BUTCHERS in Fordingbridge have picked up a haul of awards for their sausages and other products.

H G Witt and Son and Price Farm Foods picked up eight gold awards each at the Great Hampshire Sausage and Pie Competition, which is run by Hampshire Fare.

This year’s competition attracted a record-breaking 261 entries from 46 butchers across 12 categories which were judged by a panel of national judges. The categories included traditional pork sausage, black pudding, hot pie, speciality sausage, home-cured bacon, cold pie, and traditional pork pie.

H G Witt and Son picked up seven awards for their sausages and one for its meatballs as well as a silver award.

Price Farm Foods received five golds for its sausages and three for its apple cured bacon, faggots and pork pie along with a three silvers and a bronze.

Graham Witt, of H G Witt and Son, said: “It’s a great feeling for us to have scored so highly, getting eight golds and one silver out of nine entries when all the produce that has gone into the sausages has been born and reared here on the farm.”

Vince Price, of Prices Farm Foods, which also runs a shop in Downton, said: “We are really chuffed. Each year we seem to have progressed well and keep that standard up all the time.

“We use good ingredients and have a good team.”

There was success for The Cottage Loaf in Fordingbridge who picked a gold award for its lamb shank pie and three bronze awards for its pork and pickle pie, chicken and mushroom pie and New Forest pasty. It is the first time it has entered the competition.

Mike Penton, of The Cottage Loaf, said: “This was our first attempt at the awards and we hope to enter more products next year.”

“We pride ourselves in making all our own pastries and always use local meats.”

Crow Farm Shop in Ringwood was crowned Cold Pies Champion for its large gala pie and Traditional Pork Pie Champion as well as receiving seven gold awards.

Hockey’s Farm Shop in South Gorley received a silver and two bronze awards for its sausages while New Forest Bacon in Ringwood picked up a gold and two silvers.