Slam dunk! The best biscuit dunker in Britain has been found – and it’s a creative designer from North London.<br /><br />Simon Girma won the inaugural National Dunking Championship at Underbelly Boulevard in Soho, London.<br /><br />The tea and biscuit lover, aged 35, entered the McVitie's tournament which challenged eight contestants to compete in a ‘dunk off’.<br /><br />They submerge their biscuit in a hot beverage for the longest duration possible without it breaking – with one point awarded for every second it was submerged.<br /><br />Upon removing the biscuit, it must remain intact without breaking – failing this, the participant loses the round.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Each round features a different biscuit, challenging contestants' knowledge of each one’s dunking characteristics.<br /><br />Simon was crowned victorious after a series of intense dunk off rounds – where he played a Digestive, Rich Tea, Chocolate Hobnob and Gingernut – including a sudden death tie breaker.<br /><br />In the final, both Simon and his opponent Bruno got 58 points over three rounds – and as a result, they went on to a tie break round, with Simon scoring 25 to Bruno’s 23 points.<br /><br />And the biscuit that delivered the winning dunk? The Chocolate Hobnob, beloved of dunkers around the world.<br /><br />Of his win, Simon said: “I’m so proud to be the winner of the first ever McVitie’s Dunking Championship.<br /><br />“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.<br /><br />“Having a slow and steady hand, and lots of practicing with a variety of biscuits so you know each one well.”<br /><br />“It just goes to show that having a biscuit with my tea has finally paid off.<br /><br />A panel of judges – led by the biscuit makers chief dunking officer Dr Helen Pilcher - oversaw gameplay.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The Rich Tea round also proved perilous, as contestants worked to keep their nerve and avoid a dunking disaster.<br /><br />Research conducted by Dr Pilcher found a Hobnob can withstand 12.5 seconds of dunking - depending on hot drink temperature.<br /><br />Whereas the ‘dunking danger zone’ of a Rich Tea kicks in at 8.8 seconds – deeming it a higher risk biscuit.<br /><br />Dr Pilcher said: “Being the judge of the National Dunking Championship felt like the perfect evolution of my role as chief dunking officer.<br /><br />“The contestants were all amazing and had brilliant biscuit knowledge.<br /><br />“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.”
