Farnham Lions Cider and Sausage Festival returned at Gostrey Meadow on Saturday and for the first time included a new feature: The Sausage of the Festival Competition.

This was timed to coincide with Farnham Food Festival month, with all of the profits from the competition to be donated to Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice.

Five local butchers were invited to compete for the Best British Banger and the Best Speciality Sausage trophies.

Competing were Owtons, based at Country Market who supplied sausages coded 3 & D, Morgan’s on the Ridgeway coded 2 & C,  Surrey Hill’s based at Frensham Garden Centre coded 4 & E,  Hand’s of Rowledge coded 1 & B and Cedrus Butchers on East Street, which only entered the speciality section coded A.

The winner of the trophy for Best British Banger, with most votes, was Hand’s of Rowledge.  

A delighted Paul Hand said: “As a local traditional British butcher we are delighted to have won the Best British Banger with our Ancient Rowledge Recipe Sausage.  

“The pork used comes from a local supplier in Tilford and we pride ourselves on both tradition, quality and being a part of our community. We are proud that that local community decided that we provided the Best British Banger and will display the trophy in our shop with pride”.

The winner of the Best Speciality Sausage was Cedrus Butchers.

An equally-pleased Tarique said: “First I would like to say thank you to Farnham Lions Club for asking us to enter this competition. My thanks also to Waheed and Dawid for the hours spent to produce these speciality sausages for the competition.

“We are really delighted to have won. As a new business, for the local community to have shown its appreciation of our products is a real motivation for us. We are more than ever committed to do strive to serve an increasing number of the local community over the coming months. ”

All of the sausages were expertly cooked by the staff of event sponsor Heaven’s Kitchen. The winning ones can be enjoyed again as they will be on the menu at Heaven’s Kitchen during September as well as on sale at the respective butchers, as are all the others.

Mario Aliaj, spokesman for the East Street, Farnham- and Normandy Street, Alton-based restaurant, said: “Heavens Kitchen were delighted to be a principal sponsor of the Cider & Sausage Festival, and to cook and serve the wonderful selection of sausages prepared by our local butchers in this great community event.

“We will add the sausages from the two category winners into our menu from next week as part of the Farnham Food Festival month and look forward to welcoming you to our Farnham restaurant to enjoy the best of the best from the two winning butchers in Farnham.”

Full report and more photos to follow in this Thursday’s Herald...