Surrey Mirror September 1st, 2005

New Sausage role for our apprentice chef Stephanie

It is fair to say it isn't the most glamorous of hobbies, but with a huge tub of minced meat and a little imagination, sausage-making could soon catch on.

Mirror reporter STEPHANIE TURNER reveals hidden talents.

OSNEY Lodge Farm, in Byers Lane, South Godstone, is spearheading a new business venture that is a one-off in this country.
Following countless requests from customers for equipment, ingredients and the knowledge to make their own sausages, farm owner Graham Page soon got to work.

He tracked down an American sausage-making machine company and is now the sole UK supplier of the equipment.

Accepting an invitation to test my skills on one of the machines, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Donning a white butcher's coat and a fetching white hat, I took my position behind the machine and went to a sausage-making class.

Graham, a father-of-two, said:
"A lot of people are a little wary at first, but by the end of the class we can't get them off the machines. The reason people people like it is because they all want to know exactly what they are eating. When you buy sausages from a supermarket you don't have a clue what is inside them. Here we have 62 different varieties and people can choose exactly what they want."

Watching master butcher Roy Maynard in action, it looked so easy and within minutes he produced a perfect string of sausages. Teasing the skins on to the machine I couldn't help but giggle like a naughty schoolgirl. But, as Graham says, having a bit of fun is what sausage-making is all about.

"It's so informal," he said. "I have to do the essential health and safety lecture at the start, but after that everyone has a great time. There's nothing to be frightened of. It's a lot easier than you think. We can guarantee that people will have a laugh and be able to make their own sausages by the end of the course."

Carefully twisting the machine's wheel to eject some of the Cumberland mix, it didn't take long to get the hang of it and I was soon whipping out a rather impressive, if not a little bumpy, length of sausage meat. However, Graham did admit I was above average for a first time sausage-maker: But then came the tying. Artistically twisting and knotting the sausages does take a bit of concentration but, it has to be said, I think I have a hidden talent.

Many customers are sure to cash in on their new-found sausage-making skills but Graham isn't concerned.

He said:
"We can't make enough sausages as it is. We work flat out making them. People come from all over the place for the course and it's not likely that they will stop buying sausages because they have bought a machine. Sausage-making is fun for the customers and it is a thoroughly enjoyable business for us. It is a basic idea that has mushroomed much quicker than we thought."

The course costs £52. For more information contact 01342 892216.