A toasted gözleme sandwich filled with vegan lamb and beetroot hummus has won Mission Foods business development chef Kim Hartley the title of Sandwich Designer of the Year.

The award was presented by the British Sandwich & Food to Go Association, which also organises the Sammies (The British Sandwich Industry Awards).

The winning sandwich comprised of: an Amaranth seed gözleme — a Turkish flatbread baked with yogurt —  filled with beetroot and rosemary hummus, spiced vegan ‘lamb’, crumbled vegan ‘Feta’, baby spinach, fresh peas with mint, and a pistachio, orange and cinnamon baklava crumb garnish for texture and flavour.

The vegan lamb was made from rehydrated soya protein, pea fibre and a selection of herbs and spices.

Created in response to the growing number of people opting for a vegan diet, the sandwich also won the Hummus category in the Sandwich Designer of the Year Awards, which were judged by an independent panel led by chef Theo Randall.

Following regional heats earlier this year, finalists battled it out for top honours at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London earlier this month.

A recent survey by comparethemarket.com revealed that 7% of Great Britain’s population identifies as vegan, jumping from over 500,000 in 2016, to more than 3.5 million individuals at the end of last month.