A SANDWICH firm in Huddersfield has proved to be the upper crust.

Shaw and Lisle, of the Shaw Business Park in Aspley, was one of the winners in The Sammies 2008, the annual awards run by the British Sandwich Industry Association.

The award recognised Shaw and Lisle’s marketing campaign to promote its revamped Deli-Fresco range of sandwiches, which include combinations such as crayfish and sweet chilli; poached salmon, creme fraiche and asparagus; and brie and apple.

There is also a “surf n’ turf combo”, half prawns and half topside of beef.

Shaw and Lisle product development director Simon Shaw said the company spent £50,000 on marketing the Deli-Fresco range. It won the award in competition with major food firms, including Ginsters, which had lavished £5m on TV advertising.

Judges were impressed by the Shaw and Lisle product range, the use of biodegradable packaging and eye-catching point-of-sale material.

They also praised the inclusion of vegetarian options.

It is the second time Shaw and Lisle has won the marketing award at The Sammies; the firm also won the trophy in 2004.

Other winners in the 2008 awards included Bradford-based Morrisons supermarkets, Marks and Spencer, Costa Coffee and catering group Sodexho.

Shaw and Lisle was formed in 1994 in Halifax by Mr Shaw and sales director Richard Lisle. They moved to the Shaw Business Park in early 2000 as a two-man business. It has since grown to employ 180 staff, producing millions of sandwiches every year.

Mr Shaw said: “We started out from one small unit. We now have 15,000sq ft of production space, 4,000sq ft of offices and 4,000sq ft of warehousing.”

Shaw and Lisle supplies sandwiches to the NHS, universities and colleges and vending companies with combinations ranging from BLT, egg and cress and tuna and cucumber to a meaty Fifth Avenue Pastrami.

Shaw and Lisle increased turnover by 20% last year.

Mr Shaw said the company was not resting on its laurels. “It is a competitive industry and things are difficult, due to factors such as rising prices,” he said. “But we have more ranges planned for this year.’’

The Sammies were launched 13 years ago to acknowledge leaders in an industry worth about £5.25bn a year and employing 300,000 people in the UK.

Winners ranged from high street chains to single shop enterprises and specialist ingredient suppliers. The awards were presented at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel.