WHEN Solent Butchers started making a special kind of sausage for one of its customers, little did it know it was on to a winner.
Now the Copnor firm is celebrating after its delicious-looking ‘London Banger with Young’s Special Bitter’ sausages were crowned the best in Britain at the BPEX Foodservice Pork Sausage of the Year contest.
More than 200 companies entered the competition and Solent Butchers, in Dundas Lane, Portsmouth, ran away as the winners of the Best Pub Pork Sausage category.
The butchers began making ale-flavoured bangers for London brewery Young’s this year for use in its pubs in the capital.
David Putt, sales director for the butchers – which also supplies meat to the University of Portsmouth as well as pubs, schools and colleges across the area – said the key to the success was using quality pork from Hampshire.
Mr Putt said: ‘It’s fabulous that we’ve won, considering that we’ve only been making sausages for four-and-a-half years.
‘We spend a lot of time trying different mixtures and different sausages sourced as locally as possible.’
‘But our London Banger with Young’s Special Bitter is our premium sausage. We’re incredibly proud of it.
‘More and more people are looking for a better quality sausage. That’s the way the world is going now.
‘It’s great that we can now tell our customers how prestigious this sausage is. All our hard work has paid off.’
The success coincides with National Sausage Week, which finishes at the end of this week.
And as part of the competition, the butchers won gold awards for its pork, caramelised red onion and rosemary sausage; pork apple and honey sausage; Gloucester Old Spot pork sausage; pork, bacon, apple and thyme sausage; healthy option park sausage; pork, ham and mustard sausage; and sage and onion pork sausage.
Tony Goodger, foodservice trade manager for BPEX, which represents pig levy payers in the UK, said: ‘These accolades are highly sought after and show off the range of sausages, made with quality assured pork, available today.
‘Sausages are a key feature of any menu, loved by customers of all ages, so we are incredibly encouraged to see such an impressive selection for them to choose from when eating out.’
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