Top sausage credit goes to customers

Mr Smith, whose family butchers' shop is in Riverside, Bishopstoke, was named supreme sausage champion at the Great Hampshire Sausage, Pie and Ready Meal Competition, held at Sparsholt College last Thursday.

Afterwards, he revealed that the winning recipe - pork and cracked black pepper - had only been tried out in the shop for the first time the previous weekend.

"We mixed it and put it out for people to try. They liked it so we went with the feeling of the customers," he said.

It is the second time he has won the accolade - the first was in 2003. As well as carrying off the supreme champion title, which will take him to the NEC at Birmingham for the national champion of champions competition, Mr Smith's new recipe won him the speciality pork sausage trophy.

For good measure, the judges awarded him five gold certificates. One of his successes, pork and sage, was the same recipe that won him his very first competition back in 1986.

Known to locals as "Old Charlie's", it remains one of his most popular sellers. Since then, he has won about 80 trophies in this country and abroad.

Mr Smith said the secret of sausage perfection was getting the balance right: "But, basically, it's down to quality meat," he added.

His business boasts around 75 varieties of sausage and, these days, he uses the internet to sell mail order.

The speciality sausage champion, with a lamb and rosemary recipe, was Alan Gritt, of Hedge End Butchers, Lower Northam Road.

Traditional pork sausage - Stephen Humby Butchers, of Copnor, won the traditional pork sausage title and the Hampshire sausage championship while farmers' market champion was Sue Gotting, of Dairy Barn Farm Shop, Stockbridge. Anna Brock, from Anna's Kitchen, of West Worldham, near Alton, retained the ready-meal championship trophy with her lamb tagine while her meatballs of exotic pork and real beef also won gold medals.

The competition was organised by Hampshire Fare and the British Pig Executive