Nick Attfield, licensee of Adnams pubs the Bell Inn in Walberswick and Harbour Inn in Southwold, is competing in the Central and East Heat of the awards in Oxford this weekend (2 – 4 May )with his mobile Fish Hut.
The awards heats run from May until September at British Street Food Festivals around the UK, culminating in a final in London from 25 to 27 September.
Attfield and two other chefs will be serving around 250 covers a day at the festival, hoping to win the regional heat by impressing festival attendees who will vote for their favourite street food concepts on an app.
The Fish Hut will be serving cones of deep-fried Lowestoft cod in Adnams dry hopped lager batter, served with chips, minted, creamed and mushed peas and homemade tartare sauce with jalapeno (£5).
Attfield won the Best Main Dish in the awards in both 2010 and 2012.
He uses the Fish Hut at his two pubs to cater for the crowds during the peak summer period and at around 25 special events each year such as festivals. It is given a fresh design each year by a local artist and features mermaids, a Lowestoft fishing boat, a sandpit and seagulls. Sounds of waves crashing and seagulls are also played in the Fish Hut.
He says: “The pubs always come first. The Fish Hut is a great marketing tool. I pick and choose events I enjoy and which will have a positive impact on the business. At the pubs we use the hut as a coping mechanism during the summer when the pub is full and means we can do 200 to 300 extra covers in the garden.”
Attfield has previously won Best Main Dish in the awards in both 2010 and 2012. He adds: “We are excited about taking part again. Fish and chips always does well but there are lots of new interesting, trendy concepts on offer. We will have to see what happens.”
Pub residencies competing
Other competitors in the awards include DogTown hot dogs who run the food offer at Breakfast Group bar the Social in Fitzrovia, London, and the Rib Man who sells his food outside the Boleyn Tavern in East London on every West Ham home game.
The awards heats run from May until September at British Street Food Festivals, culminating in a final in London in September from 25 to 27 September.
For tickets to the British Street Food Festivals, visit www.britishstreetfood.co.uk/festival