The Exchange Hotel in Pinjarra has cemented its reputation as home to the best steak sandwich in the Western Australian country, taking out a prestigious award for the second consecutive year.

The secret to chef David Brown’s winning sandwich was as simple as keeping the paddock-to-plate mantra as local as possible.

The Exchange’s sandwich — which will leave customers $32 out of pocket — is based around beef fresh from Midway Farm, local to Pinjarra, which judges agreed made Brown’s sanga most “fangable”.

In hospitality circles, “fangability” refers to how easily your teeth can sink into a juicy, tender and succulent steak sandwich — a quality AHA(WA) Steak Sandwich Championship judges clearly appreciated on Tuesday.

Now in its 19th year, the competition saw four regional finalists battle it out in a live cook-off, with chefs given just 15 minutes to prepare and present their signature sandwiches.

Competing against Brown for the regional title were Lee Collins from Brugan Brewery near Harvey, Adrian Bruche from Margaret River’s famed Settlers Tavern and Ignor Rossi from Spinifex Brewery Cable Beach.

The Exchange Hotel owner Karl Bullers expected the award would bring even more customers through the doors of his renovated, renowned pub.

“It’s sensational,” he said.

“We currently sell between 300 and 400 steak sandwiches a week. Now we’ve won, it’ll go through the roof.”

Mr Bullers said winning awards was helping build the venue’s reputation while showcasing regional Western Australia.

“We are in a regional town, now we’ve won this award people will know what we’ve got on offer,” he said.

“We want to keep building on the brand and keep winning awards.”

Along with the coveted championship belt and the steak sandwich trophy, the Exchange Hotel received a $500 voucher to an AHA venue of its choice, a Little Creatures food prize, four Julienne knives, 10 boxes of McCain chips and 10 litres of extra virgin olive oil.

Premier Roger Cook, one of the four judges on Tuesday, praised the important role country pubs play across regional Western Australia.

“Country pubs are essential,” he said.

“They are the town square in the modern village. They’re where people interact with their community and they’re part of the fabric and soul of every country town.”