SWEET SUCCESS: Simon Girma (left) was named champion (Image: Matt Alexander/PA Media Assignments)
Biscuit-lovers put their skills to the test at the first ever National Dunking Championship. The winner has been named as 35-year-old Simon Girma, a creative designer from North London.
The competition, hosted by McVitie’s, saw contestants compete in a ‘dunk off’, armed with a selection of Britain’s favourite biscuits. Under the watchful eye of expert judges, the aim was to keep each biscuit submerged in a hot drink for as long as possible without it breaking.
Each round featured a different biscuit, challenging contestants’ knowledge of each one’s dunking characteristics. One point was awarded for every second it was remained submerged.
Once removed, the biscuit had to remain intact without breaking or the participant would lose the round. Simon was crowned victorious after a series of intense dunk off rounds, where he played a Digestive, Rich Tea, Chocolate Hobnob and Gingernut.
But it wasn’t an easy win, as the final saw a sudden death tie-breaker after both Simon and his opponent Bruno achieved 58 points. And the biscuit that delivered the winning dunk? The Chocolate Hobnob, a favourite amongst dunkers worldwide.
“I’m so proud to be the winner of the first ever McVitie’s Dunking Championship,” said Simon. “It was an amazing competition – credit to all the other contestants who were worthy opponents, but I knew my extensive dunk training regime would come good.
“Having a slow and steady hand, and lots of practising with a variety of biscuits so you know each one well. It just goes to show that having a biscuit with my tea has finally paid off.”
One of the standout moments of the championship was the Jaffa Cake round – a less common dunking choice, and one which challenged players due to its unusual sponge-like texture. The Rich Tea round also proved perilous, as contestants worked to keep their nerve and avoid a dunking disaster.
The competition was held in honour of National Biscuit Day, May 29, with McVitie’s chief dunking officer Dr Helen Pilcher presiding. Her research has found a Hobnob can withstand 12.5 seconds of dunking, whereas the ‘dunking danger zone’ of a Rich Tea kicks in at 8.8 seconds – making it a higher risk biscuit.
“The contestants were all amazing and had brilliant biscuit knowledge,” said Dr Pilcher. “As a dunking enthusiast myself, it was extremely rewarding to see my dunking research put into practice and brought to life in such a unique way
