debbie&andrew’s sausages boot up British Sausage Week activity

Good news for British Sausage Week comes in threes from debbie&andrew's! Firstly, debbie&andrew's is launching an information campaign outlining everything it takes to make a great sausage. The campaign will run until Spring 2016 and the aim is to demonstrate clearly why premium sausages are worth shopping and to give shoppers the inside story on what goes into a really good sausage.

Secondly all debbie&andrew's premium sausages are now wheat, gluten and dairy free. The Perfect Pork, Perfect Cumberland and Caramelised Red Onion Pork Sausages are now in line with the Harrogate 97% sausage, one of the original 'free from' sausages which has been a family favourite for over 15 years.

Finally, the Perfect Cumberland sausage has won the top spot in the Meat Category of The Grocer New Product Awards, while debbie&andrew's has also qualified as a finalist in the British Sausage Week Sausages of Distinction Competition and been shortlisted in the Sausage category of the Quality Food Awards 2015.

Quest For the Best Sausage – a debbie&andrew's adventure.

Launched to coincide with the start of British Sausage Week, the Quest for the Best campaign is led by TV presenter and street food champion Andy Bates and features a series of online video blogs. The films follow the development of a brand new sausage through debbie&andrew's production process and then explains each of the quality initiatives taken to produce debbie&andrew's market leading pork sausages.

Ian Bagnall from debbie&andrew's explained. “The aim is to increase awareness of the time, skill and quality ingredients needed to make the best sausages, so shoppers can make informed buying decisions. We don't expect an immediate response, but we do think it is the right time to start and move the spotlight back onto quality.”

To get to this point, debbie&andrew's ran a '#makemysausage' challenge through social media and in print. This gave sausage fans the chance to engage in and influence the development of a brand new sausage. With over 2,000 entries submitted, there were plenty of good ideas to choose from. The winning '#makemysausage' flavour is curried chicken, mango and coriander and is the dream sausage of winner, Kathryn G of Lancashire. Chicken is a new area for debbie&andrew's, but is a strong trend that came through on the competition entries.

The videos follow the creation of Kathryn's dream sausage; drop in on a tasting panel for debbie&andrew's Perfect Pork and follow how the Harrogate 97% Pork Sausage is made. This enables Andy Bates to explain what it takes to make a premium sausage including the investment in sourcing from British farms and commitment to welfare standards.

The campaign also illustrates the expertise needed in meat selection, the care required in preparing the meat to get the right texture and the skill needed to balance the seasoning to perfectly reflect the flavour of the meat. It reveals how the best ingredients are chosen and what steps are necessary to ensure the product maintains its flavour and quality right through the distribution and retail process.

By the end of British Sausage Week, in combination with all the sausage supporters behind the campaign, debbie&andrew's hopes that consumers will have a really clear picture of what goes into making the best of British bangers.

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Hi res picture can be supplied

Video Links can be supplied

Interviews with Ian Bagnall can be arranged

For immediate release (Consumer) October 2015