CHILDREN in Reception at Wellington Prep School have enjoyed an al fresco sausage-making masterclass and ‘Sausage Sizzle’ barbecue at their Forest School with Chris Potter of Tim Potter Family Butchers.

The Sausage Sizzle was part of a year-long celebration of 20 years of Wellington Prep School, with the launch of a special ‘Wellington Sausage’.

The school has joined forces with Tim Potter family butchers in Wellington to create the Wellington Sausage and 30 per cent of profits from sales will go towards providing curriculum enrichment activities and equipment for children at the school.

Chris Potter showcased his sausage-making skills to the four- and five-year olds in a pop-up field kitchen at the forest school a short distance from the school. He commandeered ‘Sydney the Sausage Making Machine’ to involve the children in a sausage-making demonstration where they were involved in creating the Wellington Sausage pork mince mix, seasoned with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

The children saw how natural casings are first soaked in water to reduce the salt, then filled by hand-winding the handle of the machine to create the Wellington Sausage, then hand-tied ready to rest for 24 hours before being ready to eat. Headmaster Adam Gibson, who attended the Sausage Sizzle, said: “At Wellington Prep School we pride ourselves on rich and varied curriculum enrichment.

“It’s great for the children to see how sausages are made from scratch, and how it is possible to cook in such a rural environment on charcoal to create a tasty treat.

“We will be serving the Wellington Sausage at events throughout the year to celebrate 20 years of Wellington Prep School. We look forward to welcoming Chris to perform a further sausage-making demo to the whole school in a special 20th anniversary headmaster’s assembly.”

Chris said: “At Tim Potter family butchers we love getting involved with our local community and supporting education. Collaborating with Wellington Prep School to create the Wellington Sausage and giving sausage-making demonstrations to pupils underpins these values.

“I am extremely passionate about sausage-making and hope to enter the Wellington Sausage in the UK Sausage Week national competition next October – it may even secure the Champion of Champions title I won in 2015!”