Britain’s greatest biscuit dunker topped – and he is skilled to perfection to win

Simon Girma, a 35 year old tea and biscuit enthusiast, has been crowned the winner of the first-ever National Dunking Championship in central London. The competition, hosted by McVitie’s, saw contestants compete in a ‘dunk off’, where they had to dunk their biscuit in a hot drink for as long as possible without it breaking.

The retrieved biscuit must remain intact or the participant loses the round. The contestant with the most points after three rounds progresses, all under the scrutiny of biscuit connoisseurs.

Each round featured a different biscuit, testing the contestants’ knowledge of each one’s dunking properties. Simon emerged victorious after several intense rounds, including a sudden death tie-breaker. The biscuit that secured his win? The Chocolate Hobnob, a favourite among dunkers worldwide.

Speaking about his victory, 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.”

The competition was overseen by a panel of judges, led by the biscuit maker’s chief dunking officer, Dr Helen Pilcher.

The championship’s quirky highlight was the Jaffa Cake dunk-off, which threw competitors for a loop with its spongy consistency not your usual dunking material. Meanwhile, the Rich Tea challenge had biscuit lovers on the edge of their seats, trying to avoid crumbling under pressure.

Dr Pilcher’s dunking study revealed that a Hobnob can last a solid 12.5 seconds in a hot cuppa before it gives way. On the flip side, the Rich Tea enters the ‘dunking danger zone’ after just 8.8 seconds, making it a riskier choice for biscuit enthusiasts.

Commenting on his role, Dr Pilcher shared: “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.”