Two Counties champion declared

This was the second year of the competition and the standard was very high. 14 independent sausage and pie retailers and producers from across Berkshire and Oxfordshire entered over 80 products into the competition, which is organised by the hotel and sponsored by South of England Pastries and Lucas Ingredients. Winners were selected by a tasting panel made up of professional judges and local media celebrities.

The competition entries were categorised into six groups - Traditional Pork Sausage; Speciality Pork Sausage; Lamb or Beef Sausage; Traditional Pork Pie; Speciality Cold Eating Savoury Pie and Speciality Hot Eating Savoury Pie. Gold, Silver and Bronze placings were awarded within each category.

Awards were also presented to the Supreme Pie Champion - Manydown Farm Shop, Wootton St Lawrence, for its Steak and Stilton Pie - and to the Supreme Sausage Champion, Patrick Strainge Butchers of Bampton, for its Pork and Caramelised Onion Sausage.

Patrick Strainge Butchers now goes through to compete in the prestigious Meat Trade Journal Champion of Champions national competition next year, and also will have its prize-winning sausage featured on The Swan at Streatley's menu.

Karl Bentley, General Manager of The Swan at Streatley, said: "At The Swan, we're passionate about using and promoting the wonderful produce that's available across Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Our regional suppliers are just fantastic and the Two Counties Sausage and Pie Champion Challenge is all about supporting them and encouraging as many people as possible to choose locally produced food.

"The Two Counties Sausage and Pie Champion Challenge is now a firmly established event in our region's calendar, and once again we've been bowled over by the quality of the entries received. The competition was incredibly tight and the decisions we made were by no means easy!"

Patrick Strainge said: "This is a fantastic achievement for us. We've always taken great pride in our products and it's brilliant to have that recognised by the judges."

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