The Hatch

Hello fellow foodies. If you have any form of social media whether it be Facebook, TikTok or Instagram you'll have noticed how popular street food is becoming in Northern Ireland. Street food vans seem to be popping up everywhere, quickly followed by the quirky videos, boomerangs and pictures promoting them across social media sites. An article on Belfast Live stated, "Takeaway and food stalls numbers increased by 64% to reach 1,363, while event catering went up by 70% to reach 631, compared to last year" (Toufexi, 2021). I guess that means I'll have plenty of street food trucks to check out for you all, you can thank me later😉.

I decided to start my street food adventure in Newcastle, County Down at The Hatch Food Truck. The Hatch began in an old Gazebo and they worked themselves up to be an award-winning, well-loved fast food truck. You can read more about their story on their website here. Where would be a better place to start my street food adventure than an award-winning fast food truck? They have won three awards to date and say the one they are most proud of is The Best Burger in Ireland 2019 (The Hatch website, 2021). Spoiler Alert: Their food did not disappoint! 

Their flavourful menu includes plenty of delicious mains to choose from, kids meals and healthy&veggie options. After reading their menu on their Facebook page here, I ordered a Nashville Hot Chicken which consisted of a 24hr buttermilk marinated southern fried hot chicken, hatch slaw, hot sauce and pickles in a brioche bun. I enjoyed every bite and didn't leave a crumb😏, this was restaurant-quality food at a fraction of the price and I would go as far as to say it's the best chicken burger I have ever tried. The Hatch Food Truck has set the bar high for the rest of the street food vans I am yet to try. It would be worth taking a trip to Newcastle to try and if you want somewhere nice to eat, the truck is a stones throw to the promenade where you can enjoy the idyllic views of the sea and the Mourne Mountains.

I hope you've enjoyed reading about my latest food adventure and if you have any food truck recommendations, comment down below. I'm always looking for new places to try🍔.