Norwich-based Archer'sButchers take the prize spot in the Porkstock Sausage Roll Off 2017.

Eastern Daily Press: Butcher Jamie Archer with his winning sausage roll in the Porkstock Roll Off at the Fur & Feather at Woodbastwick, with organisers and judges. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYButcher Jamie Archer with his winning sausage roll in the Porkstock Roll Off at the Fur & Feather at Woodbastwick, with organisers and judges. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Archant)

On Wednesday a panel of judges stuffed their faces with pork-filled pastry delights, deliberating over the Porkstock Sausage Roll Off.

And the winner is? The team at Archer's Butchers, based on Plumstead Road, Norwich. Now deemed to make the finest sausage roll in Norfolk, the butchers will travel to London in January 2018 to represent the county at the Great Sausage Roll Off.

Butcher Jamie Archer was happy as a pig in mud to take the prize and said a lot of work went into making the perfect sausage roll specimen.

'Of course, a great sausage roll must have great quality pork,' he beamed. 'We buy our pork from Tim Allen at South Creake where all the pigs are outdoor-reared in superb conditions. And nice crispy pastry is key, with a perfect balance between the meat and the pastry. In my view, the sausagemeat needs to be quite chunky and the flavour mustn't be over-sweet or sickly. A little bit of bite is essential.'

After launching a competition for local cooks, chefs, butchers and bakers earlier this year, the organisers of Porkstock whittled down a long list to four entries, each of which showcased the best of Norfolk produce.

Blind tested alongside the Archer's Butchers winner were rolls from Ricky Malt of The White Horse Inn, Neatishead, Hon. Patrick Jonathan Needham and Sam Bagge of Walsingham Farm Shop.

The judging panel included The Sausage King Stephen Plume, James Ellis and Ben Handford (founders of Porkstock), Porkstock team member and food writer Pippa Lain-Smith, and representatives of Cranswick Country Foods, Hatch Brenner, and also Woodfordes, which hosted the Sausage Roll Off at its pub The Fur and Feather.

'We shortlisted our four sausage rolls based on the recipes provided and provenance of ingredients,' explained Charlie Hodson, a patron of Porkstock and overall winner at The Great Sausage Roll Off at the Red Lion in Barnes this year. 'But none of the judges had any idea where each of the sausage rolls came from as they were tasting. We asked our judges to score each sausage roll based on appearance, texture, flavour and pastry. When our top two rolls drew on points, it came down to provenance, and the Archer's roll pipped Jonathan Needham to the post.

'All of us at Porkstock were delighted when Angus McKean and Claire Morgan, of the Red Lion in Barnes, invited us to submit a sausage roll that represents everything fabulous about Norfolk food into the 2018 Great Sausage Roll Off,' added Charlie. 'The Porkstock Roll will be judged against sausage rolls created by high profile chefs from across the UK so it's a massive coup for Jamie Archer and his team. We just hope they win and bring the title back to Norfolk for the second year in a row.'

Porkstock takes place on Saturday, October 14, at Norfolk Showground. The free, family-friendly festival is filled with cookery demonstrations, live music, fun activities and an array of local food producers, hot food stands and bars. The Porkstock evening knees-up takes over at 7pm until late. This is an adult-only, ticketed event with an outstanding live music line-up, electro-swing gin palace, real ale, cider and Prosecco bars and delicious food. Find out more about Porkstock 2017 here.