THE search is on for the tastiest bangers made by butchers and producers in the West Midlands.

Regional food group Heart of England Fine Foods is inviting entries for the title of tastiest breakfast sausage and tastiest speciality sausage.

The competition is run in conjunction with Farmhouse Breakfast Week, from January 21-27, a promotion by the Home Grown Cereals Authority to highlight the benefits of the most important meal of the day.

With the Heart of England boasting a host of orchards, a concurrent taste test will be running to find the West Midlands tastiest apple juice in the Cox variety. for which entries are also invited.

Lynn Wood, who is organising the event for HEFF, said: "This has always proved to be a very effective way of getting small, local producers into the spotlight and putting hearty, wholesome food and drink on the breakfast menu.

"On another level, the competition brings together some of the region's best chefs, all passionate about using local produce, to judge at the county sizzle-offs, which encourages dialogue between restaurants and producers and in some cases can lead to new business.

"Sausages are one of Britain's best loved foods so this is sure to be a popular and hard-fought contest."

The Hereford and Worcester Sizzle-Off is on Tuesday, January 16, at the AGA Shop, Kidderminster. The Warwickshire Sizzle-Off is on Thursday, January 18, at the AGA Shop, Stratford.

A grand final is at the AGA Shop, The Mailbox, Birmingham, on Thursday, January 25.