South Nowra Meats' Kory Edwards impresses AMIC judges with his traditional Australian beef sausages

With more than 30 regional and state competitions held in 2022, hundreds of independent butchers from across Australia competed for the chance to be crowned national champions.

Traditional Australian Beef Sausage winner, Kory Edwards of South Nowra Meats, became a butcher 15 years ago.

"I can't believe it; you dream about these things when you become a butcher, and it has come true," he said.

"Every butcher shop in Australia has a beef snag; it is fabulous to win an award like this to say you beat every other butcher shop in Australia."

Mr Edwards had never set foot in a butcher shop before embarking on a career in the industry.

"I was thrown in the deep end. I was in year 11 at school, looking for an apprenticeship, and my Mum found me a job at the local butcher shop," he said.

"It all started on the October long weekend, one of the busier days in a butcher shop, and I got straight into making sausages."

It is the first time Mr Edwards has won the beef sausage award.

However, he has taken out national accolades previously, including best gourmet sausage in 2018 and best gourmet burger in 2020.

Read more: Glen Murphy wins national butchery apprentice of 2023

Mr Edwards puts his success down to good quality meat and ingredients.

"There is a lot of time and dedication that goes into it," Mr Edwards said.

"As you keep going in the trade, you learn new skills and techniques, and I'm very fortunate to have worked in a few good butcher shops in the area and surrounds.

"The people who work for me keep driving themselves towards success. And my friends and family are also really supportive."

Mr Edwards said it was easy to source reliable and high-quality local produce.

"I buy a lot of beef out of Nowra saleyards and get it processed at Picton; we get our lamb and some pigs from Cowra and the chicken comes from a Wollongong supplier," he said.

"It's good that people can still shop local and support local businesses. It's a major thing in every industry for every little town; if the small guys aren't around, then we aren't generating money for the local economy.

"It's good to support the local community and, hopefully, get support back."

Apprentice of the Year winner was Glenn Murphy from Sydney.

"I feel so good, you've got no idea, the encouragement that people have given me and the satisfaction I've gotten from proving to them all that I could do it, and that their faith in me was well placed," Mr Murphy said.

"I've really enjoyed it, I have a plan from here to be a TAFE teacher, I'd love to be a TAFE teacher, I'd like to have an apprentice come and work with me in my shop. I think I've got a lot of skills I could pass on.

"Thanks to Craig Cook, the owner of my company, for his encouragement, I told him the first day I started my apprenticeship that I wanted to be NSW Apprentice of the year, I'm not sure what he thought at the time but he encouraged me every day since then."

Jason Funnell of Bayside Meats and Deli, Batemans Bay, was rewarded with a win in the Boneless Leg Ham category.