Harper Adams staff rate the UK’s top sausages

Posted 26 September 2014

Staff from Harper Adams University have tasted and rated more than 400 products in search of Britain’s best pork sausages.

British Sausage Week’s annual competition, organised by BPEX, calls on butchers and farm shops to enter their best home-produced sausages in either the ‘best traditional pork sausage’ or ‘best innovative pork sausage’ category.

Staff from across the university were invited to join the official judging panel, to provide their own thoughts and views on the products from a consumer perspective.

PR & Media Relations Manager, Janine Heath, took part in the judging and was paired with Head Judge and BPEX Butchery Development Manager, Keith Fisher. Miss Heath said: “Despite no prior knowledge of product testing, it was fantastic to be given the opportunity to take part in the judging, and learn from the experts. 

“Their knowledge is invaluable, and their willingness to share this with us made the experience even more enjoyable.

“I now look forward to being able to use my new found skills when selecting sausages and other products in the future.”

Each sausage was judged in both its raw and cooked state, and graded on attributes such as appearance, uniformity, filling and taste.

They were cooked in the professional kitchen facilities available in the Regional Food Academy on campus, where the judging also took place.

Mr Fisher said: “We have been judging products at Harper Adams for the past four years, and keep returning because the facilities are ideally suited for holding the major competitions that BPEX Marketing run.

“To run competitions of this nature you need to have the right facilities from the loading bay to the refrigeration to the kitchen to the judging room and Harper Adams has all of this. Added to the fact it is ideally located to make delivery of the products easy.”

The competition provides a unique platform for entrants to showcase their premium products, as well as an opportunity for businesses to promote their own quality sausages. The winners will be announced during British Sausage Week, November 3-9.

It was recently announced that ex-England rugby star and winner of Masterchef 2011, Phil Vickery, is to be the celebrity ambassador of British Sausage Week 2014.

He will be joining a tour to taste the regions’ best sausages and awarding the overall winning butcher in each area with a coveted Banger Award.