PIG. It's the most popular meat in the world. Just.
We've sold out nearly every Saturday night, that's around 400 people - more than most restaurants can boast over six nights
As British pork consumption continues to fall (backstopped in recent years by Chinese love for British trotters), three Manchester street food traders are doing their bit to back Britain's flagging swine industry.
"Absolutely everything we do contains pig," says Heather Taylor, one third of street food outfit Bangers & Bacon. "Vimto bacon, Marmite sausage, even the desserts; bacon cheesecake, spotted dick with treacle bacon, bacon brownies..." (Heather has a Bubba Gump moment).
Whilst many have sounded the death knell for the street food trend - with definitely-not-on-the-street Manchester restaurants such as Thaikhun, Scene and global chicken chain KFC now offering bastardised 'street food' - Manchester street food events continue to thrive.
Friday Food Fights and Guerrilla Eats still pack out each weekend, while the arrival of London's Urban Food Fest in February and the new Green Quarter-based Shebeen food festival in May suggest the trend still has plenty of legs.
The trio behind bonafide street food outfit, Bangers & Bacon, are certainly flying high.
Former-butcher James Taylor and former-baker Heather Taylor, alongside business partner and former-head chef Richard Brown, are currently six weeks into a twelve week residency at Guerrilla Eats' latest season in The Wonder Inn on Shudehill - and their new full-service 'Chef's Table' could scarcely be busier.
"We've sold out nearly every Saturday night," Brown tells me, "that's around 400 people - more than most restaurants can boast over six nights."
"What's more..." adds James, "we've never done the same dish twice; this week we've got a trio of pork-belly porchetta, pigs cheek, cured Italian sausage, jowl bacon and bacon hot cross buns. Weirdly the menus get easier to write as we go on."
"The biggest appeal about the Chef's Table is that the punters can sit on long tables, have a crack with each other and watch us dicking about and busting-a-gut to serve them," Brown adds. "It's theatrical, interactive, and bloody good grub."
You've got to admire the trio's spunk. By the end of their twelve week run they'll have served nearly 1000 people; and at £20 a head for five courses, they're taking little home.
"We make enough to tick-over," says Brown, "and if anything breaks we can usually borrow it from another trader - we're lucky to have a strong community here."
Bangers & Bacon (far right) with fellow Spinningfields Kitchens tradersRegardless of their current success, the group are aware that trends are fleeting.
"Our long-term goal is to have a restaurant, of course it is" says James, "but to open a restaurant you're looking at silly money - hundreds of thousands. Street food is our stepping stone, the first step towards bricks and mortar... the big leagues."
Bricks and mortar may not be as far off as they think. Around the time of our meeting Bangers & Bacon are announced as one of six street food traders to battle it out for a permanent pitch and financial backing in Spinningfields - read here.
We imagine the competing traders are bricking it. After all, how many can say they've served 1000 people and 5000 courses over twelve nights?
Tickets for Bangers & Bacon's remaining Chef's Table events can be purchased at www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/bangers-and-bacon-7559298257
