Hannan Meats spices up the sausage business

Hannan Meats, the multi award-winning Northern Irish meat processor, has launched the first in a new generation of sausages.

The company, which is based at Moira in county Down, has teamed up with top chef Paul Clarke to develop a spicy Mexican Chipotle pork sausage on the back of its success in creating a new Italian sausage.

Hannan Meats, winner of the Northern Ireland regional Golden Fork in the recent 2017 UK Great Taste Awards in which the company, owned and managed by meat expert Peter Hannan, is breathing new life into sausages by focusing on flavour-rich sausages with quality meat. An 0.45kg pack retails at £2.97

Clarke, managing director of En Place Foods, based at Cookstown in county Tyrone and part of the Hannan's growing base of innovative food businesses, created a selection of sausage flavours using a combination of dry spices and pastes.

The two food pioneers are also behind Craic Foods, a company, also based at Moira, that's focuses on innovative solutions for top chefs and leading restaurants.

Mr Hannan, commenting on the new sausages, says: "Our hot Italian sausage proved to be an outstanding success and has attracted business from customers in the UK and Ireland. The new En-Place pastes enable us to get a deeper and more natural flavour into the sausage.

"These sausages are our response to the growing interest in the rich and colourful flavours of Mexico," he adds.

The creation of new sausage flavours follows the company's success in reviving interest in gourmet burgers, another traditional favourite for high-end customers including Fortnum and Mason in London, the first retailer to launch the company's premium Glenarm Shorthorn beef burger as well as the Stockburger restaurant chain in Britain.

Hannan Meats is Northern Ireland's most 'decorated' catering butchers in major awards such as Great Taste and World Steak Challenge. The company has won more than 200 gold stars in the Great Taste Awards along with two Supreme Champion titles, in 2012 and 2016. It has won the Northern Ireland regional Golden Fork in five out of the last six years.