THE humble British crisp has beaten banh mi, pulled pork empanadas and slow-cooked beef burritos to be named Best Street Food.

A panel of independent judges rejected Pad Thai, dim sum, tartiflette and Indonesian Ketoprak in favour of crisps, which can be flavoured like any of the above anyway.

Judge Tom Booker said: “First, they come naturally in a bag and you can eat them one-handed while you’re on the phone. So an early lead.

“You don’t need to wait for them to cool down, you don’t need to put sauce on, if you drop them on your trousers they brush off without leaving a mark, and they’re cheap. Epic win.

“Laksa noodle soup isn’t street food. It’s soup. Soup’s the least street-friendly food there could possibly be.”

Nikki Hollis of Croydon agreed: “Also, you can make crisps in different shapes, like a monster’s foot. I’d like to see bhel puri do that.”