The frying pans will be out for a final hurrah as a competition with 14 years of history comes to a close at a Norwich food festival.
The organisers of this year's Norwich Food and Drink Festival have revealed the event will once again take place on Father's Day, which this year falls on Sunday, June 17.
The one-day event, sponsored by Cozens-Hardy solicitors, transforms the Forum, St Peter's Street and Bethel Street in the city centre into a celebration of the county's food and drink industry. And while it will include a smorgasbord of foodie fun and hands-on activities, it will also see the final Battle of the Bangers event.
For 14 years, the county's best butchers have battled it out in the sausage contest to be crowned winner.
Sarah de Chair, chair of Norfolk Food and Drink, which runs the festival, said: 'The Battle of the Bangers has been an integral part of the Norwich Food and Drink Festival for the last 14 years. While the festival may have moved around, grown, shrunk and grown again into the incredible celebration it is today, one thing has remained the same – the Battle of the Bangers.'
She said the popular challenge involves more than 1,000lbs of sausage meat every year.
The festival will also include an Adnams Pop-Up Festival bar, The Producers Street Market, which will have more than 40 local food and drink producers, a Foodie Fun Zone for younger visitors, a Street Food Market, cookery demonstrations, Splat the Dad and a look at state-of-the-art farming machinery with Ben Burgess.
Anna Farquharson, marketing principal of Cozens-Hardy, said they were delighted to extend their sponsorship.
'We are passionate advocates of our local food and drink industry - we are proud to have looked after generations of farming families and recognise how valuable the food and drink industry is to Norfolk,' she said.
The event has been sponsored by several firms and groups, including Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management, The RedCat Partnership, Lovewell Blake accountants, Creative Sponge, The Forum, Ben Burgess, 101 Smart Messenger, Alison Sparrow Violinist and Norwich Print Solutions.
Anna Stevenson, co-ordinator for Norfolk Food and Drink, gave 'sincere thanks' to all those who'd helped make the festival a reality.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here