Discover Newmarket has always warmly welcomed groups to the Home of Horseracing but after a tough year they wanted to make sure coach operators knew just how much they were valued. To show their appreciation, Discover Newmarket, the town’s tourism organisation, came up with the idea of presenting each coach organiser with a Welcome Bag containing two pounds of the town’s famous Newmarket sausages!  Newmarket has missed its groups visitors and by offering something original, they hope to capture the attention of group organisers and encourage bookings for both this year and next. Working with Powters sausages, one of the town’s High Street butchers, the packs of sausages come in their own cool bag, alongside a Discover Newmarket branded jute bag.

The history of the Newmarket sausage goes back to when pigs were traditionally kept by racing stables to graze on stable scraps and from Victorian times butchers developed their own special sausage recipes. It became tradition to take home sausages after visiting Newmarket races and the dozen or so butcher’s shops in the town struggled to keep up with demand. Their sausages were a sought after commodity and today Newmarket has three butchers, one of which received the Royal Warrant in 1907 to supply the Royal household. Indeed, the Queen Mother was known to regularly divert to Newmarket on her way to Sandringham to pick some up!

Sausages are also traditionally given as a prize to the winner of the Town Plate, Newmarket’s oldest horse race, dating back to 1666. The race was instigated by King Charles II, who after winning the first running stated that the race should be run ‘forever’. Once one of the most prestigious races in the land, the Town Plate is now a pinnacle of glorious historical eccentricity, competed for by true amateurs.

Discover Newmarket welcomes groups of all sizes and specialises in arranging tailored packages. With their bank of expert guides, you can be assured of an enjoyable and entertaining experience.

For more information about visiting Newmarket and the amazing array of guided tours available, email admin@discovernewmarket.co.uk or browse our Groups page for ideas and inspiration.