Great Designs at the Sandwich Final
On Thursday 19th May, the UK’s very best sandwich creators came together to compete for the coveted British Sandwich Designer of the Year Award at London’s Lancaster Hotel.
After four fiercely contested regional heats held across March and April (in Manchester, Glasgow, London and Birmingham) each finalist was ready to prove that they deserved the title.
The contestants had to compete in five different categories, with the overall winner being determined by their performance as a whole. After being dazzled by the quality of entries at the London heat, held at Bel UK in March, Camilla Deane (Foodservice Controller) was excited to see how the finalists would fare at the final stage of the competition. “Each year we see more bold designs than we did in the previous years and it’s an honour to recognise talent in an industry that has a value of over £6 billion.”
Bel UK and The Cheese Cellar sponsor a category each year, with Smoked Port Salut selected as this year’s ingredient. “This is a really interesting cheese,” continues Camilla, “And we’ve had some terrific feedback from contestants who love its gourmet flair and versatility”. Indeed, last year’s winner Robbie Gleave has described it as one of his “favourite cheeses”.
This year’s winner in the Bel UK /Cheese Cellar category was Ben Curtis from Bradgate Bakery, Leicester. His winning combination of Smoked Port Salut, carrot and coriander raita with Brinjal Pickle made for a delicious wrap.
Camilla and the rest of the judges were impressed by the unusual combination of French cheese with Indian ingredients. “It really epitomises the sort of creativity that we’re looking to recognise in sandwich designing. Experimenting with different ingredients can lead to a surprising but ultimately award winning sandwich,” say Camilla. “We’re already looking forward to seeing next year’s entries!”
