Magical duo Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee award Yorkshire’s best banger

Nov 6 2009 by Nick Lavigueur, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A MAGICAL partnership unveiled an award-winning banger – and new farm shop.

TV legends Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee stopped off in the Colne Valley yesterday to crown Yorkshire and Humberside’s best sausage maker.

The duo have been on a nationwide quest to find Britain’s best bangers as part of British Sausage Week.

Champion butcher Simon Haigh, who recently beat 240 other butchers to the ‘Banger of the Year’ title, was handed the regional prize for the most magical banger – a humble pork sausage.

Mr Haigh was joined by his business partners, Andrew Whitwam and Luke Haigh, at their soon-to-be launched Bolster Moor Farm Shop above Golcar.

Paul, 71, whose BBC magic show ran from 1979 to 1994, said he’d already been sampling tasty sausages all week and had particularly enjoyed a pork and marmalade one.

“I’m a big big fan of organic meat,’’ he said. “We’ve been all over the country to Southampton, Bristol, Nottingham.

“Tomorrow, it’s to Newcastle and then I’m going to bed.”

But fans of the diminutive magician – who once owned Mother Shipton’s Cave in Knaresborough – will be disappointed to hear that his TV career is over.