Organisers of a Suffolk sausage festival are catering for the rising number of people with coeliac disease by offering an increased range of gluten-free varieties at this year’s celebration.

More than half of the sausages at this year’s Great Framlingham Sausage Festival will be free from gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, which can make damage the digestive system of people suffering from the disease.

Musk’s of Newmarket, which will be taking part in this year’s festival for the first time, said its first gluten-free sausage, developed after meeting a coeliac visitor to a county show, immediately won a Great Taste Award.

Graham Pentelow, sales and PR executive from Musk’s said demand was growing for gluten-free products with many customers reporting they cannot tell the difference in taste.

Musk’s, which has held a royal warrant for its sausages for more than a century, will be among 17 producers at this year’s sausage festival.

“It’s a great opportunity for everyone to see just how delicious sausages without gluten can be, and hard to tell apart from those containing gluten,” Mr Pentelow said.

“From what I’ve heard, it’s also a terrific day out and Framlingham does a brilliant job promoting all that is great about local producers. We look forward to similar events that respond to such an important demand.”

The event, which last year attracted more than 3,000 visitors, takes place on Saturday, October 8, when competitors will be vying for the coveted title of “best banger” .

Building on the successes of previous outings, this year’s festival will see a return of the sausage trail, alongside an expanded programme of free workshops on everything from massage to dog grooming.

Visit www.framsausagefest.co.uk for info.