It's British Sausage Week!

There's probably not a licensee in the land, except the odd vegetarian, who isn't fond of a good old banger. After all, sausages are simple fare. They're a firm favourite with customers, they're easy to cook and are a tasty menu staple.

So there's really no excuse not to celebrate British Sausage Week which runs from November 2 to November 8. The week, which is organised by BPEX, aims to increase sales of the humble sausage and also raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, the UK's most common life-threatening inherited disease.

Magical duo Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee - the 'King and Queen of British Sausage Week 2009' - will be out and about on a special tour, generating media awareness for the week and encouraging people to enjoy sausages.

So what can pubs do to make the most of the celebrations? Tony Goodger, BPEX foodservice trade manager, says: "Sausages continue to play an important role on pub menus and are a clear favourite with diners of all ages. Even simply putting an additional sausage dish on the specials board in celebration of British Sausage Week can have a positive impact on sales."

Quality and originality​

Licensee Kevin Berkins, three-time winner of Best Pub Pork Sausage awarded by BPEX in association with The Publican at the Foodservice Sausage Awards 2009, says that when it comes to improving sausage sales or making a feature of having a sausage menu, it's all quality and originality.

Kevin, who calls himself the Heston Blumenthal of the sausage world, permanently has a menu of six specialist sausages at his two Lancashire pubs, the Fence Gate Inn in Fence and the Eagle at Barrow.

"Quality is important, but you also have to make sure you do something different," he says.

"The old days of serving up something simple, like pie and peas, have gone. You have to keep a close eye on your competition, and give people a reason to keep coming back to you. Because of the variety we serve and because of the quality, our sausage menu has done that."

Kevin won this year's pub sausage prize with a Gloucestershire Old Spot, white truffle and parsley sausage. He also scooped third prize in the innovative sausage category at the awards with a woodland mushroom, white wine and tarragon sausage.

The menu at his pubs also includes Kevin's best selling sausage, the Connoisseur, made with organic pork, apples poached in Calvados and Addlestones cider, with honey, thyme and crushed blueberries.

All varieties are served simply with red wine and onion gravy with a choice of mash, chips or bubble and squeak. Kevin also adds a weekly special to the menu, which is useful for trying out new varieties.

Sausage and mash meals, which start at £9.95, now account for about a fifth of all food sales at the pub, and the word-of-mouth publicity from customers and being surprised by the variety on offer has meant people visit specially to try them.

Sausages, even good ones, are not expensive, but still command a high price on the pub menu. And they can be cheaper still if you make your own.

Something quirky​

Matt and Jannine Clarke from the Holly Bush in Church Broughton, Derbyshire, were awarded second place in the Best Pub Pork Sausage category with their outdoor reared pork and wild nettle sausage.

Jannine says that they only started producing their own sausages at the pub after making the decision to buy whole carcasses and butcher them themselves.

"We wanted to do something quirky. When we started buying whole carcasses from a farmer down the road, the mince was a by-product. After hearing a programme on Radio 2 about how nettles were great to cook with, we had the idea for the sausages," she says.

"Sometimes we add veal and venison sausages to the menu too. It's about playing around and seeing what works and I would say, most importantly, about doing something different."

But if you haven't got the resources, know-how or simply the inclination to make your own varieties, you can of course source unusual and award-winning sausages from wholesalers, to help differentiate your menu.

For example, South West butcher Mark Etherington of the Brian Etherington Meat Company in Scorrier, Cornwall, came third in this year's Best Pork Pub Sausage competition with his pork, St Austell Tribute ale and thyme sausage. He supplies sausages to all of St Austell's pubs.

So if you're going to celebrate Sausage Week, or even make more of your sausage menu permanently, then you need to go for something unusual.

• To get your British Sausage Week fundraising pack call 0845 859 1100 or email events@cftrust.org.uk​. For more information go to www.britishsausageweek.com​