The event, which celebrated its 10th year, has the stunning backdrop of the Priory and Castle ruins. It was rather jarring to see them surrounded by the vibrant modernity of the street food stalls, with some people even perched upon them as they enjoyed the delicacies of 23 different vendors. There were plenty of North East favourites amongst them, including Redhead's Mac 'N' Cheese, Fat Hippo, Acropolis, Scream For Pizza and Di Meo's Ice Cream to name just a handful.
I had to pace the festival grounds a good few times before I knew what I wanted to eat, but I eventually decided I was craving a crispy duck wrap from Hatch76's, who formerly had their HQ at Stack before its closure. This also happened to be the longest queue at the entire festival, but with my undying commitment to my food, I endured the (40 minute!!!) wait by soaking up the rare North East sun and falling in love with all the dogs at the event. Let me tell you: it was worth it. Hatch76 have mastered that perfect balance between crispy and tender with their duck that many fall short on. Brava.
The warmth of the sun was beginning to be cancelled out by the fierce coastal winds, so I got my hands on one of Canny Coffee's delightful vegan hot chocolates (with marshmallows, of course) and headed to the market tent. The variety there was just as overwhelming, with another 23 traders waiting for me there - and they were far from stingy with their free samples! I admittedly felt slightly tipsy after visiting all of alcohol stalls. They clearly know what they're doing though, as I walked away with a bottle of English Heritage's strawberry wine - possibly the nicest I've ever tasted. I'm no connoisseur (a bottle of Gallo for a fiver usually does the job for me) but it's lovely and light, with just the right amount of sweetness and a hint of what tastes like strawberry jam.
I'm also a sucker for an iced coffee, so I think I sampled pretty much everything Tynemouth locals, Dancing Goat Cold Brew, had on offer - including their nitro coffee, which uses nitrogen gas to create a ridiculously smooth texture. However, their Columbian brew was the happy medium between this and their super potent Brazilian brew, so I grabbed some bottles of that.
I ended the day in a way I think all days should be ended - with a huge stack of churros topped with Nutella, strawberries and whipped cream from Los Churro & Waffle Catering. Tynemouth Food Festival is the perfect day out for foodies in a blissful beachside setting, so be sure to mark next year's event in your calendar!