Vegan food popular at Bolton Food and Drink Festival

While many festival goers tucked into meat and dairy-based meals, two stalls - Indian street food traders The Chaat Walas and plant-based bakery, Vegan Infinity - served delicious and creative fare without an animal product in sight.

The stalls, on Le Mans Crescent and Victoria Square respectively, have seen many punters coming to them for an alternative to meat.

While a good number of stalls this year provided vegans and vegetarians with their own option, these traders use only plant-based ingredients, but appeal to any diet.

Chris Hurst, who co-owns The Chaat Walas with Daniel O’Neill, said their stall was inspired by their travels in India - a country known for its flavourful vegan food.

The Chaat Walas, run by Daniel O'Neill and Chris Hurst (Image: Newsquest)

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He said: “We got into catering through travelling round India, we’ve always wanted to set up our own street food business, so we thought, ‘lets do something that we both love’ which is Indian food."

Chris, who is originally from Bolton but is now based in Darwen, has been bringing the Chaat Walas to the festival for three years.

“The festival has been really good this year, yesterday we sold out, it beat expectations. Today has been absolutely fantastic, the weather has been great and we’ve had lots of returning customers.

Popular Indian street food snack, bhel puri, made by the Chaat Walas (Image: Newsquest)

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“Its our favourite festival to do out of all of them!”

He said the stall's popularity comes from its mass appeal, as plant-based ingredients can suit almost any diet.

“Anyone can eat our food, it doesn’t exclude anybody unless you have allergies we can feed anyone and everyone,” he said. 

Dasha Krasiuk and her brother Alex Doyle came to the festival this year with their family business Vegan Infinity.

Their mum, Aliona Doyle, bakes all the cakes for the Horwich-based business, which specialises in organic, gluten free and vegan desserts.

Siblings Dasha Krasiuk and Alex Doyle of bakery Vegan Infinity (Image: Newsquest)

Dasha said: “Its our second year at Bolton Food and Drink Festival and it’s brilliant, the festival has always been a great event and a great turnover as well, so we’re going to carry on doing it.

“We’re vegan but we’re gluten free, refined sugar free, soy free, the whole lot, so I’d say 50 per cent of customers are vegan and rest have allergies.

“We cater for all the customers who can’t have anything else at this market, when they find me they go crazy!”