Carmarthen pork producer celebrating being shortlisted as having Wales’s best banger

Carmarthen’s award-winning pork producer, Red Valley Farm, is celebrating being shortlisted in Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales’s ‘Put Your Best Sausage Forward 2022’ competition, with their wild garlic sausages selected as amongst the very best bangers in Wales.

The producer is no stranger to glory, having also taken the title last year with its wild boar and apple sausages. Rearing its own pigs, Red Valley Farm is owned and run by friends and business partners Andy and Graeme, and producing quality pork products has been their passion ever since they took over the farm from Andy’s parents a few years ago.

Speaking of his delight at making the final, Graeme Carter said: “It’s absolutely brilliant to have made the final and to be able to defend the title that we won last year. It is a source of great pride to have been champions so we’re really hoping to be able to repeat the feat, but with a new flavour of sausage.

“We make a number of different sausages but we like to try and experiment with different flavours and ingredients. We find that people love to try something new while knowing they are also getting a top quality, traceable product, which is what is at the heart of our business.

“We feed our pigs on the best produce available, including brewers’ grain from two local brewers, and we recently became self-sufficient for the first time by producing our own hay for our pigs – they eat better than us sometimes.

“We’re really proud of our wild garlic sausages and are delighted that the judging panel also liked them. For those who’ve yet to try them, we’d urge our customers to find out for themselves what makes them so special!”

Also shortlisted in the Put Your Best Sausage Forward 2022 competition is Ynysybwl’s Puff Pigs, with their chilli and garlic sausages, and Haverfordwest-based Prendergast Butchers, with their Prendergast Gold sausages.

The winner of the Put Your Best Sausage Forward 2022 competition will be announced at a special event during the Thursday of the Royal Welsh Show at the Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales stand. The judging panel will include Welsh food personality Chris ‘Flamebaster’ Roberts.

The winner will also automatically qualify for the UK and Ireland Champion of Champions Sausage competition, which will take place at the Butcher Shop of the Year 2022 Awards next year.

Philippa Gill, Brand Marketing Executive at Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales, said: “Picking a shortlist of just three sausages is always a difficult but hugely enjoyable task, and this year was no exception thanks to our fantastic Porc Blasus family of producers.

“After the pandemic, it’s also great to be able to return to a physical judging event where all three finalists will be scored by our panel of experts, and the winner able to receive their trophy in person on the day. We had lots of great entries, from producers right across Wales – so a massive thank you to everyone who took part.”

You can buy sausages and many other delicious pork products directly from Red Valley Pigs via its website, redvalleywales.co.uk.

For more information on pork produced in Wales, and where you can buy it, please visit porcblasus.cymru.