Welcome to The World Dumpling Championship 2026.
The Competition takes place at Mitre Coffee on Earlham Road on Saturday November 21st between 10am and 12noon. We welcome single contestants or those working in a group.
It's free to come along and it's free to take part. Contact us at spinofftheatre@mail.com for a form and to be on the mailing list.
What's it about?
Norfolk was once famed throughout the land for its dumplings (or Swimmers as they were known). Today, the dumpling has diversified with Dim Sum, Momos, Gyoze, Ravioli, Canederli and more simmering in pots across the region.
We celebrate them all, and the stories that go with them, as we champion Norfolk’s home cooking at its very best.
Theme:-
This year, we take inspiration from Norfolk's shifting landscape. How will the region's home cooking reflect the rapid way that climate change is affecting our land and crops - will we take comfort in old delights, or is this a chance to innovate? Rice is now growing as close as the fens, perhaps this year's winnng dumpling will be made using rice flour like the Vietnamese Bành?
With so much seemingly in flux anything could be simmering in the pots of the future. You do not need to follow our theme in order to win the championship, but it's there for inspiration if it's helpful.
Want to find out more?
Check out our articles and blogs: Listen to Eve's interview with Edd Smith on BBC Radio Norfolk here (38 mins into the show)
Read our blog with former champions sharing tips about what inspired their winning dumplings by clicking here.
Click here to see Eve’s article in Country Life.
See the cooks from our first Championship by clicking here
Background
Dumplings have been a Norfolk speciality for centuries. The word dumpling originates in Norfolk dialect. It is taken from the low German for bobbing 'dumpeln'. The Norfolk Swimmer that bobs to the top of the pot is probably a very old recipe indeed. Norfolk was already well-known for its dumplings in the time of Shakespeare. They are referred to by Shakespeare's contemporary, the comic Robert Armin. At Spin-Off Theatre we love a story. The company was founded in 1997 to collect, archive, and perform Norfolk’s unique oral heritage. As part of a project in 2009 company founder, Eve Stebbing, collected a dumpling recipe. Tales of light, airy Norfolk 'Swimmers' started to preoccupy her. Just how did they make these magical delights without any yeast? What a mystery!
This year, you are going to see a bit more in the way of film and story accompanying our work as we build the drama around the championship.