Our Semi Finalists
Your Vote Decided the Finalist
This year, the final spot in the BLFCC Live Fire Final at Ludlow was in your hands.
We invited the public to choose two contestants to join the final showdown on the Kadai Fire Stage at the Ludlow Food Festival with only one Contestant making it through.
Dan Catford
An Ode to my childhood
Charred sardines on toasted sourdough with Selsey crab pâté, salted cabbage, and blistered green pepper salsa verde.
Dan’s dish brings to life a cherished childhood memory of eating grilled sardines by the coast, capturing the nostalgia of seaside moments and the authenticity of open-fire cooking.
Joe Parke
Fire Pit Pig
A bold cochinita pibil-style pork shoulder, slow-cooked in the fire pit overnight and wrapped in tacos and rainbow chard. Served with bourbon BBQ pit beans, cornbread crust, ash-baked veg, and soured cream. A tribute to Forest of Dean’s finest producers, cooked with fire and flair.
Lorna Campbell
Seafood on Skye
A celebration of coastal cooking, this dish brings together monkfish, mackerel, moules éclade, and spider crab, paired with charred pineapple and corn salsa, gremolata, and samphire. Inspired by a trip to the Isle of Skye, where Lorna cooked her daily catch over an open flame, it’s a flavour-packed homage fire cooking.
Nick Smith
Hereford Beef, Inspired by Cyprus
Inspired by his wife’s Greek Cypriot roots, Nick’s dish brings together fire-led tradition and bold flavour. It features a slow-cooked Hereford beef short rib stifado, cherry wood-grilled sheftalia, fig hummus, warm pea and gem salad, and grilled vine leaf feta, honouring a culture where live fire is at the heart of every meal.
Si Gill
Bangkok Banquet
Inspired by the bold street food of Thailand and his wifes favourite dish, Si’s Bangkok Banquet heroes British beef two ways, tender slices in a warm Thai salad, and thicker cuts in a vibrant weeping tiger sauce. Served alongside pineapple egg fried rice with prawns, this dish is a fiery fusion.