New flavours hit the sausage market

"We recognise that it is all too easy for an industry to become attached to the familiar and get stuck in the mud,"​ explained Richard Rothon, director of Unbar Rothon.

Also found among the sausage mixes are a sweet and spicy pork, apple, leek and chilli mix and a spicy apple and black pudding mix. Completing the range are two vegetarian-friendly flavourings; smoky garlic and thyme, and parsnip honey and thyme.

Rothon added: "We have worked very hard to produce new and interesting ideas, which will make a food offer more interesting - and profitable."​

As well as the new range of sausage flavourings, the business has unrolled a series of ingredients designed for the meatballs and stuffing market.

Leading the launch is a sweet orange and tart cranberry mix. Other flavours are; leek and black pepper, red pepper and shallot, and sage and onion with a hint of black pepper.

Trend​

Unbar Rothon is not the only company that has noticed a trend for something different in the sausage market.

Snowbird Foods claims to be the leading cooked sausage and meatball supplier. Its products are fully cooked and frozen at factory stage, which allows them to be quickly reheated for the food-to-go and buffet sectors.

The standard Cumberland, Lincolnshire and pork sausages are claimed to be a prepared-to-order breakfast solution that can be microwaved from frozen.

The company has also developed a new Mini Meat Bites range, consisting of cocktail and other small sausages with pork, lamb, beef, chicken and turkey varieties.

Award-winning​

"These award-winning bites have attracted a lot of interest and their versatility has enabled us to develop a new market segment in the ingredients area,"​ said Snowbird's commercial and marketing director Roy Anderson.

As well as the mini sausages for the buffet market, Snowbird Foods has developed a pork and spiced chorizo sausage that it claims will heat in seconds in the microwave.

The sausage contains an 80% pork content and is presented in a beef collagen casing. They are made using diced chorizo and flavoured with smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, ginger, parsley and garlic.

Anderson explained: "Our chorizo is an ideal solution for those restaurants looking for a sausage that is so different their outlet will stand out from the crowd and attract repeat business."