Baulkham Hills butcher Baker Crescent Meats voted best in The Hills

His lamb and snags have been recognised as the best in NSW and Australia so it’s no surprise this butcher has been voted No. 1 in The Hills.

Baker Crescent Meats owner Craig Horner and his award-winning sausages. Picture: Julian Andrews

His lamb and snags have been recognised as among the best in NSW and Australia, so it’s no surprise Craig Horner from Baker Crescent Meats at Baulkham Hills has been voted by readers, in an online poll conducted by the Hills Shire Times, as the best butcher in the Hills.

“We’ve got a reputation for being expensive but good and that’s how I run my business,’’ Mr Horner said.

“I use free range chickens. All our lamb or the beef come from the country. It comes in carcass form so we cut it up as we go.’’

The butcher’s dedication and flair for their craft was recognised in January at the Australian Meat Industry Council Awards when it picked up first place in NSW and third in Australia for the traditional beef sausages, while its leg of lamb on the bone claimed top spot in the state.

Craig Horner sells up to 150kg of sausages on a Saturday morning. Picture: Julian Andrews

The sausages are crafted the old-fashioned way and up to 150kg are sold on a Saturday morning.

“We use natural skin which is the lamb intestines or the pig intestines,’’ he said.

“The intestines are really expensive but they make a really good sausage.’’

While the NSW Food Authority stipulate snags must contain a minimum of 25 per cent fat and 75 per cent meat, sausages made at Baker Cres are stuffed with 90 per cent meat and 10 per cent fat.

Mr Horner opened the business at Baulkham Hills 11 years ago after more than a decade at Beecroft and has noted consumers are opting for smaller portions of meat.

“People are just interested in different cuts. They traditionally come back for the lamb chops, steak and sausages,’’ he said.

The Baulkham Hills resident loves the tight-knit community and said the pandemic drew more customers to shop at their village shops, with business up 40 per cent from last year.

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