Alan Paton wins the Great Sausage Roll Off 2024

Scottish chef Alan Paton has been crowned winner of the 2024 Great Sausage Roll Off.

The annual competition, hosted by managers Angus McKean and Claire Morgan at the Red Lion in Barnes, was held in aid of industry charity Only a Pavement Away on 7 February.

Seventeen chefs cooked up their sausage rolls for a panel of judges including the Elephant chef Simon Hulstone, BBC presenter Jeremy Vine, food writer Melissa Thompson and St John co-founder Trevor Gulliver. Award-winning beer and food writer, Melissa Cole, compered proceedings.

This year’s entries featured a variety of ingredients, including pig cheek, croissant dough, harissa lamb and yoghurt dip.

Paton’s winning roll was a Battenburg-inspired creation made with squares of Suffolk Duroc pork and black pudding with Yorkshire rhubarb curd.

Second place went to Alec Tomasso from St Albans, for his handmade pig cheek cotechino sausage roll encased in croissant dough topped with crackling and tomato sauce powder, served with basil and spicy pepper sauce.

Third place went to Kat Dima, head baker of the Real Food Cafe in Tyndrum, for the Kilted Wonder – a pork and haggis sausage roll served with spicy ketchup.

Paton said: “I’m delighted to have won this year’s Roll Off. It’s such a great event and it’s an honour to spend time with my culinary companions – trying their creations and hearing their stories. This trophy will be displayed proudly – for all to see.”

A total of £5,000 was raised through ticket and sausage roll sales for Only a Pavement Away, which helps homeless people into hospitality careers.

McKean said: “The level of skill these chefs have is incredible and the passion that emanates out of all of them created an electric atmosphere – in the kitchen and for our audience.

“The judges had a difficult job to pick a winner. The calibre was so high – each entry was a delicious sausage roll delight. Thank you to everyone who entered and to the excellent panel of judges.”

The Great Sausage Roll Off has been run at the Red Lion Barnes since 2013.