Anton Manganaro from BAFTA in Piccadilly, London and David Steel from the Bartlett Mitchell in London received an honourable mention in The Great Sausage Roll Off 2020 last night. The judges commented on Anton’s “outstanding pastry” in his masterpiece – a free range pork sausage roll wrapped in Marmite and Cornish gouda puff pastry. The judges were also impressed with how the flavours in David’s recipe came together – free range pork, smoked chicken, pistachio and apricot with burnt apple puree and London Pride dill pickles.
Hosted by award-winning food writer, Melissa Cole, The Great Sausage Roll Off 2020, back for its eighth year at The Red Lion in Barnes, saw 18 top chefs from across the country battle it out to create the best sausage roll, the nations’s favourite bar snack.
The competition was overseen by a Michelin star-studded judging panel comprising Heart FM DJ Lucy Horobin, Paul Cunningham (two stars) – chef of Henne Kirkeby Kro in Denmark, Russell Bateman (one star) – head chef at Petrus and Paul Foster (one star) chef owner of Salt in Stratford upon Avon.
Alan Chiltern from The Bower Inn in Bridgwater was crowned the winner with his Old English sausage roll with ground cumin, turmeric, fresh ginger, chilli and garlic with crushed caraway seeds served with apple and taramind ketchup. Second place went to Amber Southon from The Quarryman’s Arms in Corsham with her Gloucester old spot pork, walnut butter puff pastry with apple and pear flavours. Third place went to Iain Devine, The Drunken Butcher, and Alan Paton Manchester and East Anglia Roll with their Alan and Iain’s hangover cure sausage roll with fresh blood black pudding served with smoky beer.
As well as the plate for the judges, each competitor supplied samples of their entries, which were auctioned off to the hungry crowd in aid of Hospitality Action. Combined with a range of other fantastic silent auction items, the event raised over £3500 for this leading industry charity which offers vital support to all who work, or have worked within hospitality in the UK.
Angus McKean, co-licensee of The Red Lion and founder of The Great Sausage Roll Off, said: “What a year! What a competition! I always say the Roll Off line up gets better every year, however, this year the chefs have really out-done themselves. The competition was really tough, I couldn’t call it, the judging panel had a tough decision to make, but Alan is a worthy winner.”
