Organisation behind street food scene in Inverness shortlisted for national awards ceremony
The organisation behind much of the street food scene in Inverness has been shortlisted at the Scotland Food and Drink Awards 2024.
Highland Food and Drink Trail (HFDT) is a finalist in the regional food and drink category.
The trail brings a line-up of street food alongside the River Ness. Judges of the awards say they have been impressed at how the organisation nurtures new local businesses, and allows them to develop, get their brand known, and to grow from early stage new ideas to eventually becoming tenants in fixed premises.
Run by Douglas Hardie and Lesley Strang, HFDT grew out of the Covid lockdowns, and was seen as a way to celebrate all the fledgling food and drink businesses that were emerging at the time.
It was also developed as a way to develop and grow them to perhaps fill some of the empty units that were appearing in the city centre during that time.
Mr Hardie commented: “We are absolutely delighted to be shortlisted for the Regional Food and Drink Award.
“The Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards are a huge deal in the industry. The Highland Food and Drink Trail has had an amazing year, with well-known faces moving onwards and upwards, and brand new faces appearing.”
Since the HFDT was established in 2022, many well-known names for street food have become a fixed part of the Inverness food and drink scene.
Familiar names such as Redshank, Ollies Pops and Highland Hogroast have all gone on to fixed premises in the newly refurbished Victorian Market Food Hall.
Other success stories such as the Angry Seagull have developed and expanded into additional trucks, covering a huge area in the North each month.
Currently, the Street Food Zone is hosting some brand-new trucks, all of whom are in their first year of business. These include, The Falafel Shop, SmokyNess, Highland Crispy Duck, HouseHill, or Thai in Beauly.
The focus on small and high-quality local businesses has been shared by major local events such as Moy Country Fair, The Inverness Highland Games and the Black Isle Belter, where HFDT have provided them with “street food villages” to showcase what the region has to offer.
Mr Hardie added: “Lesley and I are very proud at what our members have achieved, and the positive impact they have had on the Highland’s food and drink scene.”