The Great British Banger
Sausage Week is back with a bang. UKSW is an annual campaign which will run from 29th October – 4th November 2018
Once again, butchers, manufacturers, retailers, restaurants and trade associations in the UK will be promoting the great British sausage.
This will include hosting their own sausage events, special promotions, new product launches, competitions and tastings throughout the campaign week.
The main event of UKSW is the Sausage Competition and sausage makers across the country are busy making their innovative products for judging. They will have to be good though, as they will be assessed by Institute of Meat CEO Keith Fisher (a sausageologist whose taste-buds are insured for £1M) and his team. So, butchers around the region, there’s still time to get your entries in and do Lancashire proud.
The competition winners will be announced during a celebration lunch at Plaisterers’ Hall in London, on 29th October, which will kick-start UKSW.
To enter there are two categories – traditional and innovative. Each company can enter a maximum of two types of traditional sausage and two types of innovative sausage. The traditional category may include regional specialities such as Cumberland, Lincolnshire, Newmarket, Lorne etc and for the innovative category, the judges are looking for creative and inspirational products using a diverse range of ingredients.
To enter and for more information on the competition visit: https://uksausageweek.com
The word sausage was first used in English in the mid-15th century and was spelt sawsyge. This word came from old North French saussiche (modern French saucisse). The French word saussiche came from Vulgar Latin salsica sausage, from salsicus-seasoned with salt, from Latin salsus, meaning salted.
In the UK, sausages are traditionally filled with ground pork, around 70 per cent high quality meat, but can have a variety of fillings, from beef, veal or lamb, along with salt, spices, breadcrumbs and other flavourings. Today sausages come in many different shapes, sizes and flavours.
But what makes a good sausage, and did you know there are lots of different regional varieties?
Cumberland Sausage: A chunky sausage that’s easily identified, as it comes in a continuous spiral. Usually bought by length, not weight. Spiced with pepper, this a flavoursome sausage and an excellent all-rounder.
Gloucester Sausage: As the name implies, it is made with Gloucester Old Spot Pork, nicely flavoured with sage.
Lincolnshire Sausage: All herby and meaty, often heady with sage and sometimes a little thyme.
Manchester Sausage: A herby sausage containing cloves, ginger, nutmeg, mace and white pepper.
Marylebone Sausage: Expect mace, sage and ginger in this traditional London butcher’s sausage.
Oxford Sausage: Savoury with sage, a touch of marjoram, lemon pork and veal – a nicely refined sausage.
Suffolk Sausage: Coarse sausage not unlike a Lincolnshire.
Yorkshire Sausage: Expect a sausage spiced with cayenne, a pinch of nutmeg, white pepper and mace.
No doubt you will have your own favourites, but sausages are probably one most versatile foods that you can eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner and enjoy either hot or cold. Next time you’re in the supermarket, instead of going for the classic pork, why not try a different flavour, such as sweet chilli, sprout and stilton or caramelised red onion.
They are not just great on the barbecue, the list of recipes for the great British banger is endless.
