BEEF, PARMESAN AND TRUFFLE DELIGHTS JUDGES TO WIN SUPREME SAUSAGE AWARD
Westmere Butchery - Glenn McKendry and Dave Rossiter
Auckland’s Westmere Butchery has been crowned Supreme Winner of the Dunninghams Great New Zealand Sausage Competition for its Beef, Parmesan and Truffle sausage. Beating more than 800 entries from across the country, this marks Westmere’s fourth Supreme title in the past decade, confirming its reputation as one of New Zealand’s finest sausage makers. The 28th annual competition drew 814 entries across 13 categories, celebrating the skill and creativity of butchers nationwide.
Dave Rossiter, owner of Westmere Butchery says “To be awarded Supreme again, we’re over the moon, just ecstatic. These awards are what we strive for, and they show that we, as butchers, are doing what we do best.
Our driving force is the fact that every other butcher keeps lifting the game each year. Hats off to every butcher in New Zealand for keeping us on our toes.
The secret to developing a winning recipe is true teamwork. Everyone brings ideas to the table. We start with a base plan, cook it up, tweak it, and take it from there.”
The Supreme judging panel were unanimous on their decision, agreeing that the winning sausage delivered on every level.
Technical judge, Hannah Miller Childs said the creativity level this year was fantastic, especially when it came to the top scoring sausages.
“What set the Supreme winner apart was how well everything was put together, the grind was beautiful, the fat ratio was spot on, and all the ingredients were nicely incorporated. It was a well-made sausage and filled with care,” said Miller Childs.
Aesthetic judge Sam Anderson from Service Foods added “The winning sausage stood out for its beautifully balanced flavours – the truffle was the first thing to hit, blending seamlessly with the parmesan, while the beef flavour still came through. Getting that balance right can be tricky, but this one was very well executed.”
The public were also invited to taste and vote for their favourite sausage during a lunchtime People’s Choice sausage sizzle. The top six highest-scoring sausages were tasted anonymously, with Pokeno Bacon in Auckland claiming victory with their Chicken Con Queso sausage and winning the People’s Choice Award.
“We’re blown away to win this award. I’m so proud of the team - it means a lot that the quality of our product has been recognised by the public,” said Ben Clotworthy from Pokeno Bacon.
“The sausage is made with fresh ingredients, and we spent a long time developing the recipe. Our customers loved it - they kept giving us feedback, which helped us keep improving.”
In addition to the Supreme Sausage and People’s Choice awards, Prime Meats in Auckland took home the Dunninghams' Choice Award for their Tobiko Pork and Prawn sausage. This award is given to the top-scoring entry made using a Dunninghams spice mix.
Category Champions, Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal winners were also announced across all 13 sausage categories.
Left - People’s Choice Award, Ben Clotworthy from Pokeno Bacon, Right - Dunninghams Choice Award, Prime Meats
These results highlight the incredible depth and diversity of New Zealand’s sausage-making talent, with medal-winning snarlers available from the Far North to the rugged West Coast and everywhere in between.
The announcement of New Zealand's top sausages couldn’t have been timed more perfectly, coinciding with the nationwide ritual of preparing barbecues as summer approaches. As Kiwis fire up their grills, they now have a trusted source for New Zealand’s top snags, ensuring summer barbecues will be a sizzling success.
A full geographical list of the medal-winning sausages is available here.
The Dunninghams Great New Zealand Sausage Competition is proudly supported by Dunninghams, Big Chill, Kiwi Labels, Multivac Handtmann and Pact Packaging.