A black pudding sausage has been named as New Zealand’s tastiest at the Devro Great New Zealand Sausage Competition.
The Boudin Noir from Akaroa Butchery & Deli proved to be faultless, gaining the title of 2017 Supreme Winner at the annual competition.
Butchery owner Brendan Foster and his team produced the sausage that stood out above more than 500 entries to the panel of 48 judges, including head judge Kathy Paterson.
“We are really excited about this result,” he says. “Black pudding, or in this case, Boudin Noir, is a polarising sausage. Some won’t touch it with a bargepole while others love it and then there are those who think it falls into the superfood category.”
Paterson says the Boudin Noir is a well-crafted, perfectly balanced sausage with a beyond sensational texture. “I encourage all Kiwis to go out and give this one a go. Add to a potato dish, use in a savoury tart or pan-fry and crumble over soup,” she says.
Foster took his sausage making to the next level in 2011, when he moved production out of his woodshed and into his current premises, Akaroa Butchery & Deli. He puts a lot of time and passion into his hand-crafted products and says accepting this award is a career highlight.
“Black pudding sausages originated as a means of avoiding food waste. For mine to now be recognised as New Zealand’s best is a pretty huge achievement, especially for a small independent butchery. Proud is an understatement,” he says.
The process behind naming this sausage as New Zealand’s top was lengthy. All entries, allocated into one of 12 categories, were first judged by a panel of butchers, foodies and industry heavyweights.
From here, Gold, Silver and Bronze medals were awarded in each category with the Gold medalists then being re-judged against one another, with Foster’s sausage coming out on top.
The competition also provided a stage for four of New Zealand’s best butchers, who were challenged with the task of producing as many sausages as possible in one minute as part of the Linking Championship, proudly supported by Devro and Dunninghams.
Corey Winder from Elite Meats Bush Inn Christchurch was successful and amazed the crowd by making 56 sausages in 60 seconds. Winder will now go on to attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most sausages produced in one minute.
Also acknowledged was Mad Butcher Albany who won the People’s Choice Award with their Chicken, Pumpkin and Feta sausage, determined at a public tasting event last week.
The Devro New Zealand Wildcard winner was awarded to Ashby’s Butchery in Christchurch for producing the highest scoring sausage in a Devro casing, with their Pepperoni Bierstick.
