Pictured above: (l-r) Rupert Evans, Strictly Come Dancing
Judge Craig Revel Horwood and Denstone butcher John Kelly
Food-lovers will be able to get their teeth into the best
sausage in the region when a Uttoxeter farm shop holds its annual
Christmas food tasting evening next week.
Denstone Hall Farm Shop and Café on the
Staffordshire/Derbyshire borders is getting ready for the event by
making an extra batch of its Staffordshire Sizzler bangers, which
clinched the title of West Midlands Star Sausage earlier this
month.
The farm shop beat off a host of rivals to win the award, which
was presented by Strictly Come Dancing judge - and good food fan -
Craig Revel Horwood at a ceremony in Birmingham.
The dance judge, famous for handing out low scores, described
the sausage as "fab-u-lous" after fellow panellists praised its
seasonal blend of orange zest, chestnuts and herbs.
Now shop owners Rupert and Emma Evans will make the Sizzler the
star of the show when they throw open their doors for their annual
Festive Food Evening on December 2.
Rupert said: "Ever since we won the award, the phones have never
stopped ringing with customers wanting to place orders. Every time
we make a new batch they seem to fly off the counter. We're going
to make a special bumper batch for our food sampling event, I just
hope there's enough to go round.
"There is a real art to making sausages and the Sizzler is
special. Not only is it handmade, it also tastes Christmassy,
which is what the judges picked up on.
"The festive food event allows us to meet our customers and
discuss their Christmas menus. Hopefully there will be plenty of
Sizzlers alongside people's turkeys this year."
The event, which takes place between 3pm and 8pm, will also
showcase the shop's homemade Christmas cakes , mince pies, pudding
sand luxury food hampers,
Norfolk bronze turkeys reared on the family farm will also be
available to sample, along with Denstone Hall's home-reared beef,
local free range pork and lamb, as well as the region's best
cheeses from the Cheese Cellar.