Taste Cheshire held the initial round of its Cheshire Sausage Competition for 2023 on Thursday, March 2, with the finalists progressing to theTaste Cheshire Food and Drink Festival at Chester Racecourse next month.
The event took place the University of Chester’s NOW Food Centre and saw a wide range of Cheshire butchers in attendance. Participants from across the county competed in the first heat of the annual competition for their chance to claim esteemed titles like “Cheshire’s Best Flavoured Sausage” and “Cheshire’s Best Plain Sausage”.
Round one of the competition saw a panel of sausage experts judging entrants’ offerings with the aim of narrowing the field to just a few sausage makers for each category. The winners who make it past this round will then go on to be judged by the public on Sunday, April 9, during The Taste Cheshire Food and Drink Festival taking place at Chester’s renowned racecourse.
The recent opening round at Chester University saw 12 entrants take part, and according to the judges, the standard of sausages was exceptionally high. The panel of experts was led by the head judge, who was master butcher Steven Vaughan, and also featured names like Jeff George of NOW Food Centre and Izzy Grey of We Love Good Times.
Butchers who made it to the final included Hayrack Butchery, Baker and Roberts, David Joinson, and H. Clewlows.
Residents and visitors to Chester who would like to take part and show their personal expertise on what makes a great sausage can get a ticket for the Taste Cheshire Food and Drink Festival. On the day, they can drop by the Chef Demonstration Tent at 11:00 am and add their vote on the public judging panel.
