British Street Food Awards 2012 » Sausage

I Can’t Believe It’s Finally Happened

richardj — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 22:33:31 +0000

It was a proud, proud moment — to see the British Street Food Awards finalists all come together. In a car park. To a man (and woman) they were inspiring, passionate, community-spirited people, and I could have hung out with them forever. But there would have been pay-and-display issues. The judges had no idea how hard it would be, but see the Winners pages for their final decision. It was a massive success. No two ways. But a couple of thoughts for 2011. 1. Don’t site the whole shebang at the end of famous Ludlow sausage trail. People aren’t hungry for the best in British Street Food if they’ve just eaten five free sausages. 2. Order more sunshine on the Saturday. 3. Remember to pack my loose-fitting trousers. See you next year. We’ve already had our first application!

The Most Beautiful Food Festival In The World

richardj — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:16:34 +0000

Aiken Drum was an odd-bod. What with his hat of cream cheese, and his coat of roast beef, he had what can only be described as the world’s first eating disorder. If I remember the rhyme correctly, Drum (who played upon a ladle, a ladle) had friends who got to eat his clothing. How I wanted to be a friend of Aiken’s. As a young boy I dreamt that we would run away together, and live in a town where the rivers were fat with milk and the hills were moulded from grated cheese.

Well, I’ve found the town. Finally. And it’s not the horizon of my imaginings – it’s on the A49. It’s Ludlow, the foodie capital of England. With a population of only 8,000, this pretty Norman town still manages to support three private bakers. Every Wednesday, a van drives up from the Perigord, packed with truffles and foie gras. And the fishermen arrive with their catches from Cornwall. It’s the sort of place that Aiken could truly kick back, and be himself. And wear his coat of roast beef in peace.

Ludlow also boasts five private butchers, including Chris Carter’s (well, the man is a respected member of the Institute of Meat) and Reg Martin’s. Both use natural lamb gut for their sausages, so there’s no pellet of indigestible plastic at the end of every mouthful. It’s where I had my sausages made up when I wed a Shropshire lass in Ludlow all those years ago. I love the place. And I couldn’t think of a better place for the first British Street Food Awards.

richardj — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:21:13 +0000

Have a look at it — my first hot dog of the season. Well, frankfurter if you want to be picky. The Frankfurt Butcher’s Guild first introduced spiced and smoked sausages, packed in thin casings, back in the 1850s. They had a slightly curved shape (supposedly due to a butcher who owned a dachshund), which is why they were also known as ”dachshund sausages”. They caught on big time in the USA, where Harry Stevens sold them with a cry of ”Get your red-hot dachshund sausages!” He soon shortened it (well, wouldn’t you?) to “Get your hot dogs!”. Harry would not have been impressed with my frankfurter. The bread was pappy, and the meat was underseasoned. I’ll just have to keep looking for something that does Harry proud. I want the best sausages the world has ever tasted to be sizzling in that Ludlow field in 2010…….