The Great Sausage Roll Off Champion Announced for 2023
The humble sausage roll was reinvented at The Red Lion pub in Barnes on 8 February, where 16 professional chefs from all over Britain tried to roll their way to winning the title of The Great Sausage Roll Off Champion for 2023, all in aid of Hospitality Action.
The Great Sausage Roll Off
For sausage roll fans, The Great Sausage Roll Off is the greatest culinary competition of the year. The event, which attracted 16 entries from the West Country to Glasgow, was the ninth Great Sausage Roll Off – having been postponed due to the pandemic for the last two years. Launched in 2013, the competition is open to chefs from all backgrounds, with no specific entry criteria – just a thoughtful recipe, with a twist of passion and a whole lot of love.
Angus McKean, Manager of The Red Lion, Barnes, said: “It is just so good to be back. The atmosphere was electric, the sausage rolls were delicious, and this is the best line-up of entrants and judges we have ever had. It was a great night.”
This year’s contenders each brought something different to the table, experimenting with every kind of puff pastry, meat, vegetable and condiment imaginable to create unique (and unbelievably tasty) versions of the cherished sausage roll.
The competition was hosted by award-winning beer and food writer Melissa Cole, and the judging panel included renowned chefs and foodies comprising Simon Rimmer [Sunday Brunch]; James O’Brien [LBC]; Kate Nicholls OBE [UKHospitality]; Daniel Clifford [Midsummer House]; and Pip Lacey [Hicce].
A big crowd of sausage lovers watched the competition unroll, and samples of the creations were auctioned off to the crowd (along with some other big prizes), raising even more money for Hospitality Action.
The Sausage Roll Champion for 2023 is Mat Follas!
In a unanimous judges’ verdict, Mat Follas from Bramble Restaurant in Sherborne, Dorset, was crowned as Champion in this year’s Great Sausage Roll Off.
His winning sausage roll was themed on a Sunday Roast – local pork sausage meat from Parsons Butchers in Sherborne, slow cooked onions, bacon and a secret spice mix, topped with a pork crackling crumb and served with Mat’s Sunday Roast gravy for dipping. Mat, who is a previous Masterchef winner, served his sausage roll with a bottle of his Blackberry liqueur to finish.
Just missing out on the top spot was Dav Browing of The Ocean View at the Dome, Plymouth.
And third place went to Sue Mcgrath of The Vine in Buckden, Cambridgeshire.
A victorious Mat Follas, who has entered the competition twice before, commented: “It was a case of third time lucky for me – and I honestly couldn’t be happier. I stuck to the basics – a really great sausage, with superb crackling and some truly delicious gravy. I knew it was good – and when you know the judges feel the same, it’s just the greatest feeling...
The sausage roll is definitely going straight on the menu at Bramble and the Roll Off trophy will be proudly joining my dusty Masterchef trophy on display in the restaurant."
The Great Sausage Roll off will return
Don’t worry if you missed out on the action this year, because The Great Sausage Roll Off will be back for 2024!
To find out more about how you could be rolling your way to victory, visit: The Great Sausage Roll Off at The Red Lion
The Great Sausage Roll Off is a big Twitter event. Follow The Red Lion on Twitter to get involved and watch the banter #RollOff