The search for the best democracy sausage

Our search for the state’s best democracy sausage has hit a snag. The Daily Telegraph has rallied butchers from far and wide to wheel out their best bangers. It’s the kind of important, real-world election issue that demanded our forensic attention. WATCH THE VIDEO TO FIND THE WIENER … I MEAN WINNER.

• Follow our full State Election coverage
• Western Sydney to get four new train lines

Voting rights are a cornerstone of democracy and in Australia on election day they come with the unmistakeable smell of sizzling sausages.

Forget Gladys Berejiklian’s spending promises or Michael Daley’s scramble to match them — the real issue is which Sydney electorate boasts the best snags for hungry voters?

At The Daily Telegraph that is the kind of important, real-world election issue that demands forensic attention.

We rallied butchers from far and wide and got them to wheel out their best bangers for a taste test by four impartial young voters.

Editor-at-Large Matthew Benns conducted a highly scientific political poll with Dinita Rishal, Emma Gillman, Blake Mannes and Amelia Roach. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

And, after calculating preferences, the result for Greater Sydney’s best Democracy Sausage was — much as polling indicates for the election proper — a hung decision.

Our voters couldn’t split a plain beef sausage from a safe Liberal electorate and a challenging san choy bau concoction from a Labor-held seat.

Taking out the joint ­honours were Simon Alvarez, owner of Glenbrook Butchery at the foot of the Blue Mountains and Jake Forbes, The Sausage Man, from Wyong on the Central Coast.

“For an election day barbecue I would recommend my thin plain beef sausage,” said Mr Alvarez. “It’s what you want in a sausage and your local MP — a good all-rounder who can keep the masses happy.”

Where to find the best democracy sausage.

The local MP is Western Sydney Liberal minister Stuart Ayres who claims people drive miles for a Glenbrook sausage.

But claiming victory early can be a problem for politicians on election day.

Taking out the joint honours was Mr Forbes from Wyong — a seat held by Labor MP David Harris — with his san choy bau sausage. “This is what I will be recommending for sausage sizzles at schools,” Mr Forbes said.

NSW ELECTION PODCAST: PREMIER’S INFRASTRUCTURE ‘ADDICTION’

The verdict was reached by an impartial team of four snag lovers from Macleay College in a blind taste test. It revealed political insights that could in future provide a crucial guide for pollsters, a snag-o-meter.

Predictably, Labor MP Ron Hoenig’s Heffron electorate, which takes in trendy inner west suburbs, provided the only vegetarian sausage, which came from Suzy Spoon’s Vegetarian Butchery in St Peters.

“It is a very left-wing and green area, I would expect to see Labor returned in a landslide. People are just fed up,” said owner Suzy Spoon.

With that in mind she has renamed her Sunday Herbed Sausage the Democracy Sausage for the big day.

Our official testers: Dinita Rishal, Emma Gillman, Blake Mannes and Amelia Roach. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

But it’s a different vibe on the Central Coast. Mark Watson, part-owner of Watos Family Butchery in Labor MP David Mehan’s electorate of The Entrance said: “Nobody has even mentioned the election in our shop. Our local MP has been completely invisible. It is only a week to the election and I don’t even know who he is.”

Mr Watson recommends the plain beef or the pork and parsley sausage for school ­barbecues on election day.

In the true-blue seat of ­Vaucluse the phone at Australia’s oldest butcher, Victor Churchill, was answered by a lady sounding like Claire Foy having an off day from playing the Queen in The Crown.

Joint winner of the Democracy Sausage challenge: Sausage Man’s Jake Forbes. Picture: Sue Graham

“Eaww,” she said, when asked to take part in the Democracy Sausage challenge. “We don’t rahlly do that kind of thing.”

Fortunately, down the road Field to Fork had a more egalitarian approach. It has some news for Liberal MP Gabrielle Upton in a seat which takes in Bondi. There, hipsters prefer their sausages bespoke. “We sell a lot of organic chicken, rocket and feta ­sausages,” said manager Joshua Horwitz.

Glenbrook Butchery’s Simon Alvarez also took the top prize. Picture: Dylan Robinson

And customers are focused on one big issue. “The young people who come in are all talking about the NSW government’s stance on music festivals,” Mr Horwitz said.

Nigel Royce, of Panania’s Butcher’s Pantry, thinks politicians such as local member Labor MP Tania Mihailuk could do with a bit more flair.

“I think MPs would do better if they stopped being like the traditional thin beef sausage. It’s a crowd-pleaser, doesn’t upset anyone but no one remembers it afterwards.”

But in Liberal blue belt North Ryde, butcher David MacDonald is sticking to conservative values and recommending the thin beef sausage for election day.