butchers and producers gathered for a sausage supper and the much-anticipated results of the Great Hampshire Sausage And Pie Competition 2022, announced by Louisa Hannan of BBC Radio Solent.

The results saw new to the competition, Buckingham’s Artisan Butchery of West Meon, take the title of supreme champion in the alternative sausage category for its chicken sausage.

Damon and Sadie Buckingham were genuinely surprised by their success – even more so as they had only moved out of London to open a butchery in West Meon High Street in March 2020.

This was just as the first lockdown was put in place, and just after the last Great Hampshire Sausage & Pie Competition.

Damon said: “We didn’t know a lot about the area but we knew about the competition before moving to the area, and we knew how seriously it was taken.

“We thought we would enter and see how it goes.

“But I am blown away to have won supreme champion the first time we’ve entered and with a non-pork product.

“We always produce a chicken sausage as there are so many people who don’t want a pork sausage.

“We experiment and play with flavours, and created the chicken, lemon and tarragon sausage about two months ago.”

Organised by county food group Hampshire Fare, the nationally-esteemed competition saw 243 entries from butchers and pie makers from across the region.

Hampshire Fare commercial manager Tracey Nash said: “They were all very popular and, in fact, it was a winner of one of the new categories that was named supreme champion!

“Buckingham’s Artisan Butchery in West Meon was also a new entrant to the competition.”