A couple who launched a new sausage shop in Blairgowrie have been blown away by the clamour for their bangers.
Sausage-maker Aaron Young and his wife Olivia opened Toad in the Hole in the Perthshire town’s High Street last Friday.
By Saturday morning, shoppers had cleared them out of all of their stock.
And it’s been the same every day they’ve opened since.
Aaron says the Blairgowrie couple had wondered if there was even a market for a shop selling nothing but freshly-made artisan sausages.
Now their biggest dilemma is how they’re going to keep up with the demand.
“We were actually worried stuff would go to waste after the first weekend,” he said.
“And then it got to Friday afternoon and we realised ‘we’re not going to have anything left for tomorrow’.
“We had enough meat left over for a few sausage rolls on Saturday morning and that was it.”
Blairgowrie sausage shop will cater for all tastes
Toad in the Hole is a whole new venture for beekeper Aaron and artist Olivia.
Aaron started making his own pork sausages from scratch at home, then invested in a small sausage-maker and started trying out various flavour combinations on friends and relatives.
When the premises on Blairgowrie High Street – a former laundrette – came up for rent, they decided to take the plunge.
Their plan is to offer at least four varieties a day, including blends like black pudding, honey and orange, mango and chilli, and the fans’ favourite, date and ginger, as well as sausage rolls.
So far, the caramelised onion and rosemary, sun-dried tomato and basil and plain breakfast sausage have also proved irresistible.
And the pair reckon they have about 20 tried-and-tested varieties they can roll out, depending on what’s in season and available.
They’ll be using only the finest pork shoulder and locally sourced ingredients, wherever possible.
They also hope to introduce a vegan and gluten-free range soon.
“I’m from Lincolnshire originally,” said Aaron.
“So I ate a lot of sausages growing up.
“We wanted to try something different, not just the traditional flavours. But we had no idea they’d be this popular.
“People have been so kind and supportive.”
Sausage shop aims to boost Blairgowrie fortunes
Aaron said Toad in the Hole has sold more than 40 kilos of sausages this week alone.
He and Olivia thought they had things covered when they doubled the meat order following the frenzy of the opening weekend.
But they re-opened for business on Wednesday and were left without a sausage by lunchtime.
By the time they returned on Thursday morning there were people queuing up outside.
And by 11.30am, the shelves were bare again.
The next meat delivery wasn’t due until Friday.
So the couple are now working flat out to ensure they have enough to replenish their stock in time for the Blairgowrie sausage shop’s second Saturday.
Aaron said he and Olivia were really grateful for all the support they have received from the community.
And they’re proud to have added another independent business to their local town centre.
“We have a couple of really good butchers in Blairgowrie and we’re absolutely not trying to compete with them,” he said.
“But I’m hoping we can all complement each other for the good of the town centre.”
Check the Toad in the Hole Facebook page for opening times and new flavours.
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