Samworth Brothers chefs from Colsterworth and Stonesby set for industry final at Royal Lancaster London

Two chefs have reached the final of a national award for excellence in the sandwich and food-to-go industry.

Stephen Jordan-Bird of Colsterworth and Matthew Brennan of Stonesby, development chefs at Samworth Brothers, will compete in the final of the British Sandwich Association’s Sammies awards.

They are among five finalists from the group and will present their creations to judges with winners announced at a dinner at the Royal Lancaster London on Thursday (May 8).

A skiing holiday in France inspired Stephen to pursue fine dining and a career in classical cuisine.

Now, he helps develop sandwiches for major supermarkets across the UK.

“Seasonality is key,” he said.

“My job is to create fantastic food that is also accessible and will remain fresh for our customers.

“Thankfully, Samworth Brothers is a business that supports the next generation of chefs by investing in training to help them further develop their skills.”

He also enjoys walking his two flat coated retrievers in the Lincolnshire countryside – an activity he says “cleanses the soul”.

Matthew said working with unfamiliar ingredients helps him grow as a chef.

“Each ingredient deserves its respect and its own cooking time,” he said, stressing the importance of flavour and consistency in food.

He highlighted the mental health challenges chefs face, praising the Burnt Chef Project for raising awareness.

“Chefs are seen to be resilient and infallible when it comes to work, however this is rarely the case.”