SPAM COOK OF THE YEAR 2009: WHEN IT COMES TO JUDGING, I'M YOUR SPAM

A few months ago, those regular readers of the blog will recall, I visited a rather splendid chap called Stuart Higgs in Chester to talk about his success at the SPAM Cook of The Year competition for 2008.

As we talked, Stuart whipped up his winning dish of SPAM Thai Noodles for me to try while I countered with my own improvised dish of SPAM Bhajis with a coriander chilli dip.

It was a pleasing way to spend a morning and, after I wrote about it on the blog, the good people of Hormel, SPAM’s parent company, got in touch and asked me if I wanted to join them at the 2009 competition as a judge.

Well, of course I did. One of the things that I did develop during my recent trip was a willingness to say “yes” to new experiences and the opportunity to meet new people. Add to that the facts that I am a secret admirer of matters SPAMular and the promise to supply the judges with lots of wine and it did not take long for me to agree.

Move on to a morning last week and I found myself at The Commonwealth Club, near The Embankment, in a conference room that had been decked out Hawaiian style to reflect this year’s star prize of a ten day all expenses paid trip to those islands. Why Hawaii? Well, believe it or not food fact fans, they eat more SPAM in Hawaii than anywhere else in the world and the prize would even include a trip to the SPAM festival which takes place every year to celebrate their love of pork in a can.

All the regional finalists had travelled down the day before and enjoyed a night in a nearby hotel. They all seemed to be enjoying the attention and free booze as their dishes were prepared by the club’s chefs and brought out to us one at a time to sample and then pronounce judgment upon, the competitors quivering before us as we quizzed them about their dish.

Some, to be honest, were little more than “something with SPAM” with the canned meat replacing bacon or ham in a tart or omelette. Not bad, but lacking imagination. Others were more fun like “SPAM-doori with a yoghurt mint drizzle” and one showed far too much imagination, presenting us with a “SPAM-dora’s box” comprising a specially fashioned little chest of SPAM, filled with corn and then wrapped in filo,which in truth made us all recoil slightly in terror.

In the end, along with my three fellow judges, including last year’s winner Stuart, I gave my vote for the top prize to a lovely lady from the Midlands, for her creamy gratin of Gruyere cheese, potatoes and SPAM and she looked suitably astonished as the camera flashes went off and Stuart handed her the trophy.

I came away with a rather fetching SPAM baseball cap and a buzz from too much of the promised wine to show for my troubles along with an invitation to visit the SPAM museum in Minnesota, a promise I intend to take them up on next year. Perfect Honeymoon destination, anyone?

A fun day, even if I did have to face down something called a “SPAM-dora’s Box”

EATING FOR BRITAIN: SPAM-A-LOT, A LOT-A-SPAM

A few weeks ago I received an invitation to take part in the UK Spam Cook of The Year 2009, which was a bit of a surprise to me as I did not know that there had been a UK Spam Cook of The Year for 2008 or any other year for that matter.

In fact, it had been well over thirty years since the thought of Spam had crossed my mind at all, since my father’s attempts at tea time cooking consisted of “grizzly bacon” i.e slices of Spam, sliced and fried.

Still, I accepted the offer to take part thinking that even if it is not strictly British, the event could tell me something about the way we as a country think about food, even if it is only that some of us are completely barking. Even more important, it could be fun. Hell, we all need some more of that right now.

When I realised that last week’s trip up to Wales would bring me in Spam can chucking distance of the home of last year’s winner, Stuart Higgs, I called up and arranged to meet him.

Stuart and his wife, Anne live in a smart house on the outskirts of Chester and he is seemingly enjoying a life of leisure after retiring from the R.A.F. A life which is filled, judging by our conversation, by and obsession with food and cooking. He spotted an advert from the 2008 Spam competition in his local paper and submitted his recipe and a photograph expecting to hear no more. But before he knew it, he had won the North West regional final and was whisked down to London for a face off with winners from around the country.

During the final, which apparently saw all the contestants getting drunk on champagne while chefs prepared their dishes, Stuart’s name was called and he was awarded the championship along with an all expenses paid trip to The Spam Museum in Minneapolis. Laugh if you will, but the winner of the 2009 competition will receive a similar journey to Hawaii where, Spam Musubi is to be found on menus of the discerning.

After a couple of cups of tea, it was time for me to have my own cook off against last year’s champion or Spampion if you will allow me. Oh,please yourselves. Stuart deftly prepared his own winning creation, Spam slices with chilli and peanut coating served on a Thai noodle salad and I began to create my own Spam based wonder drawing inspiration from the Bengali side of my family.

I mixed up some garam flour from Stuart’s cupboard and made a batter to which I added a few spices and then tossed in cubes of spam before frying them to a crunchy finish. Spam Bhajia, if you will, served with a cucumber, chilli relish and a suitable starter to a Spam based meal which Stuart’s dish finished off.

The truth is Spam doesn’t really taste of all that much, so you can pretty well do what you like to it, which made me come up with all sorts of other dishes as I headed on the long drive back to London. A Scots Spaggis? Or some Welsh Spaggots? Perhaps even continuing the Indian theme, a Spam Korma.

I know what most of you are thinking and it ends with the words "Oh, the humanity" but, go on, admit it, some of you secretly rather like Spam.

Anyway, if you fancy pitting your culinary wits against yours truly (come and have a go if you think you're hard enough) you can find all the details here so give it a go and you can pass the details on to your friends by e-mail. That is of course if it is not filtered out as……………