Sausage secrets

Craig Rollinson, this year's Champion of Champions in Meat Trades Journal's annual sausage competition, has clear views on how to make sausages which will have you winning competitions and increasing sales.

The 28-year old butcher, at Hinchliffe's Farm Shop in Netherton, Huddersfield, says the difference between a high-quality and a mediocre sausage is both the quality of ingredients and attention to detail throughout the sausage-making.

"If you skimp on the quality of the ingredients you will not make a quality sausage. We believe in only buying the best ingredients including the freshest possible meat. If the pig is slaughtered on Monday we will debone it on the Tuesday and make it into sausages on the Wednesday. The fresher the meat the longer the sausages will keep their bloom in the window," says Craig

Hinchliffe's only buys British meat for sausages. "Nowadays people want to know what they are eating, particularly where it came from," says Craig. "You can only give them that reassurance if you are making the product yourself, as you know exactly what is going into it."

Good butchery skills and attention to detail are also essential: "It is surprising how many people leave cartilage and gristle in the meat. The quality of the product suffers as a result." Hinchliffe's also uses the best rusks, seasoning and casings. It uses natural pork casings salted on spools, not only because they suit its machines but because it believes they improve the appearance of the sausage.

"We can't pay for top quality ingredients and sell a cheap sausage," adds Craig. "A cheap sausage will sell for £1.75/kg while our ingredients alone cost £2.40/kg. We are retailers aiming for a margin of 33% so we are not chasing the wholesale trade."

Winning a competition means little to a customer if you deviate from your prize-winning formula, warns Craig. The Champion of Champions title increased Hinchliffe's sausage sales by 20%, but only by sticking to the winning recipe. "We weigh and measure ingredients so we know we are using the same quantities week-in week-out. Some people forget the real judges are customers who can tell the difference."

Craig believes it is equally important to listen to customers and note any comments. "Whether you agree with them or not it is important to take criticism on board," he says. Hinchcliffe's has obviously listened to its customers.

Ten years ago, Craig was the sole sausage-maker, making 180kg of sausages a week. Today, four people make 900kg of sausages a week. Over half are plain pork and the rest are added-value speciality sausages such as the mature cheddar and chive that won Champion of Champions.

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