SAUSAGES with a Christmas flavour took first prize in a schools recipe competition.

The Dairy Barn Farm Shop at North Houghton, near Stockbridge, ran a contest in which schools from the surrounding area were asked to invent a banger recipe.

The different recipes were made up by Dairy Barn who then put them to the taste test with their customers.

West Tytherley Primary School cranberry packed berry banger' proved the most popular.

"It was a very seasonal recipe and it won by a mile," said farm shop owner Sue Gotting, who went along to the school with a bundle of the bangers and vouchers for two-and-a-half kilos each, which were presented to four lucky pupils.

The children received help and advice from Lynn Brand Hardy, who gives lessons and runs cookery clubs at the school.

A delighted Lynn said: "We worked as a group of eight and split it into two groups of four.

"The approach here is that if we are going to go for something, we are really going to go for it. It was an interesting project for the children and they had to write down what they were doing."

In addition to the cranberries, Tytherley' scracker of a Christmas recipe included fresh breadcrumbs, onions, pork, minced bacon, garlic and black pepper.