Simon Girma won the inaugural National Dunking Championship in central London. The tea and biscuit lover, aged 35, entered the tournament, hosted by McVitie’s, which challenges contestants to compete in a ‘dunk off’ – where they submerge their biscuit in a hot beverage for the longest duration possible without it breaking.
Upon retrieving the biscuit, it must remain intact without breaking – failing this, the participant loses the round. The person with the most points after three dunk offs wins, and goes on to the next round, under the watchful eye of biscuit experts.
Each round features a different biscuit, challenging contestants’ knowledge of each one’s dunking characteristics. Simon was crowned victorious after a series of intense dunk off rounds, including a sudden death tie breaker. And the biscuit that delivered the winning dunk? The Chocolate Hobnob, beloved of dunkers around the world.
Of his win, Simon said: “I’m so proud to be the winner of the first ever McVitie’s Dunking Championship. 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. It just goes to show that having a biscuit with my tea has finally paid off.”
A panel of judges – led by the biscuit makers chief dunking officer Dr Helen Pilcher – oversaw gameplay. One of the standout moments of the championship was the Jaffa Cake round – a less common dunk choice, and one which flummoxed players thanks to its unique sponge-like texture.
The Rich Tea round also proved perilous, as contestants worked to keep their nerve and avoid a dunking disaster. Research conducted by Dr Pilcher found a Hobnob can withstand 12.5 seconds of dunking – depending on hot drink temperature. Whereas the ‘dunking danger zone’ of a Rich Tea kicks in at 8.8 seconds – deeming it a higher risk biscuit.
Dr Pilcher said: “Being the judge of the National Dunking Championship felt like the perfect evolution of my role as chief dunking officer. The contestants were all amazing and had brilliant biscuit knowledge.
“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.”
