SHE is aware it’s a spicy thing to say, but food expert and writer Ailidh Forlan reckons that when it comes to street food, Glasgow is better than Edinburgh.

“It’s more exotic - the curries are hotter, and traders are more experimental with their flavours,” she explains.

“I love Glasgow because the people are friendly and the welcome is warm. My mother’s side of the family are from the city - she grew up in Maryhill and spent her student days dipping in and out of the many curry houses on Gibson Street.”

She adds: “I spent a lot of time visiting my grandparents and for me, Glasgow will always remind me of our fond times together.”

It is to Glasgow that Ailidh returns tomorrow (Thursday) to talk about her new book, Street Food Scotland, at Waterstones on Byres Road.

“Street food traders are the unsung heroes of Scotland’s food and drink scene,” she explains.

“They rarely get recognised for the efforts in the way restaurants do with Michelin stars, AA Rosettes and the like. It’s time to change the perception of what street food actually is, and I want to be the person to do it.”

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A judge at the Scottish Street Food Awards, long-time member of The List’s food and drink review team and one of Scotland’s go-to foodies on Instagram, Ailidh first ‘fell in love with’ the industry at university in Edinburgh.

“I naturally graduated towards street food because I was on a student budget,” she smiles. “There was a Brazilian crepe stand on the Quartermile, called Tupiniquim, which would make you a fresh, filling lunch, right in front of your eyes, for a fiver.”

Initially nervous about writing a book - “when I tried to write my university dissertation, which was 10,000 words, I had numerous breakdowns,” - she warmed to the task, and the result is a fascinating, beautifully photographed and uplifting tour of Scotland’s street food scene.

“The book explores the disparate backgrounds that come together to make the street food industry so vibrant and the local, seasonal sourced ingredients that form each dish,” she says.

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From market stalls to vintage vans, from converted ambulances to tucked-away roadside huts, the book includes details of the best examples of the street food scene - and recipes to try at home - from every corner of the country.

Ailidh’s next venture is a little closer to home.

“I’d love to start a supper club in my flat, “ she says. “It would be a platform for emerging chefs to show off their talents in a really casual but intimate space...watch this space for a launch date.”