Festival Food: 9 Street Food Vendors Keeping You Healthy This Summer

When we think of festivals, it tends to conjure up images of greasy burgers and soggy chips… but a lot has changed in recent years. A group of London-based healthy food vendors are shaking up the festival scene, serving wholesome treats from the back of vintage Citroën HY Vans. From natural ice lollies to vegetarian sushi… Welltodo London’s Kat Lynch, discovers 9 of the best street food offerings to look out for this summer!

“The food options have got so much better and more interesting generally over the past few years but we’ve definitely found more and more people are looking for something healthy and homemade and that there’s a lot more open-mindedness about trying something that’s maybe a bit different”, says Charlotte, co-founder of Wholefood Heaven.

Here’s a selection of London’s best healthy food traders, making their way around the country to prove that festival food can be delicious AND nutritious!

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Happy Maki

Happy Maki are serving sushi with a difference. They remind us that ‘su-shi means “seasoned rice” not raw fish’ and their menu is completely vegan with a focus on healthy ingredients and fresh flavours.

They also believe passionately in sustainability and through their “fish free sushi” are aiming to raise awareness of overfishing and ocean health issues – meaning you can enjoy guilt free sushi which is not only good for your body but good for the environment too.

“To me healthy food is natural food, and natural food can only be sustainable; Happy Maki was born as an amazingly delicious and healthy solution to an environmental problem”, says Anna Macdonald, founder of the business.

And with options like Beet and Basil Satay, Thai Sweet Potato and Avocado K.I.S.S. on the menu, fish definitely won’t be missed. 

Festivals appearing at: Field Day, Isle of Wight Festival, Glastonbury, Wilderness, Jamie’s Big Feastival, End of the Road Festival, Bestival 

www.happymaki.co.uk

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Good & Proper Tea

Good & Proper Tea are on a mission; to bring really, really good tea to the streets of London and beyond.

Offering a range of custom-brewed, loose leaf teas they present an exciting alternative to the standard sugary builders brew, and for those of us who love a tea of the green variety there are plenty of options. 

“Unfortunately, most of the tea we drink in the UK is low grade black tea, cut, crushed and torn to within an inch of its life in order to give you quick colour and strength”, says founder Emilie Holmes. Good & Proper are hoping to change this – they make sure that they only use the best ingredients to create a truly unique brew.

Festivals appearing at: Field Day, British Summer Time (Hyde Park), Latitude, Wilderness, End of the Road Festival

www.goodandpropertea.com

 

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Lickalix

Creators of handmade gourmet ice lollies made using all natural ingredients; Lickalix is healthy festival snacking at its finest. 

These tasty treats are almost all lactose and gluten free and contain 50% fruit – so polishing off one of these will even count towards your five-a-day! 

As well as lollies in traditional fruity flavours, Lickalix also do a range of ‘poptails’ (AKA healthy cocktails on a stick!) so you can enjoy a yummy Strawberry Mojito or Banana Daiquiri that is actually good for you. 

So what better way to get refreshed if the weather is warm (we can dream) than with a healthy adult take on a childhood favourite.

Festivals appearing at: Field Day, Taste of London, Hampstead Summer Festival, Feast

www.lickalix.com

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Salad Days

Salad Days was founded back in 2009 when healthy festival options were few and far between.

Their aim was to ‘make tasty, balanced food accessible to all’ and their passion ‘to beat burgers, drive down carbs and create something truly delicious and satisfying’.

The name may be misleading but you won’t find any boring salads here; made using a mixture of bulgar wheat, tomato salsa, seeds, cumin and garlic yogurt their salads are bursting full of flavour – and with plenty of gluten, dairy and wheat-free options plus meat on the menu, there’s something for everyone.

Festivals appearing at: Glastonbury, Latitude, Bestival

www.saladdaysonline.com

 

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Vinn Goute

When your taste buds are craving something a little different from your typical Indian/Thai curry, look no further than Vinn Goute. 

Serving up authentic Seychelles street food, Vinn Goute literally means ‘come and taste’ in Seychelles kreol. Their menu is made up of healthy wholesome dishes cooked with fish, chicken and spiced vegetables – the spicy coconut infused curry served with ‘saffran’ rice in particular caught our eye. 

They even make their own their own spicy chilli sauces, so you’ll find no processed sauce out of a bottle here. And the vegetarian and gluten-free options on the menu make this street food a perfectly virtuous choice.

Festivals appearing at: Field Day, The Lambeth Country Show, Wilderness

www.vinn-goute.co.uk

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Themptation 

The clue is in the name – Themptation use hemp (the oil, flour and seeds) as the not-so-secret ingredient to create a range of delicious treats with a healthy twist. 

Hemp is considered a superfood and boasts a whole host of health benefits from being packed full of protein to having a high mineral content vital for our overall well-being. 

Expect to see hemp hummus and tzatziki pots served with warm flatbread and salad, lamb and halloumi wraps and ‘bruffles’ – a cross between a brownie and a truffle!

“We make all of our products fresh from scratch including our four sauces, and our lamb mince and halloumi cheese is all produced in the UK and organic”, says founder Tom Mumcuoglu. 

Festivals appearing at: Field Day, Womad

www.themptation.co.uk

 

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Moto Yogo

Moto Yogo can be found serving up ‘the yummiest organic frozen yogurt in the Spooniverse’. 

As well as being organic and produced in the UK, their froyo is fat-free, gluten-free and made using grass-fed dairy meaning this tasty treat is practically guilt-free!

Using only the highest quality toppings, you can opt for fresh fruit, organic pecans and maple syrup if you’re feeling virtuous, or award winning brownies and dark chocolate sauce if you’re feeling naughty – after all, it’s all about balance, right?!

And Moto Yogo care about the environment too, travelling around in ‘Stan’ the rechargeable electric milk float; making this a guilt-free treat in more ways than one.

Festivals appearing at: Field Day

www.motoyogo.com

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Cocoface

Serving up one hundred percent raw, pure and un-pasteurised coconut water, Cocoface have been helping to hydrate the nation since founding three years ago.

Coconut water is low in fat and calories, aids digestion and has been shown to be effective in re-hydrating the body after exercise, making it an excellent choice for when you’re on your feet all day tramping across fields.

It is also the ultimate hangover cure as it helps to replace essential electrolytes that are lost during drinking – in other words the perfect festival pick-me-up!

Cocoface serve their coconut water straight from the coconut in order to preserve all of the nutrients and the delicate flavour – exactly as nature intended it.

Festivals appearing at: Wild Life, Taste of London, Wilderness (and more to be confirmed) 

www.cocoface.com

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Wholefood Heaven 

Husband and wife team David and Charlotte Bailey want to show people that eating plant based food doesn’t mean missing out. 

“It’s great when committed carnivores, dragged reluctantly to the healthy place, try one of our Buddha Bowls and then come and eat with us all weekend!’ says Charlotte.

Their signature ‘Buddha Bowl’ includes massaman curry, organic brown rice, homemade kimchi pickle and seasonal greens and is completely wheat-free, gluten-free and vegan (if you pass on the halloumi). 

David is a classically trained chef and Charlotte is a qualified homeopath who has spent many years working in the natural health industry so the pair know a thing or two about healthy delicious food! They recently released their debut cookbook ‘The Fresh Vegan Kitchen’ – and we’ve got an exclusive Acai Bowl recipe for you.

Festivals appearing at: Field Day, Glastonbury, Lovebox, Citadel, Wilderness

www.wholefoodheaven.co.uk

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