Newmarket is famed for its horse racing, but it has historic ties to the humble sausage, too. The Newmarket Sausage has been a traditional treat to take home from the races since Victorian times and is so highly regarded that it’s the traditional prize for the winner of Newmarket’s oldest horse race, the Town Plate.
Locally produced sausages are an established favourite of the royal family, with local butcher Musk’s holding a Royal Warrant for its recipe. A weekly consignment of sausages was sent to Balmoral at one time, and the Queen Mother regularly dropped by to pick some up on her journeys between Sandringham and London.
The festival to celebrate the local delicacy is sponsored by Edmondson Hall solicitors and will take place during the weekly Saturday Market, with a variety of sausage-themed stalls alongside resident traders.
There’ll also be family fun and entertainment, with free competitions for children including a sausage pan race, which will go under starter’s order of the festival’s fun character Mr Sausage.
Powters Butchers will offer free sausage tastings made from the family recipe, which has earned it multiple Great Taste awards.
There will also be other sausage dishes to try, with free recipe cards available. All the key ingredients to make the dishes will be available to purchase from the market and there’s even a chance to win them in the festival tombola. Prizes have been kindly donated by various market traders, along with Powters and Tennant’s Butchers.
Local cafes and restaurants will also be supporting the festival during the preceding week, adding specially created sausage dishes to their menus. Avid sausage fans will be able to dine out on a different sausage dish each day of the week.
Tracey Harding, Manager of Discover Newmarket, said: “Newmarket is well known for horse racing, yet we also have this very special association with the great British banger. Our festival promises to be lots of fun for all the family, while also encouraging people to create fresh, tasty food at home and minimise food waste, and eat and shop in the town.”
Cllr Susan Glossop, Cabinet Member for Growth, West Suffolk Council, said: “We are delighted to partner with Discover Newmarket to welcome this festival to the town. It will be a great addition to our events calendar as it offers family fun and entertainment, plus it drives support for our loyal traders on the weekly Saturday market, which will also be operating. The festival also promotes local businesses and industries, showcasing their success.”
To contact Discover Newmarket, call 01638 501122 or go to https://discovernewmarket.co.uk.
