The 2000 NZ Sausage Competition and Sausage Week

Date of release: 16 November 2000

Release From: New Zealand Retail Meat And Allied Trades Federation

Topic: The 2000 New Zealand Sausage Competition and Sausage week November 20 - 24
Contact person: Barry Whitaker Ph (04) 472 0807 Fax (04) 472 0804 email barryw@retailmeat.org.nz mobile 025 918 569

If you’re a sausage lover then next week is hot. It’s been termed National Sausage Week and the highlight of the week will be the 2000 New Zealand Sausage Competition.

It’s when the best sausages are assembled in Wellington to find out just who does make that perfect snarler.

They come from (almost) Kaitia to the Bluff. They come in six categories, (pork, beef, saveloy, pre-cooked, exotic and traditional) and they must pass by some of the most vigilant judges in the business before they are allowed to wear a gold silver or bronze award.

This year, about 250 sausages will be put to the test at the Messines Centre in Upper Hutt. Spokesperson for the event, Barry Whitaker, says, ”It’s a huge job getting so much perishable product to Wellington from so many different parts of the country at the one time. But thanks to the modern courier industry it duly arrives and is quickly sorted ready for judging.”

“Each year the competition seems to attract a higher standard of entries and the wide range of styles shows just how much our tastes in sausages are changing,” he added.

“Sausages have been with us since before the birth of Christ and were often a vital source of protein which was affordable and kept well when food was scarce. This is probably why so many popular styles emerged from places like Eastern and Central Europe. It is easy for us to decry the humble sausage today, but past generations of people all over the world probably owed their lives to the nourishment that sausages gave them. It is fitting we honour them today in competitions like this,” adds Barry.

“Winners will be announced on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday a select panel of food experts lead by Des Britten will gather at The Roxburgh Bistro in Wellington to taste the gold medal winners and decide which sausage will be named the Supreme Sausage for 2000,” commented Barry.

The competition is open to all sausage makers and has entries from big companies and small butchers alike.

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