Plans for Cumberland Sausage Day

The Cumberland Sausage has a distinctive flavour and shape

Plans have been announced for the first Traditional Cumberland Sausage Day as part of a campaign to secure protected status for the Cumbrian banger.

Organisers are calling on restaurants and hotels to serve the sausages on 5 July to help support the bid.

An official application for the recipe to be granted protected status is due to be handed to the European Union.

If approved, it would prevent sausage makers outside the region using the title "traditional Cumberland sausage".

John Anderson from Made in Cumbria, which is organising the annual celebration, said: "Traditional Cumberland Sausage Day will give local people and businesses the chance to get involved in the campaign.

"It will also give more people a chance to try Traditional Cumberland Sausages made by producers around the county and find out more about this very high quality product."

The day before, a special cook-off will also be held in Carlisle city centre to find the best sausage maker.

The Cumberland Sausage Association believe the criteria for a Cumberland Sausage should be a high meat content of about 80%, the sausage to be coiled, not linked, a wider diameter than conventional sausages and a rough cut texture.