun fries. I also appreiciated the fact their ethos is all about serving healthy food, so for a Slimming World dieter (ignoring this occasion) it’s perfect to know there is a street vendor who can cater to this.
Bare Bones Pizza
You wanna pizza Bare Pones Pizza? Yes please!
You can’t beat a classic pizza at a street food event, so I was thrilled to see a pizza vendor on the Friday 31st May event as I saved myself that night for a big feed!
Bare Bones Pizza is a Midlands based Wood Fire Pizza family-run company, who serve up Neapolitan style pizzas which are generous sizes to enjoy whether by yourself, or sharing between two.
I’ve not known a Pizza company to cook and serve a Pizza so quickly that still tastes amazing. We went for a chicken and bacon pizza on this occasion and we hardly had to stand and wait around – now that’s what I call good service!
But the taste reminded me of being back in Rome eating a thin-crust pizza in the sunshine. The chicken pieces were so tender and it was super cheesy, just the way I like it!
The Biscuiterie
If you’re looking for something on the sweeter side, The Biscuiterie has got you covered with their range of sweet treats!
The Biscuiterie is a mobile Creperie and Dessert van based in Daventry, Northamptonshire serving favourites such as crepes, waffles and even pots of french macaroons, which I thought was so different to sell at a street food festival.
But alas, on this occasion, I had to go with a classic belgian chocolate with whipped cream crepe which satisfied my sweet tooth and completley filled me after a full on food feast. The crepe’s are incredibly light and fluffy and they don’t hold back on the toppings!
I hope they come back to future events, as I really want to get a pot of Macaroons to try!
When you venture from outside to the inside, there is a fully functioning bar serving lots of local drinks on tap, as well as gin, beer and more, whilst their resident DJ of the weekend entertains the guests.
BiteStreet NN always has a brilliant atmosphere for a Saturday daytime and a Friday night, both of which I have now experienced. We now make Friday nights our BiteStreet NN nights, as this ties well with going to the cinema which is only 2 minutes away from the venue.
Though the weather can be very mixed, it’s never a huge issue as most of the street food vendors have space underneath their vans to shelter whilst you’re ordering food, plus the event organisers always accomodate depending on what the weather is like; from a big tent that shelters everyone, to outdoor seating for when the sun shines.
The atmopshere is always mixed, from families, to couples and big groups – BiteStreet NN is certainly an event for everyone who loves food! This is a monthly event that will be running every month until October – hopefully they will keep it going as it’s always nice to have more Winter food events!
Also, there’s free parking on site!
Will you be attending the next BiteStreet NN?
PIN THIS FOR LATER:
Leave a Comment