Sam’s Butchery in Silverdale has been announced as the Supreme Winner in the 2023 Great New Zealand Sausage Competition.
‘Lamb Delight’ was the successful sausage announced at a special Sausage Mixer Awards, where butchers from across the nation gathered to find out who had snagged the top spot.
Sam Nadason, owner of Sam’s Butchery in Silverdale says he thinks the secret to his winning entry is “taking the time to get the basics right, concentrating on perfecting the flavours and years of experience.”
This year, the competition broke all previous records with an astounding 646 entries, representing the craftsmanship of 116 producers across the 14 sausage categories. Included in the line-up was a mince category for burger patties and meatballs. These two categories turned out 12 medals for burger patties and 3 medals for meatballs.
Hellers took out Gold for their London Pride sausages and PAK’nSAVE Wairau Park also scored Gold for their Boerewors. Foodstuffs received a Silver medal for their Pam’s Pork Sausage; New World Remuera scored Silver for a Beef, Truffle and Parmesan Sausage, while New World Te Rapa scored Gold for their Pure Pork Sausage.
Competition judge, Kathy Paterson said there was quite a buzz around the judging table this year with some innovative flavour combinations, but it was a pure lamb sausage that took out the top spot.
“It can be quite tricky creating a single meat sausage, but this was an incredibly well-made sausage with a good balance of meat and fat,” said Kathy. “The flavour of the lamb really shone through with just a hint of mint to add freshness – it was sensational.”
Fellow judge and butcher, Brian Everton said from a technical point of view it was the perfect ‘grind’ or texture that made it so good.
“Using a premium lamb product would have been key in creating this stand out sausage.”
A full geographical list of the medal-winning sausages is available here.
