In fact, the Roy Roach-Sam Webb combo snagged a pair of first prizes during the regional NSW Sausage King competition held at Orange TAFE on August 16.

An Australian pork burger – entered into the open gourmet category – and a traditional Australian sausage were the two award-winning creations that will now be put to the test at the statewide competition on September 22 at Granville TAFE.

In addition to the two winners, Gulgong Butchery also raked in a second prize for a sweet chilli and orange chicken in the poultry category, as well as a lamb roast, sweet potato and caramelized onion masterpiece in the lamb category.

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Roy Roach, who runs the show at the butchery, says it’s a great accomplishment to win the awards considering the size of Gulgong alongside some of the bigger centres in the region.

“It’s quite big for us to win these awards considering we’re up against Dubbo, Orange, Bathurst and some towns that are much bigger than Gulgong,” Roy said.

Although there isn’t a prize per say, Roach is more than happy with the publicity that comes with the award and says ‘the recognition is more than enough’ for his store.

Arriving at a winning recipe isn’t an overnight process and Roy credits a lot of his store’s success to his loyal customers who have helped with the trial and error process.

“Sam and I put our heads together and made it and after each time, we had a taste to see if we could do better next time,” Roy said.

“Our customers give us great feedback and they’re not afraid to try anything.”

Gulgong Butchery has been up and running for a decade now and has collected awards in eight of the ten years so far.

Granville TAFE, the meeting place for the NSW finals, is Roy’s old stomping ground.

“I studied there for two years before I became a butcher,” he said.

“It’s funny how things work out. I’d like to go back there and see if I can find any of my old teachers.”