UK Sausage Week awards judge Claire Holland was interviewed on BBC Radio 2 yesterday (1st November) in celebration of sausages.
Broadcaster Chris Evans talked to Claire, who is also general manager of the Q Guild, on day three of UK Sausage Week about her role as a professional sausage taster and tester.
Evans asked Claire what constitutes an excellent sausage and she replied: “It has to be well filled, it has to look appealing on the plate and all the sausages in the pack have to be the same size.”
She explained that air bubbles in sausage skins mean a sausage is likely to be marked down.
Claire added: “When they’re cooked we don’t want them to split open or burst and we don’t want any gristly bits inside.”
Claire revealed that her favourite sausage is pork and caramelised onion and advised that, contrary to consumer misconception, sausages should not be pricked before cooking.
You can listen to Claire’s interview by clicking here.
Claire has been championing sausages all week as part of UK Sausage Week and was part of the judging panel testing more than 400 sausages for the official UK Sausage Week competition.
Speaking during the UK Sausage Week judging back in September, Claire said: “The quality that’s come through across the flavour profiles and standard of production has been really high. What’s also been noticeable is the level of care and attention to detail given to ensuring the products arrive in pristine condition for judging. I believe this reveals the importance of this competition to butchers, supermarkets, manufacturers and foodservice operators. A great effort!”
UK Sausage Week runs until Bonfire Night – 5th November. For further information, recipes, and for tips on how your business can celebrate the campaign, visit www.uksausageweek.com
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
