A lot of love for a Valentine’s Sausage competition #Blog
Stephen Wundke
17th February 2020
Now in its 12th year, the Taste Cheshire Food and Drink Festival Sausage Competition Final qualifying heat fell on Valentine’s Day.
It’s somehow fitting that a day dedicated to the search for love, should include the search for the greatest sausage, not for the many cheeky reasons you are thinking of, but because of the absolute love there is for this competition.
So much joy from something so basic – who would have believed it.
The heat was held at the NoWFood Centre at the University of Chester and This year our judges were bolstered by NoWFOOD supremo and host, Martin Mortlidge. He was mightily impressed as he explained “I am delighted that NoWFOOD could again host the renowned ‘Taste Cheshire’ annual Sausage competition. The quality and variety of the sausages offered for judging was outstanding and indicates the growing stature of the strong food sector here in Cheshire that NoWFOOD is looking to support. I offer my congratulations to all those involved.”
Other prominent sausage judges included, local sausage expert Michael Muter who heralds the humble sausage as one of the UK’s finest food fancies and Izzy Grey of We Love Good Times – a dedicated sausage girl with years of judging experience
This event, over the years has brought an immense amount of pleasure to so many people and we missed the company of Dee 106.3 announcer Gavin Matthews, sadly absent this year after officiating 9 previous times. We hope he will return next year.
Martin Mortlidge and Emma Shawcross at the judging
Over 25 different sausages lined up to be judged and there were again twists a plenty. The first of which was that we had a Beef Sausage line up in the plain sausage category. Some questioned the eligibility but after consulting the rule book it was noted that in 2017 the title was changed from Plain Pork to just Plain Sausage – controversy averted.
In another shock to many, a Toulouse Goat sausage was entered in the flavoured section as well. In the end neither made it to the final but it certainly kept the judges on their toes.
Two other “firsts” jumped out in this year’s competition.
A thin sausage made it to the final, up until this year size was everything!
And a Chicken sausage made it to the final in the Flavoured section – no butcher has ever pulled off this feat and many have tried. Taste Cheshire CEO Stephen Wundke described the flavoured section as “The finest array of sausages we have ever been presented with – not a one that didn’t work as a great sausage. The judging was the closest I can remember.”
Sausages awaiting their scores
The Plain Sausage finalists are
Chestnut Meats – Longfield Farm, Nantwich
Cottom Foods – Widnes
Pen-y-Lan Pork – Pen-y-Lan Farm – near Wrexham
The Flavoured sausage finalists are
The Hollies Farm Shop – Tarporley
H Clewlow – Nantwich
Muffs of Bromborough
Please note, we are unable to attribute who made which flavoured sausage as it is a blind tasting in the final. The three flavoured sausage finalists are; Middle Eastern Chicken Flexiterian Sausage With fresh Spinach, Coriander Chickpeas & Apricots, Pork with Caramelised Red Onion and a Taste of Italy – Pork, paprika, parsley fennel seed, garlic, black pepper & red wine.
Who will win this year? The wonderful thing is none of us know, the decision is arrived at exactly as it should be…The public decide. Our finalists can do no more than to just keep making great Sausages.
Michael Muter casting his votes
All 6 sausages will be judged on Easter Sunday at the Taste Cheshire Food and Drink festival at 11.00am. The first forty people who arrive will be given judging sheets and their decisions, based on appearance, texture and taste will see the crowning of this year’s champions.
Have we seen and tasted sausages like these before?
Probably, Bruce Edge of Edge Butchers in Handbridge, regular finalist and winner of this event once said, “There is no such thing as a new sausage, like ties they have all been done before.”
We don’t know if it’s true but whatever the outcome we know Cheshire makes outstanding sausages and every year they seem to get better and better.
Our sausage makers strive for the perfect sausage of that there is no doubt. If sausages had a vintage, this would be one, 2020 – a Vintage year for sausages.
Is it the green light at the end of the pier and the perfect sausage has now been made? We don’t know. Maybe we don’t want it to be so we can just keep searching; that will do nicely.
As Nick said to summarise Gatsby “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past”