Cumberland Sausage

All about Cumberland Sausage

There are many and varied varieties of Cumberland Sausage on the market at the moment, but if you are looking for some of the old fashioned stuff with no artificial colourings or preservatives then you have come to the right place.

Here is a bit of history for you regarding good old fashioned Cumberland Sausage.

About 45 years ago, a gentleman Butcher by the name of Billy Clague, was the manager at the Co-operative Butchers in Workington, Cumberland. He had been making Cumberland Sausage since the 1920’s. One of his apprentices Rodney Flett, himself from a family of Farmers and Butchers was learning the finer points of Master Butchery. Part of that training was how to make the famous “Cumberland Sausage”

This involves using only natural ingredients and selected cuts of pork. It does not contain any added coloring or preservatives. (OK so adding chemicals might make the product look more attractive, and give it a longer shelf life, but if its real Cumberland Sausage you are looking for, then I guess you don’t want any additives). The meat is cut by hand and great care is taken to ensure there is no gristle (you know, those bits associated with sausages which stick between your teeth) The seasonings are prepared from a variety of spices and herbs (non of that pre-prepared stuff out of a packet) Once minced together the ingredients are mixed and filled by hand into natural pork casings.

Rodney developed into a very skilled and accomplished butcher, and was head hunted by a chain of butchers shops in London, running a large establishment in the famous Chiswick High Street. The beauty and tranquility of Cumberland however eventually tempted him back to the West coast of Cumberland where in 1969 he opened his own butchers shop in Murray road, Workington. In 1977 his son Stuart, (that’s me!) joined the family business. Over the years he demonstrated the skills and abilities required to be entrusted with the carefully guarded recipe for Cumberland Sausage. Over the next 30 years, FLETTS Cumberland Sausage was widely respected in the area and was sold all over the country, taken home by the boot load by visitors who had tasted the local delicacy and wanted to share their discovery with friends and relatives.

At the dawn of the new millennium Rodney decided it was time to take a rest. Stuart had left the family business and moved to Barrow-in-Furness to pursue a career in the public sector. Rodney decided it was time to hang up his knives and looked forward to his retirement.

At the prospect of not being able to have any more FLETTS Cumberland Sausage, Stuart decided to invest in a small sausage filler in order that he could keep his freezer stocked. He made a bit of sausage to the old recipe and tried it out on friends and colleagues at a summer barbeque. Whether or not this was a wise thing to do is still in debate. So impressed were his guests that he was persuaded to make a bit more…then some more…then some more…then a whole bunch of it…..and things took off somewhat. A local Butcher and Baker heard of his enterprise and invited him to use his facilities. He is now making Cumberland Sausage on a regular basis to keep his friends and colleagues satisfied.

Rodney didn’t have much of a retirement. He had made the mistake of leaving his telephone number in the local directory. His old customers forced him to come out of retirement to make Cumberland Sausage. One of his old customers “The Chicken Shop” Vulcan’s Lane, Workington, invited him to utilize their premises. He now works from there and is concentrating solely on Cumberland Sausage to satisfy his old and faithful customers. (And a few dozen new ones)

The recipe and method of production has not changed in all those decades, so if you want a real old fashioned Cumberland Sausage then you can be confident that there is still someone out there who knows how to make it.

Rodney’s main customer base is Hotels, Guest Houses and Restaurants catering for the tourist trade in West Cumbria and The Lake District. His private customers know however, that they can pop into the Chicken Shop at any time and there’ll all be some fresh sausage available.

If you are interested, give him a call;

01900 604953

0797 979 1725

I would like to express my gratitude to Martin and Helen at “The Farmshop” Baycliffe. They have been so kind as to allow me to use their facilities. They are a superb organisation that has a chain of Butchers and Bakers in the Furness and South Cumbria area. They produce all their own products from cooked meats to home cured bacon. They have premises in Ulverston Indoor Market, Portland Walk Barrow, Walney Island, and the Farmshop itself at Baycliffe near Ulverston. Give them a try, you won't regret it. (They also do a nice line in Sausages too)

01229 869257

Useful Links (as opposed to Sausage links)

Made in Cumbria

Cumbria message board

Contact Information

E-mail address

Fletts@cumberland-sausage.co.uk

Web address

http://www.cumberland-sausage.co.uk

Contact telephone numbers

Rodney Flett: 01900 604953

Rodney Flett: 0797 979 1725

Stuart Flett: 0781 020 1352

Last revised: Date 12 04 04

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