Testing, Tasting and National Awards

Weekend news… Bowers Butchers of King’s Lynn has won a national award at the 2024 UK Sausage Week competition in London.

Apparently Bowers Butchers sell wild mushroom and thyme sausages, roast garlic and parsley sausages, leek and mustard sausages… and special spiced pumpkin Hallowe’en sausages.

Bowers Butchers award was for their Lincolnshire sausage – a pork sausage made with the herb sage… which is ironic because Kings Lynn is over the county border in Norfolk.

I’ve never enjoyed Bowers sausages, but wouldn’t mind being a sausage-tasting judge.

Closer to home… Lowestoft’s Green Jack brewery has won a prize at the Champion Beer of Great Britain Awards for 2024 held at Kelham Hall in Newark.

I read about the procedure… individual nominations… tasting panel nominations… regional competitions… a strict blind tasting policy… last week’s rigorous, hard-fought final round of judging.

Green Jack’s Trawlerboys Best Bitter won gold in the Premium Bitter category, with judges describing it as an ‘Attractive orangey brown beer with a honey biscuit nose…’

I have enjoyed a pint of Trawlerboys, but I’m not sure about being a beer-tasting judge.

Yesterday in church we read the Matthew 26 account of Jesus in Gethsemane, just hours before his crucifixion.

Jesus says: ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death…’ He prays: “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will…’

Esther, talking about how we cope with grief, mentioned that earlier in his life Jesus had said: ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’ When you’re going through tough times – grief, suffering, despair – feeling weary and burdened, then if you come to me you will receive rest.

Musing… Sausages and beer… experience comes from testing and tasting… to experience Jesus’ rest I have to test it and taste it… as a follower of Jesus who’s tested and tasted, I believe that Jesus’ rest would win national awards!