The Real Food Cafe, situated in Tyndrum, Stirlingshire, has been awarded third place in the ‘Great Sausage Roll Off’ national culinary competition which took place on Wednesday 7 February at The Red Lion pub in Barnes, London.
The competition showcases the culinary talents of professional cooks from across the UK, who compete to elevate one of the UK’s favourite savoury snacks into a gastronomic delight.
Out of a total of 17 finalists, The Real Food Cafe took third place with head baker, Kat Dima's creation, a haggis and pork sausage roll.
Professional chef, Alan Paton was declared the winner of this year’s event, with his Battenberg sausage roll of pork and black pudding. Second place went to former BBC Masterchef contestant, Alec Tomasso from St Albans.
Kat’s sausage roll impressed the panel of judges, which included broadcaster Jeremy Vine, journalist Melissa Cole, Simon Hulstone of the Michelin-starred Elephant Restaurant and Trevor Gulliver, founder of St John restaurant.
The Real Food Cafe's winning sausage roll featured a combination of MacSween's haggis and pork sausage meat from Letterfindlay Foods in Fort William all encased in a golden, flaky, home-baked pastry.
In addition to their success in the Great Sausage Roll Off competition, The Real Food Cafe has been part of Scotland’s culinary scene for almost 20 years, and is known for its award-winning fish and chips.
Proceeds from The Great Sausage Roll Off competition will go to the Only A Pavement Away charity, which works to connect employers in the hospitality industry with individuals facing or experiencing homelessness, prison leavers and veterans, helping them secure stable and long-term employment opportunities.
Sarah Heward, owner of The Real Food Café said: "This is second time lucky for us, so I am absolutely delighted that we’ve been awarded third place in this year.
"It is a huge accolade to be the only Scottish business in this year's final and I am so incredibly proud of Kat and her labour of love over the last few weeks in perfecting the recipe for what is now one of the
best sausage rolls in the land.
“We can’t wait to head back to Scotland and put our sausage roll straight on to The Real Food Café menu for our customers to enjoy from this weekend.”
Angus McKean, general manager of The Red Lion added: “We started Roll Off as a bit of fun over 10 years ago and it’s been a success ever since – with entrants from all over the country and sausage roll fans travelling for a chance to try the pastry delights.
“As well as being a chance for chefs to exhibit their savoury creations, the Great Sausage Roll Off has become a charity fundraiser. Only a Pavement Away is a fantastic charity that’s close to our hearts and many others within the hospitality industry.”
