Powters Sausages win at Smithfield Awards

Smithfield Awards 2007 Powters recently achieved two golds, three silvers and a bronze award at the Smithfield Awards 2007.

The meat industry's prestigious event was run by the Guild of Q Butchers and judged by food industry experts. Certificates for the winning products were presented at a special luncheon at Butchers' Hall in London by celebrity chef Paul Rankin.

Powters' managing director Grant Powter is pictured receiving the certificates from Paul Rankin.


RARE BREED SAUSAGE SPOTTED IN SAINSBURY'S

Celebrated Newmarket Sausage maker, Powters Limited, recently winners of the Best Regional Product category in the Daily Telegraph's Taste of Britain competition have launched a new product in Sainsbury's which knocks spots off other sausages.

The new sausage is 'The Gloucestershire Oldspots Sausage with cider' which is the result of combining hand boned cuts of rare breed Gloucestershire Oldspots pork with a blend of sage, marjoram and pepper, together with cider and apples. Based on a traditional Victorian recipe, it tastes like sausages used to taste when made from slower maturing traditional breeds like the Oldspots, reared in cider orchards in the Severn Valley. Legend has it that the spots were bruises caused by windfall fruit!

The breed was developed for less intensive farming methods and they are still kept on small, local farms where the farmers work closely with their stock which consequently enjoy a high standard of welfare. These factors produce well-marbled and succulent meat with a fuller flavour which is now well recognised by leading chefs as the ultimate for eating quality.

Powters has only sourced these pigs from one farmer and they are pedigree Gloucestershire Oldspots accredited by Traditional Breeds Meat Marketing to ensure the authenticity and provenance of the pork used.

With the experience and sausage-making skill gained over four generations of the same family, Powters has used its successful formula of combining tradition with expertise together with top quality ingredients. Because the pork used is available only in limited quantities, the premium price of these sausages is a guarantee that only the best ingredients are used to make these exclusive sausages.

Stocked by some 25 Sainsbury's stores throughout East Anglia from 13th September, they are thought to be the only sausages made entirely from one pedigree rare breed which are available in a multiple. They retail at £2.99 per 400g pack and are also available loose from Powters shop in Wellington Street, Newmarket or by mail order from their website: www.powters.co.uk or at sales@powters.co.uk.

Powters Celebrated Newmarket Sausage is also stocked by Sainsbury's stores throughout the region, both pre-packed and from the meat counter.



POWTERS NEWMARKET SAUSAGE WINS NATIONAL ACCLAIM IN DAILY TELEGRAPH 'TASTE OF BRITAIN' AWARDS.

'QUALITY SHINES THROUGH' - Judges.

Home of horseracing it maybe, but Newmarket's other claim to fame is based on the gastronomic diversity of a slower creature, the pig; whose versatility as a source of food more than makes up for its lack of agility on the racetrack. Sausages have been produced in Newmarket for as long as racehorses, and one sausage in particular, the Celebrated Newmarket Sausage' made by town butchers Powters has led the field since the 1880's. This handsome beast is a classic winner and is not just enjoyed and exalted by racegoers and townsfolk but also by the wider region of east anglia where it is available in Sainsburys and Tescos as well as in a number of independent outlets and butchers shops.

Continuing in this elevated position as a connoisseur's favourite, it has just been voted an award winner in the Daily Telegraph's inaugural 'Taste of Britain' awards 2005, where it competed against the strongest regional foods throughout the U.K. and against strong competition achieved the bronze medal in the Regional and Ethnic Foods category. The entrants came from all corners of England and Wales and included products as diverse as potted shrimps and Welsh Hill Lamb. The gold medal was won by 'Yorkshire Blue Cheese' and the silver by a Wiltshire bacon producer.

The Daily Telegraph / Sainsbury's Taste of Britain Awards

The aim of these awards was firstly to celebrate the immense diversity and outstanding quality of regional foods in the UK and secondly to honour and support the farmers and manufacturers responsible. They have been supported by Prince Charles, who has upheld the traditional skills and craftsmanship which have gone into these regional foods.

The shortlisted products in each of five categories: food, drink, organic, regional/ethnic and seasonal were tasted by a panel of distinguished judges: Lord Bach, food and farming minister at Defra; Sir Donald Curry, author of the Curry Report on the future of food and farming; Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive of IGD; Lady Sylvia Jay, chairman of Food From Britain; and Judith Batchelar of Sainsbury's.

The judges were given five guidelines to help them reach their verdicts: taste, aroma, texture, appearance and 'do you crave a second helping?'



More about the Powters Newmarket Sausage:

The origins of the Newmarket Sausage date back to the 19th century when Grant Powter's great grandfather William Harper set up his butchers shop in the town. By the early 20th century the sausage was being taken home as a souvenir by visitors to the Newmarket races. Indeed, it has been given as a traditional prize since 1952 by Powters to the winning jockeys of the country's oldest horse race, the Newmarket Town Plate, started by King Charles ii in 1665 and jointly sponsored by Powters to this day.

Powters still make their famous sausage to the original recipe, combining fresh, hand boned local pork with a secret blend of herbs and spices which gives a unique and distinctive flavour which has stood the test of time. Although the firm now employs 25 people and manufactures around 7 tonnes of sausages to this special recipe each week, great attention is paid to detail and no compromises are made to the quality of the ingredients used. This strategy has reaped the rewards of wider recognition from all over the country and Powters has the awards to prove it: together with this recent award, Powters Newmarket Sausage has also won gold medals from the Guild of Q Butchers, and in the regional excellence awards as well as an award from the prestigious Guild of Fine Food Retailers. It was voted 'Britain's Best Sausage' in the industry's awards held in London in 2003.

Inside Powters Wellington Street Shop

Powters' shop is situated in Newmarket's Wellington Street, just off the busy High Street, and has many delights for the 'foodie' as well as sausages in many varieties.

A tempting range of innovative oven-ready meals, all made freshly with quality ingredients and lean cuts is always available in this oasis of traditional butchery skills.

All the beef sold in the shop is Aberdeen Angus, extra matured for flavour and delivered weekly from Speyside. Lamb fed on the herb rich natural pastures of Romney Marsh and prized Gloucester Old Spots pork are offered all year round and visitors to the shop are assured of a friendly welcome from knowledgeable staff who are happy to supply cuts of these meats to customers exact requirements.



POWTERS LAUNCH BRAND NEW BANGER FOR NATIONAL BBQ WEEK

For National Barbecue Week be sure to order some Powters pork and ale sausages, now available by mail order (loose) and from our Wellington Street shop in Newmarket (£5.99 per Kg or £2.65 per 400g pack).

The new pork and ale sausage is certain to be a recipe for success; it is made with the same ingredients as the Newmarket Sausage - which was voted 'Britain's Best Sausage'- and Greene King's Abbot Ale, locally brewed in historic Bury St. Edmunds.

Grant Powter, managing director, Powters, says-"We have created a quality sausage that is perfect for barbecues and summer dining. We mix the sausage meat in small batches to maintain the texture of the meat and we do not add any artificial colours or flavours. The meat is then filled into natural casings and linked by hand."



IT'S OFFICIAL!

Powters Celebrated Newmarket Sausage was recently voted 'Britain's Best Sausage' at the industry awards held at London's Park Lane Hotel.

Managing Director Grant Powter collected the award from Commonwealth swimming gold medalist Sharon Davies at a glittering dinner attended by top industry and retail personalities. After the awards Grant commented:

'Winning a major national award endorses what our customers already recognise as our hallmark: no compromise on quality. I am doubly proud because these sausages came from normal daily production batches made by our dedicated team every day of the week, every week of the year. It is also a worthy accolade to the skill of the previous three generations of my family.'



A Thoroughbred Sausage

The Celebrated Newmarket Sausage is made by Grant Powter and sold at his butchers shop, Powters in Newmarket on the Cambridgeshire/Suffolk borders. The Sausage has a fascinating heritage.

Grant Powters' great grandfather came to Newmarket in 1881 as an apprentice butcher. He started to make sausages, and soon built up an enviable reputation for his Newmarket Sausage. Race goers often came to his shop to buy his excellent sausages to take home and enjoy, and so the news of their quality spread. The Newmarket Sausage became a delicious souvenir of a day spent at Newmarket and synonymous with the horse racing.

During the war Grants grandfather sent sausages by post all over Britain - a service that is still offered today. It was during this time that the Newmarket Sausage became the Celebrated Newmarket Sausage.

The sausage's links (forgive the pun!) to the Newmarket races continued to grow. In 1952 Grant's grandfather first started giving Newmarket Sausages as a prize each year in the Newmarket Town Plate. This race was founded by Charles II in 1665 and is the oldest and longest flat race in the world. In 2006 only, owing to extensive redevelopment work at the July course, the Town Plate will be held on Saturday 26 August as part of a seven-race card. Win or lose at the races, today's race goers can enjoy Powters Celebrated Newmarket Sausage and mash, served at the Powters Counter at the July course or in the Devil's Dyke Café in the Rowley Mile Millenium Grandstand, accompanied by a glass of champagne or beer.

Four Generations later the Powters still insist on using the finest ingredients to make their Celebrated Newmarket Sausage. Prime East Anglian pork is used to make the sausage meat, minced and mixed with rusk and a secret blend of herbs and spices. The sausages do not contain any artificial colours or preservatives. The mixture is then made into sausages using natural casings.

Asked what the secret ingredient is Grant is happy to reveal that its' 'The taste' and the judges certainly agreed. The sausage has a firm eating texture, and slightly spicy taste that reminds connoisseurs of the sausages of yesteryear.

The sausages are made in small batches to maintain the meats texture. Sausages to be sold loose from the counter are linked by hand. Each week Powters make around 125,000 sausages, some for the counter and some carefully packed into 1lb/454g boxes and sold at selected Tesco, Sainsbury and Co-op stores. They are also sold at selected butchers throughout East Anglia, independent grocery retailers and food halls. RRP £2.79 per 454g pack or £5.99 - £6.32 per Kg loose from the meat counter.

Grant admits that "With a product like this new product development has been somewhat slow!" but Powters also sell Powters Traditional English Sausage and Traditional Extra Lean Sausage containing less than 5% fat and only 52 calories per sausage.

Truly a sausage of distinction.



DID YOU KNOW? ...
(A reminder of Powters history in Newmarket)


  • Grant Powter's great-grandfather came to Newmarket in 1881 and soon built up a reputation for his 'Newmarket Sausage', a reputation we have taken pride in maintaining over four generations of sausage-making skill.

  • We use the finest quality ingredients, including prime cuts of East Anglian pork, freshly boned by hand. These are mixed with our secret blend of herbs and spices to give a unique and distinctive flavour, just the way sausages used to taste.

  • Powters Celebrated Newmarket Sausage has always been a favourite of racing and other visitors to the town and is a traditional part of the prize in the historic Newmarket Town Plate, started by King Charles ii in 1666.

  • It wasn't until the 1930's that this sausage began to be 'celebrated' throughout the land. Grant's grandfather sent them by post all over the country, his leaflets proclaiming them to be 'hand-made from an age-old recipe known to racing folk everywhere.'

  • In the 40's and 50's, post-war rationing led to a reduction in meat content imposed by the Ministry of Food. It is thought that sausages derived the name 'Bangers' during this period because owing to the higher water content replacing meat they tended to explode during cooking!

  • 'What Our Customers Say'