Mei Pang, founder of Oh Mei Dumpling, has won the British Street Food Awards Northern Heat, held in Stockport town centre on Sunday, August 25. The win came after ten years of running her own street food business, a period in which she thought her award-winning days were behind her.
A decade of dumplings
Mei's connection to food goes back to her childhood. Her mother would crimp, pinch and twist dumplings in their dozens, and family gathered for large get-togethers around the table. Her parents arrived in Europe from Hong Kong in the early 1980s, eventually settling in Bury when Mei was four.
In 2016, she swapped work as a teacher in a prison for young offenders and as a careers specialist at a prestigious girls' school for a career in food. She founded Mei Dumpling, bringing small parcels of joy to people in Edgeley and beyond ever since.
From home kitchen to market stalls
With support from her husband Sean and a crash course in dumpling making from her mum, she took the plunge. Soon, she was wrapping up 600 dumplings a day to sell at food markets, including the popular Foodie Friday in Stockport, as well as local Makers Markets across the North West.
Foodie Friday has been going strong in Stockport since it was first held in 2013. Usually held at Stockport Market Place on the last Friday of every month, it normally features three hours of after-work bites and sips. Last weekend, however, the team hosted the Northern heat of the prestigious British Street Food Awards – an honour not bestowed on Stockport before.
Winning the heat
Five other finalists competed for the title: Friends Corner, Chilli's Indian, The Thai Food Van, Squeaky Beaver Poutine and the Bucket List. Mei wowed the judges with her Oh Mei 'Have It All Platter', featuring six dumplings with pan-fried beef with a hint of Chinese Five Spice and pan-fried chicken curry, plus rice noodle rolls with peanut butter sauce, hoisin and fresh Asian slaw.
"I was given a time slot to present my dishes to the judges so took them over and explained who inspired me, and I talked about using mum's traditional recipes which have been passed down, and gave them some homemade chili oil," recalls Mei. "Lots of votes were coming in and then at 5pm we had to go inside for the presentation. I won second place in People's Choice and then I didn't expect it, but first place with the Judge's Vote."
Judges on the day were chef Sam Buckley, of Where The Light Gets In, BBC Radio Manchester's Joe McGrath, and Filler Magazine's Holly Temple. During this year's event, a number of traders – selected from over 3,000 applicants – showcased their best products to the panel, which decided which trader would go forward to the national final.
Looking ahead to the finals
Mei now heads to the national finals in Sheffield next weekend, where competitors from across England, Scotland and Wales will compete. If she wins there, she will then head to the European Street Food Award Final in Germany a week later.
"I've been doing this ten years and it just feels really surreal. When you win a couple of awards, you think you need to grow, but I've stayed balanced because I also had young children at the time," she said. "I don't put pressure on myself, I focus on family and enjoy what I do. I do feel really retro and I can't believe it. I really want others to take a leap of faith and believe in themselves. Don't rush and just do what you're comfortable with. I never thought I'd win any more awards, I am just grateful to be selected. I'd like to think I've remained humble and trusted the process too."
Mei can be found at the Makers Markets in West Didsbury, Cheadle and Knutsford, and at Foodie Friday in Stockport. Updates on upcoming locations and events are posted on her Facebook page.
