HAWARDEN Estate Farm Shop is among the finalists for the Taste Cheshire Food and Drink Festival Sausage competition.

The annual event, in its 12th year, attracts butchers from across Cheshire, Wirral and North Wales who enter in a number of different categories with 10 judges, headed up by chief judge, Steve Vaughan of Vaughan butchers of Penyffordd, blind tasting more than 30 sausages.

Each of the finalist have their sausages tasted by the first 40 people who make it to the Chef auditorium at the Taste Cheshire Food and Drink festival on Easter Sunday, April 21.

The winner of each category will be honoured at the Taste Cheshire Food and Drink Awards on Wednesday April 24.

A spokesperson for Hawarden Estate Farm Shop, said: "Our Head Butcher, John Rowlands, has over 35 years experience as a butcher and is a real master of his craft.

"In just the few months he has been with us here at the Farm Shop, along with a brilliant team, they have transformed our meat counter.

"We are thrilled to have been shortlisted in the ‘Best Speciality Sausage’ category of the annual Tasting Cheshire Sausage Awards. This is a brilliant achievement for us and a perfect opportunity to celebrate the amazing work they are doing.

"Voting takes place during the Chester Food and Drink Show over Easter weekend and we hope that everyone can make it down to try our traditional hog roast sausages. We’ll be offering tasters over on the butchers counter over the next few weeks so pop along and have a try."