A Coventry and Warwickshire chef is banishing the cliché of burnt sausages and lackluster burgers after being crowned British BBQ Champion at the third annual British BBQ Battle.
Graham Crump, The University of Warwick and Warwick Conferences’ Group Executive Chef, impressed a panel of judges, led by World BBQ champion Ben Bartlett, during the live ‘cook-off’ held at Blenheim Palace on 18 June. His mouth-watering winning menu consisted of king prawns with pickled lemon, coriander and garlic butter, with yogurt and mint dressing; lamb ox-spring kebab served on a toasted flatbread, crisp salad and crunchy pork popcorn, with hickory barbecue sauce and ranch dressing; and a banana, marshmallow and chocolate, brioche dessert.
Graham comments: “The BBQ Battle was great fun, with good company, some fierce competition, and the chance to cook on some very impressive equipment, all under the kind of wonderful balmy skies we all dream of during the summer months.
“I’m really proud to have won. It's a great personal accolade but also fabulous for the University and our guests. We take food very seriously here and my winning menu was typical of the kind of food we love to serve. I’m sure the demand for barbeques is set to increase as a result of this win, and as barbequing is one of my favourite methods of cooking, that’s fine by me!”
Graham was rewarded with an impressive prize bundle for his success, including a top of the range Crown Verity mcb-36 BBQ and accessories pack, worth £3,000.
Bill Verity, President of Crown Verity, who had the honour of announcing the British BBQ Battle Champion, said: “There were only a few points dividing the top places, making for a very, very close competition and exciting day. Congratulations to Graham!”
The competition, hosted by foodservice equipment supplier RH Hall, exclusive distributor of Crown Verity BBQ systems in the UK and Eire, took place within the Pleasure Gardens at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, where the finalists representing four hospitality sectors - pub and bar; hotels; golf club & outdoor/event catering; and universities - had to cook a three-course meal on a Crown Verity mcb-30 barbecue and serve it within one hour.
Each cooking session was presided over by the judging panel which consisted of Ben Bartlett, BBQ Champion & President of the British BBQ Association; Chris Basten and Martin Bates from the Craft Guild of Chefs and Bill Verity, President of Crown Verity over from Canada.
The chefs were marked individually on their dishes’ taste, texture and appearance and marks were also awarded for use of the Crown Verity BBQ and hygiene practices.
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