Cheerbrook in Nantwich is among the finalists for the Taste Cheshire Food and Drink Festival Sausage competition.
The annual event, in its 12th year, attracted butchers across Cheshire, Wirral and North Wales entering in both the Traditional Pork Sausage category and the Flavoured Sausage.
Ten judges, headed up by chief Judge Steve Vaughan of Vaughan butchers of Penyffordd, blind tasted more than 30 sausages.
And Cheerbrook – off Newcastle Road – has been shortlisted in both categories.
Jeff George, from the NoWFOOD Centre in Chester where judging took place, said: “We were delighted to again be involved in this competition, knowing how important a fair playing field is for each entrant, we were confident that the equipment at the NoWFOOD Centre assured each sausage was presented in the best cooked state possible.”
Steve Vaughan said: “Our judges were looking at the appearance of the sausage both pre and post cooking.
“They concentrate on the texture of the sausage as you eat it and then most importantly, the flavour.
“The first two categories are judged out of five marks and the final and most important 10 marks.
“Each year the job gets tougher as the standard of butchery gets stronger and stronger.
“These really are artisan sausages made by very skilled people.”
Butcher Stephen Vaughan – sausage judge
Butcher Stephen Vaughan – sausage judge
Taste Cheshire CEO Stephen Wundke added: “We know that competition brings out the best in people.
“Having been a judge since its inception when Carole Faulkner at the Cheese Shop started the event, the standard has, each year, just got higher and higher.
“You see that when you add up the judging sheets and we now need 10 judges to separate our finalists.
“It’s been another cracking year and our 40 judges at the festival will have their work cut out to find a champion.”
Each of the finalist have their sausages tasted by the first 40 people who make it to the Chef auditorium at the Taste Cheshire Food and Drink festival on Easter Sunday April 21.
The winner of each category will be honoured at the Taste Cheshire Food and Drink Awards on Wednesday April 24.
The finalists:
Best Traditional Sausage
Cheerbrooks Farm Shop – Nantwich
Pen Y Lan Pork – Overton on Dee
Muffs – Bromborough
Best Flavoured Sausage
Hawarden Farm Estate – Hawarden
Gourmegg – Frodsham
Muffs – Bromborough
Cheerbrook – Nantwich
