Butchers compete for top honours

South West TAFE will again host this year’s regional heats with AMIC’s independent local butchers all vying for the top award in each hotly-contested category.

Six categories of sausages will be up for judging; traditional, pork, poultry, lamb, continental and gourmet, while a selection of burgers will also be judged including best butcher’s burger and gourmet burger.

Local butchers will also be judged on the following smallgoods categories of ham on the bone, ham off the bone, bacon, kabana, strasbourg and kransky.

The judges, made up of consumers and trade experts, will be scrutinising the uncooked and cooked appearance of the sausages and burgers and taste testing them for their flavour and texture.

South West TAFE Food and Fibre manager Paul Meredith said each year there were new and creative recipes and the presentation and professionalism were always first rate.

He said South West TAFE had been hosting the regional heats for a number of years and it was an event staff and local industry looked forward to every year.

“The competition is extremely highly regarded within the local industry. It’s a great way for local butchers to compete against the best in this region. They are always keen to take out the title each year,” he said.

The first-place winners in each category in the six Victorian regions will proceed to the Victorian State Final on October 7, where it will be determined who makes the finest sausages and burgers in the state.