Award-winning Boozy Butcher sausage
Shepherd Neame's Bishops Finger helps a Kent butcher make an award-winning sausage
Independent family brewer and pub company Shepherd Neame and a fellow Kent-based family butchers are toasting national sausage success.
East Kent firm Taylor Meats won a national competition with its Boozy Butcher – with the ‘booze’ coming from the local brewer’s Kentish ale, Bishops Finger.
The Boozy Butcher sausage took Gold in the Innovative category and was also crowned Category Champion at the National Craft Butchers’ Product Awards earlier this month when judges agreed it was a banging banger!
The Herne Bay butcher has been making the sausage with Shepherd Neame’s Kentish Strong Ale (5.2% ABV) for a year.
Scott Taylor, who runs the family business, said: “We only recently started naming our sausages and Boozy Butcher was the obvious name for this one.
“We use other beers in our other sausages but Bishops Finger has something about it – it fitted the bill, as it gives the flavour that bit of depth, a bit of punch. The judges also said the aroma when cooking was significant to it winning.
“We have only been entering sausage competitions for the past three years, so this is a fantastic achievement. Without Shepherd Neame’s superb Bishops Finger ale I don’t think it would have been successful. You can really smell the ale in it. It wouldn’t be the Boozy Butcher without Bishops Finger!”
He added: “Huge thanks to the National Craft Butchers, who we’re proud to be members of, and to the whole team behind the counter who make this stuff every single day.”
The sausages - made with English shoulder pork and herbs and spices - also have a secret blend of dried hops in them.
Shepherd Neame Head of Brands, Rose Davis, said: “We’re delighted that our award-winning Kentish Strong Ale, Bishops Finger, has helped Taylor Meats’ Boozy Butcher sausages to also become award-winning!
“We’ve been brewing Bishops Finger since 1958, and it has been consistently popular with our customers ever since. It’s a great accolade that a fellow local, family-run business wants to use our beer in its products.”
Taylor Meats, which also has a Ramsgate branch, also won Gold for its Cumberland Cracker sausage in the Traditional category.
Find out more about Bishops Finger.
