Sights set on top prize for sausage

Greytown Butcher Gavin Green is a finalist in the NZ Sausage Competition for the black pudding with which he is pictured. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

A passion for his work has put Greytown butcher Gavin Green in the running for one of New Zealand's supreme sausage awards.

Mr Green, of Greytown Butchery, won gold medals for his beef-flavoured sausages, black pudding and saveloys in this year's Devro New Zealand Sausage Competition, an event organised by Retail Meat New Zealand.

He said he discovered his vocation at a young age.

"I just walked into a butcher's shop when I was 17 and I just knew that's what I wanted to do ... I don't know what it was -- it's not a job for me.

"It's like coming to work and playing -- you can create things with meat."

Getting a gold for their black pudding was a bit of a surprise but the beef-flavoured sausage was already a winner with customers, Mr Green said.

Another success this year was their beef flavoured pre-cooked, awarded a silver medal.

Last year the butchery also received a gold medal for its beef-flavoured sausages, adding to its substantial haul of accolades, but missed out on the supreme award.

In 2013 The Village Butcher in Havelock North was the supreme winner with its pork sausage. It would be fantastic to take the top prize, Green said.

"We get three chances in 22, so [we are] hopeful. We aim for the top -- getting a gold is good but I want to get a supreme once in my life."

His secret was sticking with the recipe and using fresh, high-quality meat, he said. The butchery uses natural casings made from hog intestines.

Mr Green trained at Superior Meats in Carterton and worked as a butcher in Sydney before returning home to buy Greytown Butchery with his partner, Julie Fairbrother.

The supreme prize will be decided on October 14.