Who will be crowned the creator of Britain’s best bite?
waferboard / Foter.com / CC BY
We all love a good sarnie, don’t we? Especially here in Britain – the very home of this most beloved bite. The sandwich was created in the 18th Century by John Montagu – the 4th Earl of Sandwich (well, that’s the official story and we’re sticking to it). Since then, it has blossomed into a snack of infinite possibility and immense versatility.
Every year, The British Sandwich Association organises a whole week where homage is (rightfully) paid to the sarnie, its dedicated consumers and traders. They call it – wait for it – British Sandwich Week. And it’s happening this week! The Sandwich Designer of the Year competition is an integral part of the week’s festivities, and this year it will be held on Thursday 16th May at the Lancaster Hotel in London.
Having made it through a series of heats earlier in the year, the lucky finalists will be coming from all over the UK to put their sandwich-making skills on show for a panel of (also rather lucky) judges. The sarnie specialists fighting for this coveted culinary crown range from owners of local cafés to professionally trained development chefs from UK food-manufacturing giants – there really is an exciting mix of participants.
So, what are the judges looking for? Well, the panel – made up of industry experts and previous winners – of course want to see some imagination between these slices. They’re looking for new concepts and creative combinations. However, the sandwich’s saleability is also an important factor; the winning creation needs to be capable of being made and traded in number, as well as generating profit.
Director of The British Sandwich Association, Jim Winship, is predicting great things from this year’s finalists: “Every year we are blown away by the standard of the entries and this year is no exception; the regional heats have set the bar very high and I know it is going to be incredibly hard to pick an overall winner from such a strong field”.
Well, if it is really going to be that tough, then I’m sure I could clear my diary to come and lend a hand with the sarnie sampling. Just, you know, to help the poor guys out.
