Thursday 28 July 2016

The well-fed pescatarian loves festival food

The music may be the headline act of this summer's festivals, but the food also deserves an honourable mention. After all, it's the army of food trucks that keeps us going through the muddy times and the late night munchies, filling our festival experiences with flavour.

Anyone who has read my bucket list will know that going to Glastonbury has been high on it for a long time and this year it was finally achieved. One of the (many) fantastic things about the mother of all British festivals is the variety of food on offer.

Here is a selection of the well-fed pescatarian's top eats from Glasto. Look out for these fab vendors at other festivals throughout the summer. ¡Buen provecho!

Burritos



Burritos are a great festival food for pescatarians, because they are so tasty, really fill you up and aren't too hard to eat if there's nowhere to sit down. For me, it's all about the extras - the guacamole, sour cream, cheese and jalapenos - which really make it a fab festival meal. You can even wrap 'em up and throw them in your bag if you're planning on camping out at a stage for the duration.

There were several Jumping Bean Burrito stalls at Glastonbury, including one up at the GlastoLatino stage, which seemed appropriate. The nachos were a great pick-me-up after a bit of salsa dancing on the Thursday night too.

Crepes and galettes


You can't beat a crepe at a festival, or even a galette, as apparently that's what savoury crepes are called. It's easy to sate most of your hunger cravings in this way, as the selection of fillings on offer is immense. Over the course of the festival I indulged in both sweet and savoury options, with a sundried tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil galette going down very well. I returned to the extremely friendly girls at Happy Crepes for a white chocolate, fresh strawberry and pistachio crepe later in the festival.

Potted crayfish on toast


Probably the best thing I ate at Glastonbury was the potted crayfish on toast, which certainly saw to my seafood needs. Not only is the food served up by Crayfish Bob absolutely delicious, but it is doing a very important job for the environment here in the UK.

The American Signal crayfish was introduced to British waterways with the idea that they could be exported to the Scandinavian market. Instead, it has become a pest and is responsible for wiping out many native species. It is these American crayfish that are used in Bob's creations, helping to rid our rivers of them. It's a win-win situation for the hungry pescatarian and the environment!

Loaded wedges


The prize for the best value food at Glastonbury has to go to the wedges, as these bowls of seasoned and fried potatoes loaded with all sorts of tasty toppings were not only cheap, but plentiful and filling. A nice spicy bean concoction on top really did the trick, although cheesy wedges or an accompaniment of dips are also quite tempting.

Indian wraps


On any day of the year I would pick Indian food over any other cuisine and at festivals it's no different. I've had plenty of delicious curries from various outlets over the years, with the Patak's bus being a particular highlight, and more pakoras and samosas than you can shake a festival flag at. Having been following each other on Twitter for years, however, it was time to seek out the Chapati Man and I certainly wasn't disappointed.

Located over by the Left Field at Glasto, the Chapati Man managed to cram all of the delicious flavours of India into a tasty tasty flatbread. For the well-fed pescatarian that meant chana aloo - chickpeas and potatoes cooked in a wonderful spice mix and accompanied by raita and salad - yum!

Thai food


Those who ventured across the lake that was the West Holts arena at Glastonbury were not just rewarded with some fantastic world music acts, but also delicious food. Nothing warms you up on a soggy festival evening like a steaming plate of noodles and vegetables, which is exactly what we got from Good Thai Dins.

Liquorice

Pops and I, who have festivaled together for many years, swear by liquorice as the perfect pick-me-up between acts. Having sampled a few different vendors, we particularly like Saint Valentines, which we got a taste for at Latitude in 2014, then enjoyed at WOMAD 2015 and continued the love affair at Glastonbury this year.

Importing liquorice from all over, there's every shape, flavour and style of soft liquorice you can imagine. Producing a few sticks for Pops, which I'd clandestinely bought in advance, during our night shift stewarding for Oxfam certainly cheered him up. Look out for the Saint Valentines stalls or handy little carts at the next festival you attend.