The 3rd Annual, Bottle & Board Sausage roll bake-off!

Sunday the 21st of December will see us hosting the 3rd annual, Yuletide sausage roll competition.

Details will follow, but for now, let us take a look at last year`s batch of brilliant bakers.

Third place.

Taking the highly respectable third spot was the `enfant terrible!` Mr Myles Cameron McSorley. Myles stayed defiantly true to his northern roots by constructing a pastry made almost entirely from lard.

(With just enough flour to, hopefully hold the whole thing together.)

However that was his only concession to tradition. Myles final entry was an absolutely breathtaking masterclass in the deconstruction of an old classic!

The judges were left both dismayed and delighted by Myles casual disregard for the instruction; `Produce a sausage roll such as might be served at a Yuletide buffet, or Boxing Day brunch.`

If McSorley chooses to sail his gravy boat just a little closer to the brief this year, then he may well prove to be a force to be reckoned with!

Second place.

Last year`s runner up position was secured by Ed Sharman. The judges described Ed`s entry as being displayed with, `Forensic precision.` Indeed the sausage rolls presented by Ed were absolutely beautiful. However they were far from being a triumph of style over substance. His secretly sourced meat and seasoning were in perfect harmony. Ed quietly expressed some concerns, that whilst his pastry was not in any way, underdone, he felt that,despite his assiduous application of egg-wash, his sausage rolls were nonetheless, `slightly pale.` and he had some reservations about the performance of his oven.

Ultimately however,second place is not to be sniffed at! If Ed can control his temperatures and timings, then this year ,victory might well be his!

Bottle & Boards 2024 Sausage roll Bake-off Winner!

The most deserving winner of the highly coveted first place was Sarah Sharman.

Sarah is certainly no stranger to the winner`s podium, and true to form, last year`s entry was nothing less than a symphony of Pork, Pepper & Pastry Perfection.

The judges commented,that the seasoning in these particular sausage rolls was simultaneously, confident and yet constrained. Sarah clearly has the cool hands required for deft pastry work, and the even cooler head needed to operate in a hot kitchen!

Indeed! In amongst all of the Christmas chaos! Sarah found the time to crack open Ed`s oven to spill a little of the excessive heat! (after all nobody wants to see their loved one crying over burnt pastry!)

All of the details for this year`s competition will be posted shortly.

Merry Christmas Chums!