Freshway sweep the board
Black Country sandwich maker Freshway Foods is celebrating after sweeping the board at the regional final of The Sammies, the industry's 'Sandwich Oscars'.
Inventive staff from the Stafford Road, Wolverhampton company came up with a range of mouthwatering sandwich creations, beating off stiff competition from across the Midlands to win four of the five categories they entered.
Freshway Foods' Neil Cooksey won two categories with his Oriental inspired Teriyaki Tuna and Crayfish Wrap, and Duck with Port Chutney Brioche.
"This is my first shot at entering a creative food competition so I'm delighted with the result," said Neil, who joined the firm six years ago. "The duck brioche is now being presented to major multiple retailers so could be available at a supermarket near you soon."
His colleague Heidi Willington won the top chicken sandwich accolade with her Eastern Promise creation, while James Kort produced a winning formula with his Port Salut Cheese and Carmelised Rhubarb sandwich.
Now the top trio will be off to the Sammies national final at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on May 17 where they will compete against sandwich manufacturers from across the UK.
The judging panel will assess entries against stringent criteria including taste, appearance, imagination and originality before announcing the winning Sandwich Manufacturer of the Year – which Freshway won last year.
With £3.5 billion spent every year on some two billion commercially made sandwiches, the British Sandwich Association Awards are considered to be one of the most important events annually for encouraging innovation and development in this massive industry, which employs more than 300,000 people in the UK.
"We would like to pay tribute to the creativity and dedication of all the staff at Freshway Foods who took part in these awards," said Alan Wright, who runs the company with his brother Graham.
"It is their originality and innovation which drives our business forward making sure we can remain the number one sandwich choice for customers in an increasingly competitive market.
"Fingers crossed we win the National Sandwich Designer of the Year too."
Freshway is a leading manufacturer of quality sandwiches, fillings and seafoods, and has a turnover of more than £25 million, supplying four out of 10 of the UK's top retailers.
