What can you eat at The Great Framlingham Sausage Festival 2018?
The steaks (or should we say bangers?) are high, as butchers and producers from across Suffolk gear-up to compete in The Great Framlingham Sausage Festival on Sunday, October 14.
Alongside over 15 new trade stands and entertainment including a silent disco, 12 sausage makers extraordinaire will be poised by their barbecues on the day from 10am, ready to wow festival-goers with their wares.
Producers will battle it out in just two categories this year. New Taste Sensation will showcase those adventurous, exciting new recipes developed especially for the competition, while Classic Pork has attracted entries from those butchers whose traditional recipes have stood the test of time with their customers.
Your ticket (£6 per person or £20 for a family from Bridge Street or the top of Church Street) includes a map around the sampling tents, and gives space for you to mark down your very important observations and notes about each sausage.
Afterwards place your vote in the designated boxes. From 5.30pm the free awards ceremony will take place in Framlingham Castle so you can see if your favourite cut the mustard.
Don’t forget, the festival is taking a break in 2019, so now’s the time to visit!
Here are just some of the entrants for 2018:
John Hutton Butchers
Daniel Glass, manager of this butchery said: “We’re entering a traditional sausage by the name of Ruby’s Choice. John’s been making these sausages for 35 years and they came about because he used those sausages as training treats for his beloved German pointer named Ruby. The sausage is no-nonsense and full-bodied using only shoulder pork from the Metfield pig herd.
Dunnett Family Butcher
David Dunnett is entering the Classic Pork sausage category this year. “We’re doing a Bramley apple sausage,” he revealed, saying the apples are sourced as locally as possible – as is the pork. “It’s all from local farms and we use the best of the pick. It’s really nice lean pork and comes through the local abattoir up the road from us in Eye. We’ve been selling them for quite some time and they’re one of our best sellers. Lovely in a casserole or on their own cold.” The shop sells around four to five varieties of sausage every day with other popular flavours including black pudding, honey and mustard and leek and apricot.
Hall Farm Butchers
“We’re entering the Classic Pork competition this year,” says Diane Scott. “We’ve been very successful in past years and have won with our Autumn Gold, Butchers Special and Gluten-Free Mediterranean sausages. Our pigs are outdoor bred and then finished in straw yards to the highest RSPCA welfare standards, producing full-flavoured pork. In our shop we always have plain sausages, chipolatas, gluten-free and two different flavoured sausages each week such as sage and red onion, pork and leek, Toulouse and spicy Spanish.”
Sutton Hoo Chicken
“We’ve renewed our sausages this year so wanted to get out and shout about it,” says Will Waterer of Sutton Hoo Chicken, which is entering the festival for the first time ever this year.
“They’re gluten-free and we’re using Cumberland seasoning, so they are Sutton Hoo free-range chicken gluten-free Cumberland sausages – quite a long title! We always have spare drumsticks so these are what we bone out and use for the sausages. The leg meat holds the most flavour, so combined with a traditional seasoning it makes for a fantastic sausage!”
Lemon Tree Bistro
The team at this bistro in Framlingham say they’re really excited to bring a Gallic feel to the festival, bringing saucisse de Toulouse, merguez sausages and French-style sausages.
Powters
The renowned family-run sausage brand has spent five generations perfecting its recipes and the team say they got great feedback at last year’s event. This year Tristan Powter says: “We’re very excited to be taking part again. We’ll be bringing along two of our varieties – our famously tasty Newmarket Pig sausage, made by us using fresh local, hand-trimmed pork, our own spice mix and natural casings. They’ve been made the same way since 1881. And we’re also bringing our Chilli Pig –a Spanish-style sausage infused with red peppers, tomato and a hint of chilli. It’s great to take part in an occasion which celebrates something we’re passionate about.”
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