Mexican barbecue in Wales

Leyli Homayoonfar runs Bab Haus – a street-food company in South Wales that specialises in Mexican barbecue – with her partner Becci Goad, and sisters Sophia and Soraya.

Leyli says, ‘I’d worked in London for 10 years as Jamie Oliver’s head chef at his cookery school, then for Waitrose. I started doing supper clubs on the side, then moved back to Wales to start a business with my family.

‘The street-food side happened because we needed something to do during quieter seasons. We launched Bab Haus by serving Middle Eastern first, but we’d spent a lot of time in Los Angeles, and loved the theatre of the Mexican-inspired food scene. We wanted to bring it back to the UK.

‘Through lockdown, business took o‹. We were one of the first to do DIY kits and it became so popular, we were too busy locally to go nationwide.

‘The one-on-one interaction that comes with street food is great. You get to speak to people in a way you don’t in a restaurant. Travelling around the country is a challenge, but also exciting. Dad and Mum got involved too, and people enjoy the family aspect.’

The one-on-one interaction that comes with street food is great