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WHAT makes an award-winning sausage?
According to owner of Hot Canary Gourmet Meats Daniel Speranza, it's all-natural ingredients and flavours with "a whole lot of love".
Hot Canary Gourmet Meats picked up an award for the best continental sausage in NSW at the State Sausage King Awards last month for their chicken bratwurst sausage.
Back in August, the business also picked up four first place awards at the Regional Sausage King Competition in three categories which included continental, traditional Australian, Australian lamb/open.
Mr Speranza, who recently took the reins of Hot Canary Gourmet Meats, said he was "excited and overwhelmed" by the business' performance in the state awards.
"The award has given me such a confidence boost, especially given that we just took over the shop," Mr Speranza said.
"It is one of the biggest awards we've ever won and it is incredible,"
"The last five months [of running the business] has been a lead-up to this and I can't wait to see where we go from here."
Member services officer at the Australian Meat Industry Council Craig Wright said he was impressed by the business' performance in the competition.
"It is the first year the business is under new management and to go on and get first place in the state competition is phenomenal," Mr Wright said.
"It is a win for the Southern Highlands."
Hot Canary Gourmet Meats also won the Battle of the Bangers grand final during Tulip Time for their chicken, rocket, prosciutto and goat's cheese sausage.
Mr Speranza, who recently moved to the Southern Highlands to take over the business, said the local competition was "news to him".
This was until two of his regular customers came in and entered two of his sausages which both made it into the semi-finals.
"It was a surprise considering I haven't been in the Highlands for that long," Mr Speranza said.
"I can't thank my customers enough for supporting the business and entering me into it."
The business will compete at the National Sausage King Finals in Brisbane next February.
Mr Speranza said that he and the team are working hard to make sure "everything is perfect" for the competition.
"We'll put that little bit of extra love into it," Mr Speranza said.
"We've been really busy but it's a good busy."