Organised by county food group Hampshire Fare, the competition returned after a year’s break with new categories and a new venue for the awards ceremony and sausage supper, taking place at St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton, on Wednesday, March 9.
Despite a year’s absence, entries to the competition were higher than ever – with 243 entries from butchers and pie makers across the region.
Newlyn’s Farm Shop, near Odiham, won the coveted Hampshire Sausage Champion 2022 prize for its pork, honey and mustard banger as well as the new Scotch Egg Champion 2022 category for its traditional scotch egg.
Jason Moore, from Newlyn’s Farm Shop, said: “This success is testament to the team. It is a good scotch egg and we sell a lot of them, but winning the scotch egg category was still quite a surprise. The whole team will be very happy.”
New Alresford’s Sole Butchers also doubled up on prizes, winning the Speciality Sausage category with its spiced mango, coconut and lime pork sausage, and the new Sausage Roll Champion 2022 prize for its jumbo sausage roll.
This year’s Supreme Champions were Buckingham’s Artisan Butchery in West Meon, which also won the Alternative Sausage category for its chicken, lemon and tarragon banger.
Damon and Sadie Buckingham, owners of Buckingham’s Artisan Butchery, were genuinely surprised by their success – even more so as they had only moved out of London to open a butchery in West Meon High Street in March 2020.
This was just as the first lockdown was put in place, and just after the last Great Hampshire Sausage & Pie Competition.
Damon said: “We didn’t know a lot about the area but we knew about the competition before moving to the area, and we knew how seriously it was taken.
“We thought we would enter and see how it goes.
“But I am blown away to have won supreme champion the first time we’ve entered and with a non-pork product.
“We always produce a chicken sausage as there are so many people who don’t want a pork sausage.
“We experiment and play with flavours, and created the chicken, lemon and tarragon sausage about two months ago.”
Tracy Nash, commercial manager at the Hampshire Fare, added: “What a journey we have been through since our last awards evening in March 2020. We decided not to hold the competition last year as there’s nothing better than being here together in person.
“The competition’s return has seen a fantastic number of entries from so many businesses, including many who hadn’t entered before and our first ever entries from the Isle of Wight.
“This and our wonderful sponsors, who are so enthusiastic about supporting this competition, shows what a highly regarded competition this is. I would like to thank them all.
“We are very proud of this nationally respected competition. We have been told by our local butchers and pie-makers that they value this competition because it provides a brilliant means of showcasing the quality produce available at local butchers, delis, farm shops and village stores across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, encouraging people to ‘shop local’.”
The winners in full:
Supreme Champions 2022
Buckingham’s Artisan Butchery, West Meon, Petersfield
Alternative Sausage: Chicken, Lemon & Tarragon
Category Champions
Hampshire Sausage Champion 2022
Newlyn’s Farm Shop, North Warnborough, Hook
Pork, Honey & Mustard Sausage
Alternative Sausage Champion 2022
Buckingham’s Artisan Butchery, West Meon, Petersfield
Chicken, Lemon & Tarragon Sausage
Speciality Sausage Champion 2022
Sole Butchers, New Alresford
Spiced Mango, Coconut & Lime Pork Sausage
Traditional Sausage Champion 2022
Wellow Food Market and Butchers (NISA), West Wellow, Romsey
Plain Pork Sausage
Young Sausage Maker Champion 2022
Ryan Cutler, Danestream Farm Shop, New Milton
Plain Pork Sausage
Speciality Pie Champion 2022
Briddlesford Lodge Farm, Wootton, Isle of Wight
Luxury Veal & Wild Mushroom Pie
Steak Pie Champion 2022
Fordingbridge Farm Shop, Fordingbridge
Angus Steak Pie Traditional Pork Pie Champion 2022
Crow Farm Shop, Ringwood
Large Traditional Pork Pie
Sausage Roll Champion 2022
Sole Butchers, New Alresford
Jumbo Sausage Roll
Scotch Egg Champion 2022
Newlyn’s Farm Shop, North Warnborough, Hook
Traditional Scotch Egg
Hampshire Charcuterie Champion 2022
Hampshire Artisan Foods, Wolverton, Baughurst
Hampshire Black Salami
Home Cured Bacon Champion 2022
Danestream Farm Shop, New Milton
Dry Cured Black Bacon