The Lesnies/Bunzl 100% New Zealand Bacon Competition celebrates New Zealand’s best bacon. Only New Zealand bacon can enter the Lesnies/Bunzl 100% New Zealand Bacon Competition. Every week 700,000 kgs of imported pork comes into this country from all over the world that is made into Bacon and Ham.  People are sick of watery limp bacon that fails to fizzle and crumbles instead of getting crispy and boils instead of spitting in the pan.

 

The 100% New Zealand Bacon Competition identifies the best bacon in the country, so you can find the best bacon around to enjoy in the weekend at breakfast, as a garnish at lunch, or through the week to add that sensational piece of something special to the meal.

 

How do we know we have the best bacon? 177 bacons from 82 different bacon makers entered the Lesnies 100% New Zealand Bacon Competition this year, representing butchers from all over the country. They all have one goal – to become the New Zealand Bacon of the Year.

 

Four different categories were poked, prodded, sniffed and tasted by 24 independent judges over a strict criteria to identify the top three bacons in the Middle, Shoulder, Streaky, and Middle Eye categories.

 

The gold medal winners from each categories were then brought to the grand finals table, where group judges Steve Logan, Anita Sarginson, Jan Bilton, and Jason Cunningham had the final cook off.