The great British banger will be celebrated in style at a Cumbrian castle.

Visitors are invited to the three-day Cumberland Sausage Festival which is set to feature cookery demonstrations, food stalls and entertainment.

A whole programme of events has been organised at Muncaster Castle over the forthcoming bank holiday weekend from April 29 to May 1.

Peter Frost-Pennington, owner of the castle in Ravenglass, said: "It's a really great festival.

"It's not just a festival of sausages, it focuses on food and drinks in the north."

He said the festival, which is now in its third year, showcases the "wonderful artisans and butchers in the area and the heritage of the area".

Local chefs Peter Sidwell from Simply Good Food TV and the Simply Good Food Cookery School at Keswick, Gary McClure of McClures Foodservice, Kevin Hillyer, of Big Pan Man Catering and Oliver Nohl-Oser of the Cumbrian Sausage Company will be hosting cooking demonstrations, competitions and displays.

A sausage eating competition is also due to take place and there will be entertainment from the performers The Fairly Famous Family.

The festival will also welcome a range of specialist and gourmet food and drink suppliers from Cumbria and the north of England.

Included in the lineup is Taste of the Lakes, First Choice Meats which was winner of 2016’s Cumberland sausage producers award, Cumberland Sausage Club, Evie’s crepes and waffles, Lakes Distillery, Abbotts Chocolates and Secret Garden Fine Meats, which was winner of 2016’s favourite sausage award.

There will also be archery, chainsaw carving, bouncy castles, crafts, face painting, a clip 'n' climb climbing wall and Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

Mr Frost-Pennington says the usual activities will be held at the castle in addition to this weekend's programme.

He invited visitors to the attraction, saying: "Spring is a wonderful time. The first week in May is the best time to be at Muncaster to enjoy the gardens."

The Cumberland sausage is believed to be at least 500 years old and is traditionally made from chopped, rather than minced, meat, which gives the sausage a rough texture.

Individual butchers closely guard their Cumberland sausage recipe but a common ingredient is a generous portion of black pepper.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries Whitehaven was one of the busiest ports in England.

Many new and exotic spices first found their way to our shores via the port, and some became established ingredients in local products such as Cumberland sausage.