'Stiff competition' to win prized silver ladle

In an industrial kitchen in the Netherlands, two dozen chefs are hard at work chopping vegetables and stirring pots at the World Snert and Stamppot Championships.

- 

WINNER. Arthur Vos comes up trumps at the World Snert Champion- ships in Groningen, Netherlands, on Wednesday. Pictures: AFP

(AFP)

The traditional split-pea soup and vegetable mash have been staples of the Dutch diet for decades, served at winter markets or enjoyed by families after a long day of skating.

At the annual championships in Groningen, amateur and professional chefs from the Netherlands and beyond compete for the top prize in both categories - a silver ladle.

Henk de Haan, 63, throws onions and carrots into a pan - essential ingredients in snert, a thick soup made with winter vegetables and pork, typically finished off with slices of Dutch smoked sausage.

Event manager De Haan has been taking part in the contest for years and never won anything, but this time he has a “secret weapon”—jalapeno peppers.