Long gone are the days of greasy noodles and fatty burgers from pop-up kiosks as a quick, hot lunch.

Street food – as in food cooked and served outdoors and streetside – is the buzzword for markets whose raison d’être is to cook up gourmet dishes quickly and cheaply to eat immediately.

“I think the recession has changed the high street for ever,” explains Cristina Angus, a former marketeer turned cake baker who is channelling her love for food into a new Friday street food market in Brighton.

“Certainly for people cooking in the restaurant trade, setting up a stall and street food trading is good way to get your food and brand into a wider community.”

Angus and her Brighton-based business partner, Kate O’Sullivan, met at a farmers market in Hassocks.

O’Sullivan also runs a street food market in Tufnell Park, London, as well as the market at Hassocks.

Observing those successes, plus the growth of markets across London, prompted the pair to make the move to the underused Brighthelm Gardens behind Brighthelm Church and Community Centre.

The site has previously hosted the Children’s Food Festival as part of the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival.

“There are vintage, farmers and craft markets but we do not have a fantastic street food market in Brighton.

“Kate and I found there is a glut of amazing street food offerings in Brighton which need a platform to showcase their food on a regular basis.

“The whole street food scene in London is thriving and it’s a revolution there. It’s not just about the food but job creation, the local economy, local businesses, local cooks and supporting local producers.”

Angus says interest from wannabe sellers has come from around the South East but they wanted predominantly Brighton or Sussex-based producers.

“We have 15 or 16 traders at the moment. While we are happy to keep it about that, what we would like to do is offer guest spaces to keep the offer fresh.”

Traders selling produce as street food for the first time include the The Blue Anchor, which sells pulled pork, pastrami and brisket rolls all from its Sussex smoker; Brighton-based baker The Oat Hut, which sells luxury flapjacks; Camper Vanatics, selling Frankfurters from a VW van; and Crocus, a paella specialist.

Vegans will be catered for by Big Pan Cooking’s stir fries, and Very Good Foods will offer gluten-free sweets and savouries.

“There will be a few stalls which have pre-prepared cakes or dressings but the majority of food will be cooked in front of you there and then.

“We are labelling it street food because we are not a farmers’ market. We said if you want to sell marinade to go on a pork brisket that is fine.

“But we want 90% of the stalls to be cooking fresh food.”

The weekly market will feature different producers as it develops.

All the spots for the first event have been taken.

“Our market is running at full capacity already and we haven’t even opened yet. Word spread quickly as soon as we were on Facebook and Twitter. We’ve had lots of interest.”

Not only has the quality of street food improved, adds Angus, so has the variety.

Yum Yum Ninja will serve its Asian pulled pork rolls with oyster sauce outdoors for the first time. Sultans Delights will sell Turkish meze. Picnic Corner will sell luxury scotch eggs and The Market Grill will offer surf and turf wraps. Brighton-based The Trolls Pantry will be cooking gourmet burgers.

The big idea is to offer an alternative to the high street.

“All the traders will bring their own gazebos and tables. They’ll be like mini pop-up shops for a few hours. They’ll all have their individual look and feel, which is what is going to make it exciting.

“It’ll have that festival feel, be bright and colourful, and it’s not going to look corporate.”

  • Brighthelm Gardens, Brighthelm Church and Community Centre, Queen’s Road, Brighton, from today. 11am to 3pm, for more information, visit facebook.com/streetdinerbrighton