Food is big business, so Suffolk Business Hub is delighted to have two excellent speakers, both fanatical crusaders for great food producers. Chris Bushby, Executive Director of the Suffolk Agricultural Association and the ‘Sausage King’, Stephen Plume, also a resident East Anglian then takes us on a journey with sausages!

I got a tip off about the Beer and Sausage Festival happening just over the border from me in Eye, Suffolk.

I do love a good sausage festival, especially when it involves 15 different real ales, this looks like a cracking weekend if you can make it.

Set to be tastier than ever, the much-loved Nantwich Food and Drink Festival is returning in September but this year it is FREE to anyone who wants to enjoy its mouth-watering array of attractions.

More than 10,000 food lovers enjoyed last year’s event on Mill Island and organisers hope to top that by spreading the stands and displays across the entire town over the weekend September 24-26.

Various activities and tasting sessions will be held on the town square, Nantwich Civic Hall (inside and out), Volunteer Fields, Churchyardside, Cocoa Yard, Pillory Street and the Methodist Church and White Swan car parks.

We are getting near that exciting time of the year when the Norfolk Food Festival kicks off.

You can read more about the festival on their website.

The sausages are always one of the main attractions. The public try the sausages and vote for their winner. This year the tasting is taking place on the 25th September between 9.30am and 3pm.

So far there are 7 entrants who I know all produce amazing sausages so it’s going to be a tough decision.

As I couldn’t make it myself to Jimmy’s Farm Sausage and Beer Festival this year (due to the arrival of our second son) I asked Matt Cockin of The Fruit Pig Company if he would mind standing in and joining Tony Hadley and the rest of the judging panel in my place.

Matt’s daughter also joined him and provided some excellent photos.

Matt worked his magic with the judging and provided me with some feedback on the entrants.

Let’s hope he didn’t do too good a job as I would like to go myself next year!

Here’s what will be happening at the event:

Sausage making demonstrations
Live music from Daisy May plus lots more
Kids’ entertainment – bouncy castle, face painting, merry go rounds, nature trail activities, birds of prey, pottery painting and so much more!
Guess the weight of the pig and win a £50 Jimmy’s Farm Voucher!
Spinny Rodeo Pig
Sausage eating competition with cup prize
Sausage judging panel to select best sausage producer with cup prize
Beer judging panel to select best beer producer with cup prize
Sausage and Beer producers from around the UK

Last Thursday I was delighted to take up an invitation from the good people at Rate My Sausage to visit Kings Lynn and get involved with King of the Bangers 2010.
The first job of the evening was, very cleverly, to find the worst value sausage! This sounds grim and, to be honest, it was but it showed people what not to expect in the main event!
For me this really was not a pleasant task! I have spent the past ten years or so avoiding this type of sausage! Luckily …