Welsh Winner Shares His Secrets! - 02/08/04

Winner of the Traditional Pork Sausage category at the All Wales Championships, Peter Hughes of Hughes Butchers in Fishguard is keen to help others in the trade benefit from his tremendous success.

The competition, organised by Graham Titchener of HCC (Meat Promotion Wales) and held in Powys on Sunday, 4th July 2004, highlights the impressive quality of butchery products in Wales and the innovation of Welsh butchers in their use of the best ingredients, from the meat to the seasonings.

Peter and his business partner and wife, Beverley, have two outlets – a retail shop in Fishguard and a factory – the Preseli Gold Sausage Company also in Fishguard, under which guise they also won the Speciality Sausage Category. In fact, the two businesses have had a string of successes over the past six years, winning an astonishing 28 Supreme titles and 148 Golds!

Says Peter “I’ve found success through listening to others in the trade, keeping an open mind and always being willing to learn. In fact, I always make a point of questioning the competition judges to find out what I could improve and what went wrong with my recipes. They’ve always proved very helpful.”

Peter Hughes winner of the All Wales Traditional Pork and Speciality Sausage Championships.

Peter Hughesat his Preseli Gold Sausage Company premises.

So what is Peter’s secret? “Most importantly, choose good British pork” he says. He chooses top quality shoulders and removes the rind so that there are no unwelcome bits in the finished product. He always uses Lucas Flavour Seal Classic pork flavours and (perhaps surprisingly, he says) always uses the recommended quantity. “I take the view that at Lucas they know what they’re doing, so I can trust their recommendation and know it will work.” Chilled water gives a totally different, better colour than tap water and helps keep the bloom on the meat – a very important aspect when it comes to presentation.

Finally Peter says “Don’t mix the ingredients for too long (there’s a tendency to over-mix). Five minutes is the maximum you need, even on a 40lb chopping.”

The reason Peter Hughes so generously wants to share his knowledge is that he’s determined to ensure the continued success of local family butchers. With competition from large operators always keen, it’s vitally important that local retailers support and help each other. “I’ve achieved a great deal in the Welsh competitions and am glad to try and help others – I’m really looking forward to someone else having a turn at being champion next year!”

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