mmg.com.au

More than 100 sausages were on the menu on Thursday for the annual Sausage King regional competition.

Judges tasted sausage creations from butchers in the north west Victoria region, which were divided into six categories — traditional beef, lamb, pork, poultry, continental and gourmet open-class.

Three judges, who rotated throughout the day, judged each sausage on visual appearance, cooked and uncooked, and on palatability including aroma, texture and flavour.

Australian Meat Industry Council state manager Mark Hardy said many butchers desired to win the gourmet open class category due to the prestige associated with it.

Winners were announced in the afternoon, with Locky Meats taking top spot in the traditional beef sausage category, while Rochester Meat Supply landed first in the continental sausage section.

Winners will go on to the state finals later this year, and state winners will go on to the national finals in Sydney early next February.

Echuca’s Saunders Meats took out third in the traditional beef sausage category.

Cottam’s Meats in Rochester took out third in the gourmet open-class prize.

Judge George Santos, from Moama Bowling Club, said one of his favourite things about judging the competition was the variety of flavours and sausages brought out each year.