A chef from Leicester was a winner at the Sandwich & Food to Go Designer of the Year competition finals.
Announced as part of the annual Sandwich & Food to Go Awards or ‘the Sammies’, Edvinas Smigelskis, a development chef at Samworth Brothers, earned recognition for their ‘innovative, eye-catching’ creation named ‘Satay Prawn in the Seashell’.
Cleverly creating his award-winning product by marinating prawns in the JDM Nut Free Satay Style Paste, the complex creation included a flavoursome ginger pickled dikon and carrot slaw, on a rice paper and seaweed shell.
Edvinas has worked at Samworth Brothers for almost 13 years, with the last five years being part of the food to go team. In his role as development chef, Edvinas uses his imagination and creativity to design products which he knows people nationwide will love.
“It’s always an honour to have your hard work recognised, especially by such a prestigious award. Two of my creations made it to the final, and I’m delighted that my ‘Satay Prawn in the Seashell’ led to me being a category winner,” he said of his win.
“I’ve worked in product development for many years, and being able to use my creativity to design products which stretch the boundaries and are a little different from the norm is why I love what I do.
“Satay Prawn in the Seashell was designed to stand apart from the crowd. I love seaweed crips, and when I was eating them one day the look and feel reminded me of a seashell, which is where the idea for this design came from! The tastes and textures within the dish are delicious and I’m so pleased the judges agreed!”
The annual ‘Sammies’ brings sandwich and food to go creators from across Britain together and invites them to prepare and showcase an imaginative creation which highlights the sponsor’s chosen ingredient and other food components of their choice. The 2024 competition includes five categories sponsored by Futura Foods, Mona Dairy, H. Smith Food Group, Cottage Delight and JDM Food Group.
The chosen finalists battled it out live to create the best-tasting, best-looking and most imaginative sandwich, which the expert judges watched over and judged carefully. Category winners and the overall champion were then revealed during the Sandwich & Food to Go Industry Awards at the Royal Lancaster, London.
Jim Winship, director of The British Sandwich & Food to Go Association, said: “Every year we taste some of the best sandwiches and food to go products being created across Britain and this year was no different! The designers pulled out all of the stops and some of the items in the competition really pushed the boundaries and showcased how with real skill you can make a taste sensation from just a few products!
“Edvinas creation stood out from the crowd. He’s clearly spent time thinking about how each ingredient works together to make a fusion of flavours so that in every mouthful you’re in for a treat!”
