Thousands of fans of one of the best-loved British delicacies turned out to Framlingham on Sunday for the town’s seventh Sausage Festival.
An estimated 30,000 sausages – all made by local suppliers – were sold. Many were cooked and sold to eat on the street while some visitors also filled their car boot to stock up their refrigerators or freezers.
The festival was the biggest seen in the town so far and attracted visitors from a wide area, all keen to try to the Suffolk sausages on offer.
There was even the chance to vote for the best sausage at the festival – although everyone knew that was really a question of personal taste.
The Best Gluten-free sausage was from Hall Farm Butchers in Framlingham. The best pork-free sausage was from the Friday Street Farm Shop at Farnham, and the best classic-flavoured sausage was from the Suffolk Black Pig farm in Ufford who retained the accolade they won last year. The best venue on the day was the Railway pub.
The weather was perfect for the festival – and with music to accompany the festival and other stalls offering different Suffolk fayre there was something on offer for everyone.
The festival covered most of the town centre – from the castle through Market Hill to the Railway and Station pubs with the awards ceremony in the castle walls in the late afternoon.
Organiser Jenny Stockman was delighted with how well the festival had gone – and the number of people who had turned up.
She said: “Before the Festival we had expected to get through 10,000 sausages both eaten on the day and sold by people to take home. But it looks as if it the final figure will be three times that.
“This has been going for seven years now – and I’m sure this is the best festival we’ve had so far.
“We’ve had fabulous weather for it and it seems as if everyone has had a really great time here.”
The Framlingham Sausage Festival is a fringe event spun off from the Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival which is held at Snape Maltings every summer – but has now developed its own momentum.
Mrs Stockman said: “We are now getting people coming here from all over – from Cambridge, London, even Coventry. It is a really great event with its own following now.”
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