Who’d have thought a sausage roll competition in a Fuller’s pub would have managed to attract so much attention and continue to put an often seen as a humble bar snack in the spotlight, year-on-year? Well The Great Sausage Roll Off at The Red Lion in Barnes is so popular it’s taking place again at 7pm on Wednesday 27 January 2016. The whole point of it, alongside scoffing some fabulously fat-filled rolls, is to raise money for Shooting Star Chase a charity that offers children’s hospice care.
The evening is hosted by beer and food writer Melissa Cole and is judged by Charles Campion, Emma Spitzer, Thane Prince and Tom Kemble.
This year entrants come from the length and breadth of the United Kingdom and competition is fierce.
- Chef Alec Tomasso, ‘The Weeping Chef’
- Chef Eden Allsworth from East Kent College
- Chef Johnnie Mountain aka @EnglishPig
- Chef Ollie Coullaud, Co-owner, Sams Of Brighton
- Chef/Patron Allan Picket, Piquet Restaurant, Newman Street
- Chef/Patron Si Toft, The Dining Room, Abersoch, Wales
- Executive Chef Oliver Marlow, DM Group Pubs
- Executive Chef Sven Hanson-Britt, Miele Great Britain
- Executive Chef, Alan Paton of Stoke By Nayland Hotel & Golf Resort, Suffolk
- Head Chef Calum Franklin, The Holburn Dining Room
- Head Chef Gavin Sinden, The Stonemason Arms, Hammersmith
- Head Chef Jade Clark, The Hinds Head Hotel, Aldermaston
- Head Chef Jonathan Pellew, The Blue Boat, W6
- Head Chef Kevin Jones, The Chamberlain Hotel, London,
- Head Chef Matt Hill, Down Hall Country House Hotel, Bishop’s Stortford
- Head Chef Phil Harrison, The Anglesea Arms, W6
- Head Chef Rob Hunter, The Gun Docklands, Canary Wharf
- Head Chef, BNY Mellon John Grabecki, ‘Roll Off’ champion 2015
- Head Chef/Manager Matt Hunter, The Star Inn the City, York
- Lehman Street Tavern (new Geronimo Inns site)
- MyPie Pie Truck Owner & Chef Chris Brumby, ‘Roll Off’ champion 2014
Last year’s competition was won by John Grabecki, head chef at BNY Mellon, with his rabbit sausage roll with black pudding, rabbit leg, loin, maple syrup and Bayonne ham served with rabbit liver parfait, offal crumb and powdered potato. What’s he going to beat that with, this year?
I’m partial to making and subsequently eating great sausage rolls, so I’ll be on the press table, tweeting live, in between large bites of a delicious sausage roll.
Drum roll…. and the winner of the Roll Off for 2016 is Phil Harrison on winning with a Pheasant & Black Pudding sausage roll with turnip dip.
The Red Lion, 2 Castelnau, London SW13 9RU
