The Great Sausage Roll Off
The Red Lion puts the Roll Off on hold for 12 months
The very popular annual Sausage Roll Off competition, hosted by The Red Lion in Barnes, has been postponed for this year. Organisers and licensees of The Red Lion, Angus McKean and Claire Morgan, took the decision to reflect the pressure the hospitality sector has been under in recent months.
Angus said: “Competing in the Roll Off is a major challenge for competitors – it takes time to devise, perfect and hone your sausage roll and everyone has been under so much pressure over the Christmas period with working from home guidance, cancellations and staff self-isolating that we decided not to add more pressure. Obviously we couldn’t hold it last year either, so this was a tough call.”
Claire added: “The Roll Off is such a major part of The Red Lion – and I can reassure everyone that we will be back, bigger and better, in 2023 – so get practicing now. Having had three years to come up with a winning entry, we’re expecting the competition to be very fierce when it returns and we will be expecting great things in the world of sausage rolls.”
The Great Sausage Roll Off (#rolloff)
Since 2013, we have been giving this much overlooked buffet item the attention it deserves with the creation of the almost, nearly, infamous, Great Sausage Roll Off. A bit like the X Factor meets Masterchef, it is an evening of crazy culinary pleasure, taken in the most seriously light hearted way.
It is a live cooking event where around 20 professional chefs take their turns to create, roll and bake their own take on the Sausage Roll. It’s no mean feat, the cooking goes on in heats and lasts up to four hours!
This year’s event held was held on the 5th February and saw 20 chefs fighting for the title, we raised over £4000 for Hospitality Action. It was once again compared by Beer & Food writer Melissa Cole. Returning Sponsors were Rational UK, I.O Shen Knives & Netherton Foundry & new to Roll Off we welcomed valuable support from Asahi UK. As ever none of this would be possible without the support of our very own beloved Fuller’s.
We proudly unveiled our Michelin star-studded judging panel for the night with, Chef Paul Cunningham (two stars) –of Henne Kirkeby Kro in Denmark, Chef Russell Bateman (one star) – head chef at Petrus and chef Paul Foster (one star) chef /owner of Salt in Stratford upon Avon, and to mix it all up a little we were so happy that Heart FM DJ Lucy Horobin accepted our invitation to sit on the table with the chefs. Thank you one & all you were amazing and we were humbled
THE CONTESTANTS FINAL LINE UP WAS
Danny Kingston - Food Urchin via Essex
Majella O'Connell - Pavlova & Cream, London
Davin Browning - Theatre Royal, Plymouth
Maurizio Pellegrini - The Italian Club Bakery, Liverpool
Charlie Hodson - Charlie’s Norfolk Food Heroes
Alan Chilton - Bower inn, Bridgwater
Anton Manganaro - BAFTA, Piccadilly, London
Adrian Oliver - Cornish Field Kitchen, Padstow
Alec Tomasso - The Weeping Chef, St Albans
James Taylor - The Bulls Head, Heyside, Oldham
Adam Lestrelle - Roehampton Club, London
Ben Handley - The Duck Inn, Stanhoe, Norfolk
Matt Colk - The Gun, Docklands, London
Amber Southon - The Quarryman’s Arms , Corsham, Wiltshire
Phil Harrison - Bears Ice Cream Company, London
Robert Taylor - The Compasses Inn, Canterbury
David Steele - Bartlett Mitchell, London
Iain Devine & Alan Paton - The Drunken Butcher & Alan Paton , Manchester & East Anglia
AND THE WINNER WAS ..........
Proud champion for 2020 was first time entrant Chef Alan Chilton of Butcombe Brewery's The Bower Inn, Bridgwater with his Old English pork flavoured with ground cumin , coriander, turmeric, fresh ginger, chilli & garlic with crushed caraway seeds and an apple & tamarind ketchup all of with was served in beautiful tali dishes.
Second place, also from Butcombe Brewery, & second time entrant, Chef Amber Southon of The Quarryman’s Arms , Corsham, Wiltshire with a Gloucester Old Spot, walnut butter with apple & pear flavours (& some beautiful decorative pastry work)
Third place was a collaboration from 'Roll Off Royal Family member' Chef Alan Paton & newcomer Iain Devine with a 'Hangover cure Sausage Roll with handmade black pudding & some smoked Beer on the side'
All the judges were blown away by the spirit of the competition and by the first class quality of the dishes.
Thank you to all who bravely entered & who made the massive effort in giving up their time to trek here for the night, do not underestimate the amount of commitment it takes to enter this serious chef competition , it is definitely not for the feint hearted.
We are proud supporters of a fantastic charity, Hospitality Action. The Great Sausage Roll Off has produced such a chef camaraderie over the years that it made it an obvious choice to partner. Established in 1837 Hospitality Action, the Hospitality Industry Benevolent Organisation, has offered vital assistance to all who work, or have worked within hospitality in the UK and who find themselves in crisis, if you, or somebody you know is in need of some kind of help, call the helpline on 0808 802 0282 (24/7) where someone is there to help NOW !
The Great Sausage Roll Off is huge on Twitter. Get involved, watch the banter and use #rolloff
If you wish to apply for #rolloff 2021 it is planned to take place on the 3rd February* you can apply by filling in the form below …… Good Luck !
*subject to the pandemic situation
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