Gluten-free product from artisan meat business

Buchanan's, an artisan beef, pork, bacon and poultry producer in Northern Ireland, has launched new premium gluten-free sausages.

The small producer, which is based on a family farm at Upperlands in county Derry, has developed the new gluten-free product using locally sourced premium ingredients.

"We've developed what we consider a top of the range and delicious sausage using ribeye beef, dry-cured smoked bacon, fresh garlic, fennel seeds, white pepper and a pinch of salt to offer customers a great taste experience," says Jonathan Buchanan, founder and managing director of Buchanan's. "The product, furthermore, is handmade without any fillers," he adds.

The new gluten-free sausage product is the latest innovation from the small farm-based producer which has won UK Great Taste Awards for its free-range turkey meats and dry-cured bacon.

The company was established in 1990 by Jonathan and wife Lois to rear and market free range turkeys for local butchers and delis and also for sale in markets around Northern Ireland.

In addition to producing award-winning turkeys for the Christmas and Easter seasons, the small business has a growing reputation for a range of highly innovative meats including dry-cured bacon that's cured over traditional Irish peat which he harvests from a bog near Bellaghy, the homeland of celebrated poet Seamus Heaney.

"Coming up with new products and different flavours is the way we try to stay ahead in what is a fiercely competitive industry for artisan producers," he says. "The new sausage is our first venture into gluten-free and is a recognition of the growing demand in Northern Ireland and further afield for such products.

"We've taste-tested the sausages at farmers' markets in Northern Ireland and received very positive feedback from shoppers," he adds.

The company already has a reputation for producing excellent turkey products including meat aged in a small Himalayan salt chamber that he constructed on the farm. He also built and kitted out his own farm shop.