It’s official. Blairgowrie is in the grip of a banger boom.
The town’s new specialty sausage shop, Toad in the Hole, has been a runaway success since its launch 10 days ago.
It has sold out of sausages every single day it opened, despite bosses upping their meat order every time.
And onlookers said the queues outside on Saturday were like nothing Blairgowrie had seen before.
What’s all the fuss about?
The Courier joined the hungry hordes waiting in line for Toad in the Hole to re-open on Wednesday morning to find out.
Toad in the Hole queue members taking no chances
By the time we got to the shop on Blairgowrie’s High Street at 9.45am, there were already seven people queuing outside.
Pandora Bateman was at the front of the line and had secured her slot at 9.30am.
“I came here last week and the queue was even longer,” she said.
“It was right up the street, I couldn’t believe it.”
June Crawford arrived just after Toad in the Hole sausage-maker Aaron Young turned the shop sign to ‘open’ at 10am.
She was another who was back for more.
“They were cleared out of sausages when I came last week, so I got the sausage rolls,” she said.
“They were absolutely beautiful. There was so much filling inside my husband had a job finishing his.”
Katie Morrison was also taking no chances this time.
She had been sent with strict instructions not to come home without six sausage rolls and eight regular sausages.
“My mum chivvied me out the door this morning and said get there early, there’ll be a queue,” she said.
Does Toad in the Hole do deliveries… to New Zealand?
Madeleine and Sophie O’Neill might well have been the furthest travelled fans.
The New Zealand sisters are staying with their aunt in Blairgowrie.
“We saw the big line on Saturday and thought we should come early,” said Madeleine.
“I brought my sister so we could carry more between us.”
Diane and John Johnston hadn’t travelled quite as far.
But the Kettins couple had already had to return home empty-handed three times after the shop sold out of sausages.
This time they went away happy with four of each of that day’s selection – plain breakfast, date and ginger, tomato and basil and porcini mushroom and garlic – plus a couple of sausage rolls for luck.
It’s a 12-mile round trip from Kettins to Blairgowrie, so they’d clocked up 48 miles for their bag of bangers. But they couldn’t be happier with their spoils.
“Fourth time lucky,” grinned Diane.
“Next time we’ll try something different.”
Brian Doyle had travelled from Meikleour, five miles away, and was also hoping to strike gold on his fourth attempt.
“I came on Saturday and the queue was stretched right up to the Factory Shop,” he said.
“This is my fourth try. They’ve been sold out every time.
“I don’t know what’s so amazing about them, but hopefully this time I’m going to find out.”
‘People are asking for sweatshirts’
Behind the counter Aaron and wife Olivia were keeping the queue moving and eyeing the shrinking trays of bangers.
The Blairgowrie beekeeper started experimenting with hand-made sausages at home, before he and Olivia decided to take the plunge and open their own shop in the former laundrette at 60a High Street.
They reckon they have more than 20 tried and tested recipes to roll out, and plan to offer three special flavours and a regular breakfast sausage every day.
“It’s incredible,” said Aaron.
“I got home from making sausages at 2.30am and was back in the shop at 5.30am.
“We should have enough to keep us going till tomorrow, but I think we’re going to have to try to place an emergency meat order before the weekend.”
Meanwhile, Olivia was wrapping customers’ purchases and adding Toad in the Hole stickers to every package.
She’s an artist and is thrilled her logo, featuring a toad riding a delivery bicycle, has been a hit too.
“We might have to do badges next,” she said.
“People have been asking us if we do Toad in the Hole sweatshirts.”
For opening times and varieties follow Toad in the Hole on Facebook.
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