Spa banger set to be sizzling success

Buy photos » Pork of the town! - Butcher Harry Price and landlord Simon Berry with the Droitwich Sausage. Picture by Marcus Mingins 0312038MMR1 Order this picture at www.buyphotos247.com

A DROITWICH landlord and landlady have teamed up with a local butcher to produce a special sausage which they are hoping will put both their pub and the town on the map.

Simon and Edith Berry took over at The Gardener’s Arms, Vines Lane, in November, and have been looking for a way of making their venue different from the others around it.

They then contacted local butcher Barry Price, who is based on the Droitwich Industrial Estate, and told him about their idea for a Droitwich sausage.

Edith said: “He’s a good, old fashioned butcher and was very enthusiastic about it.

“He did this and that and we experimented with the sausage until we came up with a recipe we were happy with.”

Simon said: “You can get a Cumberland sausage and a Richmond sausage, so we thought: ‘why not a Droitwich one?’.”

The banger, which features locally sourced pork, real ale and spices, has gone down a storm with local residents and pub regulars alike.

“We have had some fantastic feedback from the community - the locals have been so supportive and they love the Droitwich

Sausage.”

That, along with the other homemade food the pub has become popular for and several social events planned for this year, epitomise Simon and Edith’s ethos - to put The Gardener’s Arms back at the heart of the community.

Before arriving at the venue, Simon and Edith worked in Crete in the tourism and hospitality industry for 20 and 27 years respectively.

And they said that had taught them a lot.

“Droitwich has a lot to offer when encouraging visitors, with nature walks and wildlife, the re-opened canal and the 21-mile Worcestershire Ring.

“We are hoping the sausage will also go a long way to putting Droitwich on the map as well,” said Edith.

Now the pair have been working with council and trading standards in a bid to get the Droitwich Sausage to become a household name.

They are awaiting confirmation of the trade mark, which they hope will see their beautiful banger become a regular on the supermarket shelves.