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Meals have been eaten on the move for millennia....
The poor population of ancient Greece ate small fried fish sold streetside, while Roman soldiers marched on a diet of wheat and wine; the Ploughman's lunch- once a much simpler affair of bread, cheese and apple- was eaten by rural labourers, carried to the field wrapped in cloth; while city-dwellers had the pick of multiple street vendors offering hot potatoes, muffins and crumpets, whelks, jellied eels, even bunches of watercress from their wooden carts or baskets.
Credit for the original food truck is given to Colonel Charles Goodnight, a Texan cattleman who, when faced with the challenge of driving his 2000-cattle herd from Texas to Colorado, covering a staggering 750 miles, remodelled a frontier army wagon to work as a mobile kitchen, with space for water, storage and prep. Kindling was picked up along the route and stuffed under the wagon ready for lighting a fire to cook over. The design of the wagon caught on, and 'chuck wagons' as they became known were eventually manufactured and sold.
The popularity of food trucks, wagons, and stalls increased, but it wasn't until 2008, during America's Great Depression, that the street food revival that we know and love really began to take shape. Two guys- Roy Choi and Mark Manguera- had the idea of selling Korean BBQ tacos. Given the economic climate, they knew they'd never be able to secure premises for their fledging business, so they kitted out a Grumman catering truck and hit the streets, selling their tacos at $2 a pop. Sales were ticking along nicely, and then...... Twitter exploded. The guys were able to announce where they were going to be in real-time. It set off a catalyst.
With scores of restaurants crippled by the economic downturn, highly skilled and talented chefs found themselves out of a job and unable to find work, leading many to follow in Kogi's footsteps, using their talent in the kitchen to bring imaginative, delicious dishes to the masses at a price point that most could afford. The street food scene erupted, with the ripple reaching far and wide.
On home soil, Suffolk-born Petra Barren, who had been selling all manner of chocolatey goodness from an old ice-cream van at markets across the UK, set the Eat Street co-op up with a couple of friends, before turning her attention to a first-of-its-kind collaborative venture, KERB, in 2012. The promise of super-tasty dishes from some of the best street food traders in the city was a hit, and KERB has since expanded to three further sites, while the street food scene across the country has exploded.
It is no exaggeration to say that the standard and variety of offerings just gets better and better as if there's no limit to the level of gastronomical excellence these guys deliver. Perhaps there isn't, and maybe that's why the street food scene is so successful; vendors give us access to top-tier chow, without the associated (or preconceived) price tag. Don't get me wrong, there are a shed-load of fab restaurants on my must-try list that I'm desperate to visit and willing to shell out for, but fantastic food experiences aren't limited to high-end, fancy or expensive restaurants. Sometimes it's the humblest of dishes that give rise to the sexiest food moments, you know what I mean? The 'what just happened to my mouth/brain/body?!' moments. Speaking of which........let's start with some of the region's finest contenders:
With premises in Hunstanton and Cromer, a food trailer that works its way around the county, and boasting 30,000 Facebook followers, The Bucket List's towering cartons of crispy chips piled high with all sorts of unctuous, meaty, crispy, creamy, oozy additions have got foodies whipped into a frenzy. Think beef bolognese, parmesan fondue, brie wedge, aioli, and crispy onions on hot, crisp pure potato joy.
Not strictly mobile, but Fat Cow's trailer is located in the middle of a wild-flower meadow and hooked up to a tractor, so it makes the list. Four years ago, siblings Jack, Robbie and Lucy set out to serve top-quality burgers made from stonkingly good beef- locally sourced, pasture-fed, dry-aged. Smashed on the grill for that caramelized meaty crust and super-juicy middle, these burgers have been hailed as the 'best in Norfolk'. And there's soft-serve for pud.
Hmmm, from Fat Cow to Phat Khao. Reads the same but the offering is very different! Phat Khao has had huge success serving up popular Thai dishes to folks across Norfolk, like Massaman and Penang curries, pad Thai, spring rolls and chicken satay. Not only is the food delicious it's got great 'curb appeal'- generous portions liberally garnished with peanuts/ herbs/ fresh chilli. There's also a fantastic meal deal to be enjoyed.
Heaven in a horse truck.
Grilled garlic lobster, lobster thermidor, freshly dressed crabs, crab cakes, and other seafood specials dictated by the day's catch. Served with fresh salad and fries. Prepared and cooked by George, caught off the Cromer coast by George's brother, Henry, who happens to be a fisherman. Guaranteed to be the catch of the day.
Why is rotisserie measooo good?! Cooked low and slow, the constant rotation over the heat means all the meat juices that usually leak out are held in, basting the meat as it turns. It's unctuous. Rotisseroll offers succulent, tender rotisserie chicken and porchetta, infused with garlic and herbs, served in either a bap or with new potatoes with sauces; plus rotisserie chicken Ceasar salad which has recently been added to the menu. Nice.
A true taste of Naples, Pizza Mondo's signature slow-rise dough is topped with San Marzano (a tomato variety prized by Italians) sauce, Fior de latte mozzarella, and other tasty traditional toppings. The pizzas are fired in a blisteringly hot pizza oven for little more than a minute, allowing the super-thin base to cook and the crust to puff up and develop 'leopardo cornicione' (leopard spotting), a trademark of authentic Napoli pizza.
Crispy, crunchy (and somewhat cheesy) Korean street food, served from a shiny silver Airstream. Think fries topped with kimchi, Dino's frankfurters blanketed in homemade gochujang yum-yum, topped with cheddar cheese which is theatrically melted by blowtorch in front of you. Plus K-dogs in all manner of variations including a sausage and mozzarella dog wrapped in crispy Gog Farm bacon and drizzled with maple syrup.
So these guys have a restaurant in Herts, but they hit up the Cambs food parks, offering wings, fries, and vegan wings.... but the chicken burgers are what it's all about. The crispiness of their chicken is insane.....what's more, the burgers are made with thigh meat, so they're super-moist too (yeah, moist). Served with sexy toppings like candied bacon or habanero pineapple salsa! To keep things new and exciting, they offer a Burger of The Month, check their pre-order site for flavours.
Best burger in Cambridgeshire........served in a lay-by?!?!
Well, yeah, it would appear so. It's kinda hard to compute; burgers that garner this much love and appreciation.... served up from a container shed on the side of the A15. It's time to put judgment aside because these smash patty towers are the stuff of legend, with foodies travelling across the country- not just county- to try them. We're loving the Swamp Things....double four-cheese burgers served in a swamp of nacho cheese with crispy bacon pieces. Get yourselves there.
Reesey's mobile joy factory is back on the road in full summer mode which means soft-serve ice cream with bells and whistles on! These guys serve up delicious, silky-smooth ice cream in cones, tubs, and sandwiched between buns, with all manner of seasonal toppers and sprinkles liberally poured on top, plus bakes and bites, bubble tea, and a rather nostalgic Coke float. Everything served from the van comes with lashings of unbridled joy, the stuff of every child's dream...and maybe even mine.
Super-popular local food truck, serving up authentic flavours of India in soft naans, wraps or atop Banjaraa's handmade nachos. Think the comforting flavours of butter chicken, lamb Seekh kebab, or slightly spicier chilli paneer, served on naan and finished with raita, chilli sauce and crisp salad leaves. This is definitely food to eat with your hands, and you're going to get it around your face; it's a messy affair and that's part of the joy of it, and then those beautiful spices, and the chilli heat and the cooling raita are going to disco dance on your tongue.
A handful of the above can be found locally (Stamford/ Peterborough area), a few are Cambs-based and worth a minor detour if you're that way, and a good number are further out towards the Norfolk coast, so whether you're heading out for just a day at the seaside or a summer break, it's really worth scouting them out (check social media accounts for dates and locations to avoid disappointment). This is just the tip of the food truck iceberg; there are so many vendors we could include, and we'll be adding to the list as we go. If you come across an exceptional vendor, let us know and we'll check them out!