Classes
The World Charcuterie Awards has divided Charcuterie into 8 classes, grouping together comparable products for accuracy, clarity and ease of judging.
A panel of expert judges will score each product. High-scoring products will be awarded a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal. A Best of Class will be awarded to the highest-scoring product within its class.
Class 1
Cured, Air-Dried & Ready-to-Eat Whole Muscle Products
Based on the whole muscle these are cured and air-dried products that may or may not be cold-smoked. This class includes traditional products such as raw cured hams (prosciutto-style, jamon Iberico, jamon Serrano etc), Lomo, cold-smoked duck breasts or Coppa etc.
Class 2
Cured & Cooked Whole Muscle Products
Based on the whole muscle these need cooking – roasted, boiled, baked or hot-smoked – before eating. This class includes cooked Hams, salt beef, smoked Chicken or Game etc.
Class 3
Cured, Fermented & Air Dried Ready-to-Eat Sausage Products
These are traditional Salami and other ground meat products that may or may not be cold-smoked.
Class 4
Cured & Cooked Sausage Products
Based on cured sausage products these need cooking – typically poached or hot-smoked- before eating. This class includes Bologna, Mortadella, Luncheon Meats and hot-smoked Kielbasa etc.
Class 5
Soft & Spreadable Products
These are made from cured and/or preserved meats. This class includes Pates, Parfaits, Potted Meats and Rillettes as well as products such as ‘Nduja, Lard, Sobresada etc.
Class 6
Cured Bacon
These may be green, cold- or hot-smoked but will need cooking before eating. This class includes streaky, shoulder or back bacon as well as rashers from other meats, poultry and game such as beef, duck etc.
Class 7
Worldwide Regional Products
This class includes regional products from any country such as Hogs Pudding, Bath Chaps & Lincolnshire Chine from the UK, Szalonna from Hungary, Figatellu from Corsica, Boudin noir from France etc.
Class 8
Snacking Charcuterie
This class recognises the huge growth in the market for snacking Charcuterie products and includes salami sticks, snacking salami, mini salamis, biltong, jerky, scratchings, thins, fritons etc.
Champion Awards
Champion Product
All products achieving Gold (scoring 90+ points out of a possible 100) will automatically be put forward for The Champion Product Award.
Champion Producer
To be awarded to the producer who performs best consistently over a number of classes - no less than 3 products spread over a minimum of 3 classes.
Star Awards
Star Awards are open to and judged from products entered into classes 1-8 of the World Charcuterie Awards. Top scoring products from the judging of the Classes are automatically put forward for the relevant Star Awards and maybe recalled for separate judging.
Please note – The Star Awards cannot be entered separately.
Best Cured, Fermented & Air Dried Ready-to-Eat Sausage Products made in the UK
Awarded to the highest scoring product from Class 3 made in Great Britain.
Best Game Product
Awarded to the highest scoring product made with a proportion of game.
Best Product from Northern Ireland
Awarded to the highest scoring product made in Northern Ireland.
Best Product from Scotland
Awarded to the highest scoring product made in Scotland.
Best Traditional or Heritage Breed Product
Awarded to the highest scoring product made with meat from Traditional or Heritage breed* using a traditional recipe.
*Traditional or Heritage breed is one that has existed for more than one hundred years.
British Rising Star
Awarded to a producer under 30 years old or who has been making for less than 2 years.
