KellyDeli launches winning dishes from ‘My Big Idea’ contest

Sushi Daily franchisees from the UK and Europe sent their best meals to compete for a €1,000 prize

KellyDeli, owner of Sushi Daily, has announced the winner of its ‘My Big Idea’ competition with two of the dishes set to go on sale in selected Waitrose and Asda supermarkets.

The competition, which spanned Europe, was won by London Marlybone franchisee, Kohei Matsumoto. His submission consisted of two hot flavour sensations that impressed judges with their creativity. They were Yasai Gyoza on Rice and Tori Gyoza Yakisoba. Plans are already in place to roll out the dishes to further stores later in 2022.

As well as getting his dishes sold across Europe, Kohei also receives a €1,000 cash prize, which he has pledged to selflessly spend on a party for his team.

He said: “I love being part of the KellyDeli family – they’re always coming up with initiatives to draw out the best in team members and encourage everyone to reach their full potential. My Big Idea was a fun challenge and winning the cash prize meant we could throw a fantastic party for the team here.”

The two recipes in more detail are:
·Vegan Yasai Gyoza on Rice features sushi rice, edamame beans, a delicious teriyaki-style sauce, topped with five vegan gyozas and sprinkled with shichimi spice (£6.50).

·Tori Gyoza Yakisoba includes yakisoba noodles laced with cabbage, mushrooms, edamame and a yakisoba sauce, topped with five chicken gyoza and a dusting of shichimi spice (£7.50).

Kohei’s Yasai Gyoza recipe was of particular significance to Kohei as it is vegan.

He said: “I was keen to introduce another vegan product to the Sushi Daily offer. I also have a keen interest in climate change and sustainability, so it’s incredibly rewarding to be able to make a difference, not just at my business, but at Sushi Daily counters around the UK and beyond.”

Ian Roberts, managing director at KellyDeli, was full of praise for all those who competed. He said: “We wanted to create something delicious and healthy for our customers and decided to challenge our franchisees to come up with their best creations. There were so many wonderful ideas submitted, but Kohei’s stood out for his focus on gyoza which is in hot demand.

“These new dishes will build on our growing hot food offering, which is proving very popular and of course, it expands our vegan range too. In fact, Yasai Gyoza on Rice has been our top seller out of six new products launched for four weeks in a row.”