Lincoln butcher Kenny Roberts from Elite Meats in the Bailgate proudly displays his Lincolnshire bangers
— Updated on May 17 with comments from Lincolnshire Sausage Association and Tastes of Lincolnshire
A bid to ensure Lincolnshire Sausages are produced solely in the county was rejected this week by DEFRA.
The Lincolnshire Sausage Association made a bid for Protected Geographic Indication (PGI) in Europe to protect the traditional recipe.
This would mean no other butcher or company outside of Lincolnshire would be able to produce the famous sausage.
The Lincolnshire Sausage Association argue that supermarkets and other brands outside the county are altering the recipe too much.
Additionally, it could also bring extra tourism to the county to taste a true Lincolnshire banger.
The application has been under decision by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for the past two years.
Many variations of the recipe
DEFRA said it declined the application due to its potential to put too many jobs at risk.
Food and Farming Minister Jim Paice said: “British food is outstanding and we’re working hard to protect the local heritage of certain foods through PGI status.
“But with so many variations on the recipe, and 95% of sausages sold under the ‘Lincolnshire Sausage’ label being made outside the county, the application as it stood could have seriously damaged businesses and jobs.
“We remain open to looking at other options which would allow producers in Lincolnshire to highlight the traditional and local nature of their sausages without potentially damaging the overwhelming majority of manufacturers.”
A true Lincolnshire sausage is at least 70% pork meat, coarsely cut and mixed with rusk breadcrumbs and sage, packed in natural casings.
Too much emphasis on recipe
— Update 2: The Lincolnshire Sausage Association (LSA) said in a statement it is “devastated” to hear of Defra’s rejection of the application for PGI status.
“The LSA has spent a considerable amount of time and effort into making sure the application complied with the requirements of the articles and feel that insufficient account has been taken of all the evidence provided.
“Too much emphasis has been placed on the recipe rather than the method of production. In particular, no account seemed to have been taken of the coarseness of the mincing process which gives the true Lincolnshire sausage its bite and too much has been made of the ‘predominance of sage’.
“It appears that Defra has capitulated to large scale commercial producers, some of whom openly admit to putting no meat into their product.
“What a pity, at a time when Jim Paice is leading a delegation to China to promote our pork products to them, that he could not support one of Britain’s most iconic products, namely the Lincolnshire Sausage.
“The LSA does not believe that Defra has taken sufficient account of the strong support of the Lincolnshire people.
“Too much credence has been placed on the objectors’ claims, many of which were accredited to unnamed producers who had not objected to our application.
“Defra has failed to recognise the damage that so-called ‘Lincolnshire Sausage’ made by large manufacturers outside of the county is doing to the reputation of the genuine article.
“Support for this application from Defra would have helped to boost well over 150 small to medium enterprises in Lincolnshire – not just butchers but tourism in the county.
“We are sad and disappointed with this response and will be taking legal advice as to our next steps. We have only 10 working days to respond so we must act quickly.”
— Update 1: Tastes of Lincolnshire said in a statement: “The Lincolnshire sausage is an iconic and hugely important product for our county and we are so disappointed that it did not get the recognition it deserves and the protected geographical indication status.
“We are also hugely disappointed for our members who work tirelessly to promote provenance, food credibility and quality and contribute so much to the Lincolnshire economy.
“There may be slight variations on recipes but the importance of the individual ingredients and their inherent connection to Lincolnshire is clear.
“You only have to look at the prominence of this great Lincolnshire delicacy from our food fairs and farmers markets to our thriving autumn Sausage Festival to know that we put the sizzle into sausages.
“The Lincolnshire Sausage Association must be commended for their unstinting hard work in maintaining the profile of the product and this campaign.”
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Police have handed a ban to a person accused of persistently begging at the Carlton Centre.
The Criminal Behaviour Order is in place for three years and bans them from sitting in a position to beg and approaching people to ask for money or food.
Breaches to such bans can result in a custodial sentence.
Abbey NPT have secured a Criminal Behaviour Order on an individual for repeatedly begging on the Carlton Centre. This is in place for 3yrs and bans them from sitting in a position to beg & approaching people asking for money/food etc. Breaches can result in a custodial sentence
Begging has been an issue in the city and surrounding areas for a number of years.
Police have previously highlighted particular spots as ‘lucrative for begging’, and advised people to donate to homeless charities rather than giving directly to someone begging.
Lincoln also has an Intervention Team that combats widespread problems of begging, drug abuse and addiction in the city.
The project is currently funded by the city council, Lincoln BIG, Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner and the NHS.
Lincoln Cathedral will be transformed into Notre Dame next summer, and two leading stars are being sought to bring Victor Hugo’s Quasimodo and Esmerelda to life inside its historical nave.
Starring Lincoln Theatre Company’s The Huntchback of Notre Dame will be performed at the cathedral from May 23, 2022 for two weeks.
Anyone interested in auditioning for the lead roles should prepare a two minute film of themselves performing a musical theatre song of their choice.
Those auditioning must hold up a sheet of paper at the start of the film with their name, email and contact number.
The live link will close on June 6, 2021.
The Starring Lincoln Theatre Company gives local people, with ranging experience, the chance to be part of highly acclaimed shows. The next lead could be a Lincoln bin man with a hidden talent, or even a super star shop keeper.
The theatre group is preparing to return to the cathedral for the first time since its sell-out production of Oliver! in 2019.
Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Past performances also include Jekyll and Hyde and Jesus Christ Superstar.
There are lots of opportunities to get involved with The Huntchback of Notre Dame, from acting to production, and first rehearsals are scheduled for September.
Director Ben Poole described the lead roles, hinting that the heights of the stunning building will have a part to play in the production:
“The character of Quasimodo requires the actor to show great vulnerability, pain, and rage and capture the character’s vivid imagination and joy.
His appearance is described as hideous and physically deformed.
The character’s physical demands are for someone strong, dexterous and flexible with a head for heights required. Vocally the role suits a strong tenor, range Bb2 to Bb4. Quasimodo’s songs are challenging, moving between a belt, falsetto and pure tones. Ethnicity: All ethnicities
“Esmeralda is a free-spirited gypsy who often finds trouble for speaking her mind and standing up for what she believes in. She is described as tenacious, exquisitely beautiful, exotic, sensual. Her physicality is agile, rhythmic, assured. She is the peg upon which the story hangs. She bedazzles Quasimodo, wins the heart of the Captain and stirs agonies of lust in Frollo. The actor will be equally charismatic, magnetic and sympathetic to the audience. The vocal range suits a mezzo, range E3 to Eb5. The actor will need dance ability. Ethnicity: All ethnicities”
There have been 31 coronavirus cases in Greater Lincolnshire and no COVID-related deaths on Monday, as restrictions eased further as part of the Prime Minister’s roadmap out of lockdown.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 21 new cases in Lincolnshire, seven in North Lincolnshire and three in North East Lincolnshire.
No coronavirus deaths were registered on Monday. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
However, NHS England reported one new hospital death on Monday at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust for the first day in 10 days, bringing the Greater Lincolnshire total to 1,306 since the pandemic started.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock, speaking in the House of Commons on Monday confirmed fewer than 1,000 people are in UK hospitals with coronavirus.
National cases have increased by 1,979 to 4,452,756, while deaths have risen by five to 127,684.
Since Sunday, Greater Lincolnshire and England have seen a drop in their infections with rises in just three of the nine Greater Lincolnshire districts.
South Holland, Lincoln and North East Lincolnshire have all seen increases in their rates with the former now overtaking North Lincolnshire with the highest infection rate in Greater Lincolnshire.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates up to May 17 according to the government dashboard:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from May 10 to May 17. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
In national news, people must continue to play their part in stopping coronavirus, Boris Johnson has said, as lockdown rules ease in England, Wales and most of Scotland.
Millions can now socialise indoors in limited numbers, hug loved ones and visit pubs and restaurants inside.
Thousands of British holidaymakers have started taking advantage of the easing of lockdown rules on overseas travel also.
Travellers from England, Scotland and Wales are jetting off to some countries in what the crisis-hit tourism industry hopes is the start of a recovery.
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Monday, May 17
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
60,337 cases (up 31)
41,885 in Lincolnshire (up 21)
9,713 in North Lincolnshire (up seven)
8,739 in North East Lincolnshire (up three)
2,192 deaths (no change)
1,617 from Lincolnshire (no change)
307 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
268 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,306 hospital deaths (up one)
813 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (up one)
41 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
451 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)
4,452,756 UK cases, 127,684 deaths
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF THE LATEST UPDATE. POSTCODE DATA INCLUDES DEATHS NOT IN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES OR IN HOSPITALS OUTSIDE AUTHORITY BOUNDARIES.
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