Bonkers about Bangers
30th January 2012
Categories: News
If you’re barmy about bratwursts or fanatical about frankfurters then becoming a judge in the Chester Food, Drink & Lifestyle Festival Sausage of the Year Competition, tasting over 20 different sausages, will be an event that will leave your taste buds tingling.
For the first time ever, the festival is inviting anyone with a love for the British banger to be part of an open judging panel for ‘The People’s Sausage’, one of four sausages that will go forward to the final at this year’s festival held at the racecourse during Easter Weekend, 7th – 9th April.
Those who wish to judge an array of local sizzling sausages will need to head to the Ship Inn in Handbridge this Sunday, 29th January at 11am to take part. Each judge will be given a tasting card to write down their comments with the best sausage being picked after the final tasting.
Sausage judging is taken very seriously and judges will be asked to look for texture, taste, smell, appearance as well as how well the ingredients work together in each sausage. Judges will be asked to judge both the appearance of the raw sausage as well as taste a cooked one.
Additional judging for the other four finalists will take place at Joseph Benjamin’s restaurant on 27th February and tasted by the Chester Sausage Committee, a make up of local butchers and restaurant owners. All those wishing to enter a sausage for this will need to take their sausages to The Cheese Shop on Northgate Street by Friday 24th February. Any additional entries for this Sunday’s judging can be taken along to the Ship Inn and given to Sally Harris.
Ben Hopkins, Manager of The Ship Inn, said: “Judging for this year’s competition will form part of the Beer and Banger festival at the Ship Inn. It should be great fun and you’ll get to try lots of different sausages that you won’t have ever seen or tasted before.”
The five finalist sausages will be taken to Chester Food, Drink & Lifestyle Festival where they will be judges by festival goers. The winner will be crowned and invited to the coveted Gala Dinner awards to receive their winning plate and the accolade of having the best banger in town. Last year’s winner was Bruce Edge’s sausage of Edge in Handbridge.
This year’s Chester Food, Drink & Lifestyle Festival will run from 7th – 9th April, at Chester Racecourse. Over 130 of the best regional food and drink producers will be at the festival as well as dozens of celebrity chefs, 500 campers, kids cooking and a dazzling lifestyle festival and much more.
For further information and bookings visit www.chesterfoodanddrink.com Ticket prices are, Adults £7, Concessions £5 and under 12s FREE. CamperFest tickets are £25 per person for adults (until the end of January), £35 Adults and £10 for children.
