A HYNDBURN butcher’s shop’s sausages have scored a sizzling success.

Ye Olde Sausage Shop, based in Oswaldtwistle Mills, has picked up an impressive host of gold awards after its legendary bangers impressed the judges in a hotly-contested national competition.

Owners Dave Paintin and Martin Teese were presented with nine gold certificates for a variety of their speciality sausages at the annual BPEX awards for excellence in meat products.

Martin, who has been a butcher for 18 years, said: "The proof of our sausages is in the taste and it’s great when we see the same faces coming back to buy more.

"We normally have 16 varieties of sausage available each week and we use only the freshest ingredients and local quality produce. All our products are prepared at the front of house for customers to see the whole process.

"It’s fantastic that we’ve won nine awards this year after winning eight last year. We strive to go forward each year to be bigger and better and it’s fantastic that we’ve succeeded."

Since the shop opened two and a half years ago, business has rocketed, with around 50,000 single sausages being sold on average each week, and up to 80,000 at Christmas and busy periods.

To cater for their ever-increasing number of customers, Dave and Martin are constantly adapting new recipes and ingredients and, by popular demand, have introduced a variety of ‘syn-free’ products that have been endorsed by Slimming World.

Martin said: "We have never looked back since we launched the Slimming World products. We easily get 50 per cent of our business from customers from as far away as the Isle of Man and Scotland who are following the Slimming World plan

Oswaldtwistle Mills’ managing director Boyd Hargreaves, said: "It’s fantastic to see the shop doing so well, especially when their products keep enticing people back here for more."

l Sausages that won a gold award were: brown ale and dijon mustard beef, traditional beef, the Northern Ingredient, Cumberland, old-fashioned pork, Lancashire pork, pork, spinach and ricotta, pork and leek and Cumberland young award

The latter was made and submitted by 16-year-old Jessica Leliugh who works part-time at the butcher’s.

Ye Olde Sausage Shop in the Ossy Mills food hall is open seven days a week and orders can be made by phone on 391305.