Regional butchers also made their mark:
FreshChoice Ōmokoroa: Silver for Moroccan Lamb;New World Te Puke: Silver for Premium Pork Sausage;Bethlehem Butchery: Bronze for Black Pudding;Meat at the Beach, Whangamatā: Bronze for Real Beef Sausage.
The Supreme Award went to Auckland’s Westmere Butchery for its Beef, Parmesan and Truffle sausage, praised by judges for its exceptional flavour, balance and technical execution.
The People’s Choice Award was claimed by Pokeno Bacon for its Chicken Con Queso sausage, while Prime Meats took home the Dunninghams’ Choice Award for its Tobiko Pork and Prawn sausage.
Technical judge Brian Everton, of Cabernet Foods, said the winning sausages demonstrated the importance of precision and creativity in sausage-making.
“Just like baking a great cake, the mixing, timing, and measure of ingredients are imperative to producing an award-winning sausage,” he said.