Vegan Sausage Awards

The Vegan Society NZ has gathered together the best vegan sausages and sausage rolls from around the country and we have the winners! I love a good plant based sausage and the odd sausage roll and am going to try some from this list that I haven’t yet tried, there are some delicious sounding options – they’ve certainly come a long way in the past few years.

The Butcher’s Son hosted the 4th annual Vegan Sausage Awards in June with celebrity judge Mike McRoberts, the vegan news anchor. McRoberts is looking good at 56, his plant-based diet keeping him in trim and good health. This year’s Supreme Winner was Plan*t Sage and Onion, which McRoberts noted “had an edge, a level of sophistication. It can be be eaten in many different ways: Breakfast, BBQ etc. The sage flavour and the sweetness of onion makes it a joy!”

It’s no wonder that New Zealand is 4th in the world for Google search results about vegan, when there are so many great vegan products to be found in the supermarket. This year’s sausage winners are no exception to the rule, with many of the winners to be found in the local shops in the chiller sections. There could be a winner hiding in there! Supermarkets continue to report increased sales of plant-based food products. 

The need for humanity to move towards a plant-based diet is being shown in report after report. One has to question what is the resistance towards doing something as simple as changing what a person eats in order to ensure the survival of the species? Sausages are a great start to doing exactly that, often quoted as “the gateway to plant-based”.

This year’s judges were Aaron Pucci, Food and Beverage Industry award judge, Jasbir Kaur, President of NZ Chef Association, Auckland, Augustine Kopa, Pasifika Cookalong Chef and the aforementioned Mike McRoberts. They were delighted with the array of offerings for the Awards and amongst the 40 entries, they finally chose the winners as below:

Breakfast

Plan*t – Sage and Onion

Judges said “Ideal for bratfort, ideal with potato, roast tomato. Good flavour of sage and texture for breakfast.”

Runner up: Plan*t – Spicy Chorizo

Judges said; “Good colour but could be stronger. Good looking with caramelisation of casing gives a wow factor. Paprika flavours well with baked beans. Good level of spice for breakfast.”

Banger

Plan*t – Sage and Onion

Judges said; “Captures sage flavour and sweetness. Onion coming through great in places. Good caramelisation of skin when cooked. Good texture when uncooked.”

Runner up; Plan*t – Spicy Chorizo

Judges said; “ Good casing, texture, consistency, flavour of paprika. Could have more red colour.”

Hotdog

Bean Supreme – Classic Hot Dog

Judges said; “Good flavour and colour. It outdid the traditional hot dog. Had an edge.”

Runner up: Howler Hot Dogs – Mini Hot Dogs

Judges said; “ Great for kids party.Good size! Meat eaters would never know!”

Sausage Roll

First equal

Richoux Patisserie – Vegan Sausage Roll

Goodtime Pie – Chorizo Sausage Roll

Judges said; “Both did an amazing job and were a very close comparison. Great texture and flavour to both. Pastry was good, brilliant appearance.”

Speciality

Grater Goods – Pepperoni

Judges said; “ Good fennel flavour, good pepperoni, chilli and texture.”

Runner up: Vegetarian Butcher – Spicy Italian

Judges said “ Good intensity, not chewy, not too salty. Balanced seasoning. Enough chilli to keep it interesting.”

Chorizo

Plan*t – Chorizo

Judges said; “A good level of spice, attractive colour, nice level of paprika. A level of sophistication. Good oilyness.”

Runner up: The Vegetarian Butcher- Chorizo

Judges said; “Hearty chorizo, with good bite. Great flavours- punch. Flavour changes with cooking.”

For full results, more information, media coverage and photos got to: https://vegansociety.org.nz/nz-vegan-sausage-awards/

More about the Vegan Society Aotearoa New Zealand:

The Vegan Society supports and facilitates a vegan lifestyle and plant-based eating by creating a vibrant, visible and influential community, and by providing resources and information.

For more information see our website www.vegansociety.org.nz

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