New Zealand's best sausages for 2018 have been announced in the annual Devro Great New Zealand Sausage Competition.
New Zealand's best sausage, or should we say sausages, for 2018 have been announced in the annual Devro Great New Zealand Sausage Competition.
With the results fittingly revealed on National Sausage Day, this year the judges simply couldn't choose between two top snarlers: Westmere Butchery in Auckland's beef and mushroom sausage and an Angus beef sausage from New World Te Rapa in Hamilton. So they were crowned joint winners in what is believed to be a first for the competition.
David Rossiter, owner of Westmere Butchery, has been in the industry for over 45 years and said his sausage victory is a dream come true: "It's fantastic to win this award. It's a dream come true, not just for me but for all the boys at the shop and every staff member. We'll be celebrating for sure."
Westmere Butchery's beef and mushroom sausage. Photo / Supplied
Westmere Butchery's sausage also won the People's Choice Award, a rare achievement to take our two of the supreme awards.
Joint winner, Chris Nicol, who heads up the butchery team at New World Te Rapa with his 25-years experience, said of his store's win: "We have won a couple of awards in the Devro Great New Zealand Sausage competition but never taken the top spot before. It's an unbelievable feeling. It's come at a tough time for us, we've been short of staff and we've needed people to step up and they did. It makes me so proud of my team and to be part of the industry."
New World Te Rapa's Angus beef sausage. Photo / Supplied
The two bangers beat out 480 other entries, from over 90 stores to take the top honours from a judging panel that included butchers, foodies and chefs.
Head "Aesthetic" judge, bite food writer and author Kathy Paterson, noted the standard of this year's winners - and the entry level across the competition - was incredibly high.
"Throughout this year's competition, the standard has been phenomenal. Flavours have been well thought through, the quality of the butchery has been impeccable and as a result it has created a really tough, but enjoyable, job for the judges.
"In the past we've always had a sausage that has stood out but trying to find an outright Supreme Award winner this year was near on impossible. The panel of judges could make compelling cases for both winners and in the end we knew the fairest thing to do was crown them both."
The Supreme Champions. Photo / Supplied
The Devro New Zealand Wildcard winner was Peter Timbs Meats in Christchurch for their Hot Chorizo sausage, produced in a Devro casing.
As we head in to the first official weekend of summer, you'll do well to take note of the list of winning wieners to try on the barbie.
Devro Great New Zealand Sausage Competition 2018 big winners:
2018 Supreme Award
• New World Te Rapa, Angus Beef • Westmere Butchery, Beef and Mushroom
2018 People's Choice Award
• Westmere Butchery, Beef and Mushroom
2018 Devro NZ Wildcard Award
• Peter Timbs Meats, Hot Chorizo
2018 Devro Great New Zealand Sausage Competition Medallists:
Category: Beef
Gold: New World Te Rapa Angus Beef Silver (joint): Hellers Ltd Hellers Angus Silver (joint): Leonard's Superior Smallgoods Old English Beef Bronze: Countdown Angus Beef
Category: Pork
Gold: L'Authentique Pure Pork Silver: The Kiwi Butcher Shop Pure Pork Bronze: Moos Baas & Oinks Pure Pork
Gold: New World Stonefields Smokey Chicken, Coriander & Garlic Silver (joint): New World Stonefields Chicken, Coriander, Garlic & Mild Chilli Silver (joint): Grey Lynn Butchers Free Range Chicken and Truffle Bronze: Raeward Fresh Tower Junction The Senorita
Category: Pre-cooked
Gold: Cattermoles Butchery Kaiapoi Smoked Saveloy Silver: Akaroa Butchery & Deli Cotechino Bronze: Morepork BBQ Pork Hot Dog
Category: Flavoured
Gold: M & M Master Butchers Pork Flavoured Silver: Esk Valley Meats Lamb & Mint Flavoured Bronze (joint): Hellers Ltd Hellers Pork Flavour Bronze (joint): New World Greenmeadows Pork Flavoured
Gold: PAKn'SAVE Riccarton Italian Casalinga Silver (joint): Foodstuffs South Island/ Pams Italian Lamb Silver (joint): New World Stanmore Italian Pork Bronze (joint): Aussie Butcher New Lynn Bratwurst Bronze (joint): Avon's Butchery Italian Fennel Pork
Category: Continental Ready-to-Eat
Gold (joint): Zamora Picante Salami Gold (joint): Peter Timbs Meats Hot Chorizo Silver: The Butchers Block & Beef Classic Salami Smokehouse Wanaka Bronze: Ashby's Butchery Bell's Original Pepperoni
Category: Pre-cooked
Gold: Leonard's Superior Smallgoods Black Pudding Silver: Cameron Harrison Butchery Black Pudding Bronze: Wild Game Salamis Wild Venison French Black Pudding
Gold (joint): M & M Master Butchers Cumberland Pork Gold (joint): L'Authentique Pork & Fennel Silver: Raeward Fresh Queenstown Free Range Pork, Fresh Apple & Toasted Fennel Seeds Bronze: The Produce Company Pork & Fennel
Category: Gourmet Beef
Gold (joint): Westmere Butchery Beef & Mushroom Gold (joint): New World Stanmore Roast Beef, Horseradish & Beetroot Silver: New World Greenmeadows Beef, Truffle & Parmesan Bronze: Hellers Ltd Hellers Sticky Ginger Beef
Category: Gourmet Pork
Gold: Whenuapai Meat Merchant Free Range Pork, Sweet Gala Apple & Sage Silver (joint): Aussie Butcher New Lynn Ben's Jalapeno & Smokey Cheese Sausage Silver (joint): Avon's Butchery Pork & Cranberry Bronze (joint): New World Bishopdale Pork Breakfast Bronze (joint): New World Havelock North Pork & Paua
Category: Pre-cooked
Gold: Eastbourne Village Meats Red Roma Silver: Euro Gourmet Meats Drunken Lamb & Onion Bronze: Aussie Butcher New Lynn Moroccan Lamb
