Sausages have evolved well beyond their origins as a cheap Aussie staple made from leftover cuts, with producers now using premium ingredients and diverse flavour combinations to elevate them into gourmet fare.
Among the standout creators in this space is Millin’s Free Range Butcher at Balgowlah Heights in New South Wales, which has collected multiple awards over recent years.
This year, the business won the Champion Fresh Sausage Perpetual Trophy for its Beef Philly Cheesesteak Sausages at the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW’s Sydney Royal Fine Food Show.
Across August, 1,657 entries were judged in 72 classes spanning seven competitions: Aquaculture, Branded Meats, Oils & Olives, Professional Bakery, Pasta, Smallgoods & Charcuterie, and Specialty Foods.
Judging took place over 81 hours and involved 110 expert judges, with 37 champion medals awarded earlier this year.
All products entered into the Sydney Royal competitions must contain at least 85 per cent Australian ingredients, reflecting an effort to highlight local producers and agriculture.
Stef Millin from Millin’s Free Range Butcher told nine.com.au the team considered current food trends when choosing which sausage to submit for the 2025 awards.
“Philly cheesesteak came to mind. We just put all of those ingredients into a sausage. It came out pretty good,” Millin said.
“We started with a beef sausage and added provolone cheese, red capsicum, green capsicum and caramlised onions.”
Millin’s previous award-winning flavours include a Reuban sausage – inspired by the classic sandwich of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island or Russian dressing on rye – and a chicken satay sausage, which claimed top prize last year.
“Chicken satay are probably one of our biggest sellers,” Millin said.
“We really love the creative side of it.
“I grew up in New Zealand and then moved over to Australia and just got into butchering. I really liked the team environment and then really liked the creative environment.
“Working with the guys to work on some flavours we’ve done over the years has been fun.”
Not every experimental flavour has made it to the shop floor.
One attempt – strawberries and champagne – “wasn’t too good”, Millin admitted.
Millin’s Free Range Butcher began by serving the Balgowlah Heights community, described as a “big area for barbeques and sausages”, before expanding into online sales.
Despite the business’s extensive range of inventive, award-winning options, traditional beef sausages remain its top seller.
Millin says even their simplest variety uses premium cuts.
“A basic beef sausage these days is all lean beef, a lot of it’s from the brisket, and just a few spices and seasonings. That’s about it.”
The exact spices and seasonings remain confidential.
Millin recommends cooking sausages “low and slow”, turning them frequently with tongs. He adds tomato sauce or condiments to traditional beef sausages, but not to the gourmet range.
He also advises customers to refrigerate sausages promptly, where they will keep for up to five days.
Higher-quality ingredients mean higher prices – something local customers have embraced.
Millin’s recently increased the price of its beef sausages from two kilos for $40 to two kilos for $45.
Sausages range from $13.50 for approximately eight traditional sausages to $16.50 for gourmet varieties.
“Fridays and Saturdays, we put a barbeque up in the front and have a couple of tastings.”
Images: Millin’s Free Range Butcher
