The Award-winning foodie fest has been invited to host the Northern heat in Stockport Market later this month
Award-winning monthly food event, Stockport Foodie Friday, has been invited to host the Northern heat of this year’s British Street Food Awards.
Taking place at Stockport Market on Sunday 23 August between 12-6pm, the event provides visitors with the unique opportunity to spend a Sunday afternoon in the town’s Victorian Market, sampling some of the very best street food that the North has to offer.
With twenty traders in attendance selected from over 3000 applicants, including a number of award-winning regular Foodie Friday traders, visitors can expect flavours from all over the world.
A panel of expert judges will decide which trader goes forward to the National Final in September while the public can vote for their favourite trader to be the ‘Peoples’ Champion’. This year’s judging panel includes award-winning chef Sam Buckley of acclaimed Stockport restaurant Where The Light Gets In, which was awarded a Green Michelin Star for its zero-waste philosophy, hyper-local foraging, and commitment to sustainable gastronomy.
Sam will be joined on the judging panel by food writer and blogger Holly Temple, founder of Filler, the independent food magazine celebrating the stories behind what we eat and Joe McGrath, creator of the successful Sloppy Joe’s food podcast and host of the BBC Radio Manchester Breakfast Show.
For the first ever British Street Food Awards in Stockport, the family team of John and Rosemary Barratt, their son Joe and daughter Scarlet who together organise Foodie Friday, are planning a fun-filled, family-friendly day with live music and children's activities throughout the afternoon.
“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,” says John. “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.”
Since 2015, Stockport Foodie Friday has grown in popularity, establishing itself as one of the most popular street food events in the north, attracting thousands of visitors to Stockport Market and Underbanks from across the region every last Friday of the month.
Within a year, Stockport Foodie Friday was awarded the ‘Best Pop-Up, Club or Project’ at the 2016 Manchester Food & Drink Festival Awards and again in 2022. That same year, husband and wife team John and Rosemary were also honoured with The Howard & Ruth Award for Outstanding Achievement, which recognises individuals or businesses that have made an exceptional, long-term contribution to the food and drink industry across Greater Manchester.
“Our projects in Stockport have always been a family affair for us, which probably comes from my love for the town inherited from my parents,” explains John. “When we started running Foodie Friday my daughter Scarlet was 15 and still at high school and now, along with Joe, she is a key part of the management and event delivery team and runs all our social media.
“I truly believe that the successful regeneration of Stockport has been about amazing community spirit and genuine grassroots growth. Just like Scarlet, many teenagers have grown up coming to Foodie Friday with their families and now, as young adults, they are coming back into Stockport with their friends to socialise, support the independent businesses and even start their own creative projects in the town centre.”
The upcoming British Street Food Awards event will provide locals and visitors with an opportunity to spend a relaxing afternoon in Stockport’s beautiful Market Place enjoying live entertainment and sampling all the amazing international flavours on offer. Everyone is strongly encouraged to come along to eat, drink and vote.
The event is supported by Totally Stockport - Stockport’s BID company, Stockport family brewers Robinsons Brewery and the South-East Manchester & Crewe to Manchester Community Rail Partnerships, who will be encouraging people to visit Stockport by train.
British Street Food Awards at Stockport Market, Sunday 23 August 2026, 12-6pm
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