TWO west Wiltshire food specialists are celebrating after winning best in category awards at the Taste of the West 2011 competition.

Downland Produce, based in Bowden Hill, Lacock, won the Best of Sausages award for its pork with breakfast marmalade sausage.

And Lick The Spoon, of Corsham, took gold in the Best of Confectionary category for its Timeless Truffles Collection at a ceremony at Cornwall’s Eden Project.

David Wilkinson, who runs Downland Produce with wife Debbie, said: “This is special because this is the best of the best. It’s great for everyone really. We all work hard, unsociable hours.”

Downland Produce had an exceptional time at the competition, winning two other gold awards, two silvers and a bronze in other categories, as well as the overall sausage title.

The firm makes all kinds of pork products from its herd of 50 pigs, selling mostly at farmers’ markets.

Mr Wilkinson said the winning bangers came from an experiment he tried at a London farmer’s market.

He said: “I had about 15 people come back to say they thought they were fantastic. That’s when I thought, ‘That’s it. We’ve got to do this’.”

Among the Taste of the West judges was chef Rick Stein, who declared that Lick The Spoon’s chocolates were the equal of any in the world.

Matthew Short, who runs the firm with wife Diane, said: “It’s comments like that which are great for us. We were really excited to win and it was a fantastic venue.”

The firm, based in Potley Lane, has been operating for five years. For the first three, the couple worked from their Chippenham home, then remorgaged the house and took on the factory. It now counts Harrods, John Lewis and Harvey Nicholls among its clients.

The winning entry was a collection of classic truffles.

Mr Short, a former engineer, said: “A great chef once said to Diane that the last thing she would learn was simplicity. It’s a very pure collection of the best quality ingredients and very simple recipes.

“It’s been a challenge, but it’s been great building sales.”

Information on Downland Produce can be found at www.downlandproduce.co.uk and on Lick The Spoon at www.lickthespoon.co.uk l Trowbridge butcher Walter Rose and Son are hoping for success in the regional finals of Legendary British Sausage competition, due to be held today in Bristol, with their spicy Capsicana Chilli sausage.