THE best bangers made by Cheshire butchers have been tasted by judges.
Taste Cheshire hosted the first round of their Cheshire Sausage Competition 2024 at the NOWFood Centre at the University of Chester.
A panel of local sausage experts narrowed down the top three in two categories, plain pork and flavoured.
All the sausages were tasted blind so judges had no idea which butcher had made them.
The panel said competition was ‘fiercely competitive’ and the standard was ‘very high indeed’.
Chip shop curry sausages hand-crafted by The Lambing Shed in Knutsford have been shortlisted in the final three in the best flavoured category.
This farm shop cafe at Moseley Hall Farm on Chelford Road is housed in a building where farmer Arnold Mitchell and son Michael reared their sheep more than 60 years ago.
It opened in 2015 to showcase their award-winning home reared beef and lamb.
Director Kathryn Mitchell, daughter of owners Sue and Michael, said: “We are so excited. The sausage we have been shortlisted with is our chip shop curry flavour sausage.
“It's a firm favourite in the farm shop so we knew we had to enter it this year and we are thrilled to be in the final three!
“The recipe has been designed by our head butcher Richard and it tastes just like the traditional chip shop curry sauce that everyone loves.”
The top three sausages chosen in each category will now be tasted by the public at The Taste Cheshire Food and Drink Festival at Chester Racecourse on Sunday, March 31.
People will be able to choose their favourite sausages in the chef demonstration tent at 11am.
Richard will be up against Geoff Hughes family butcher from Chester Market and Hayrack Butchery in Thornton-Le-Moors in the flavoured sausage category.
The three finalists in the plain category at Hayrack Butchers, Thornton-Le-Moors, Muffs of Bromborough and David Johnson Quality Meats, Christleton Road.
Head judge was long-standing sausage taster Izzy Grey, of We Love Good Times.
The panel included Ian Dawson, from the NOW Food Centre, home economist chef Emma Shawcross, Chrissy Cunningham and Rick Nieto from Taste Cheshire, Jim Dorrington, of Artezzan Restaurant and Mark Jarvis and Claire Hobson, of The Chester Fields.
Jim, director of operations at Artezzan Restaurant, said: “It was an honour to be invited to join the panel of judges and taste so many great entries.
“The level of competition was exceptional. I have found my new favourite sausage.”
Tickets for the festival are available at chesterfoodanddrink.co.uk
Briony Wilson, chief executive officer of Taste Cheshire, said: “Once again the butchers of Cheshire have come out in force and put their best foot forward.
“After 10 years of being involved in this competition, I didn’t think I could be surprised by the flavours and yet every year it happens.
“I can’t wait to bring these entries to the food and drink festival and get the public reaction.
“Sausages are a British staple and can be incorporated into dishes in so many different ways.
“The concepts that the master butchers of Cheshire bring to our shops and plates is incredible.”
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