Lekkerest Boerewors from locals

Not everyone gets announced as a national champion of anything with an envelope that flies in from the sky in a Weber braai.

But as it’s the annual Championship Boerewors competition, the spectacle makes sense. Last week, Yvonne Blaauw from Wellington in the Western Cape was announced as the country’s best boerewors-maker.

“I’ve entered 15 times and this was the first time I got this far. Previously I was knocked out in the first rounds,” Blaauw says.

“This year I had a feeling it was my year.” She’s the 26th winner of the national competition that asks regular South Africans to create the best recipe for boerewors, which is then sold in Shoprite and Checkers stores.

This year’s winner also cruised away with a Toyota Hilux DC 2.8. “And I’m going to be driving it around town,” Blaauw laughs.

Second and third place went to Jean Drotsky from Pretoria and Bobby Hassen from Randfontein.

The top 10 finalists of the 2018 Championship Boerewors competition competed at a “Braai in the Sky” at which they had to impress an independent judging panel of culinary experts from the South African Chefs Association (Saca).

The Saca chefs were tasked with selecting this year’s number one boerewors. Blaauw impressed the likes of James Khoza, Saca president, and the executive chef of Tsogo Sun’s Sandton Convention Centre, Martin Kobald, Carmen Niehaus, Pete Goffe-Wood, Jenny Morris and Reuben Riffel.

Recipes entered into the Championship Boerewors competition have to be for traditional boerewors. The wors must contain at least 90% meat and it must be beef, as well as lamb or pork or a mixture of lamb and pork and the fat content of the meat mixture may not exceed 30%.

in bacon, chutney, cheese, periperi, curry, tomato sauce, peppadews, green pepper, Parmesan, Aromat, chilli or venison.

Don’t be surprised if someone from Wellington wins again next year: “I want everyone from home, from our butcher to block captain, to enter,” says Blaauw. And her new wheels are good motivation.

Some fun facts about the Championship Boerewors competition

• For the past 26 years, Shoprite and Checkers have hosted the Championship Boerewors competition in order to find and present consumers with the country’s number one product.
• The Championship Boerewors title has been held by South Africans from all walks of life, from housewives to butchery managers and even a 13-year old primary school pupil.
• Between 1993 and 2000, it was an internal competition and only Shoprite or Checkers employees could enter.
• But from 2001, the Championship Boerewors competition has also been open to members of the public.