Spicy Spalding Reaper sausage launched by George Adams by popular demand

A town butcher is challenging customers to see if they can handle their super-hot sausage.

The Spalding Reaper was launched at George Adams last week, and has proven popular with meat lovers so far.

The new product - which contains Georgia Reaper and Scotch Bonnet chilli peppers as well as smoky paprika - is the brainchild of butchery manager Jamie Laxton and butcher Mark Elsey.

Perhaps not a dish for people who like their food on the bland side, the Carolina Reaper is currently the world’s hottest pepper.

According to the Scoville Heat Unit, which measures spiciness, this pepper scores 2,200,00.

For context, the jalepeno measures up to 8,000.

The Scotch Bonnet is also packing heat, measuring 350,000.

The George Adams team were given the task of creating a new spicy sausage by regulars.

“It stems from a couple who come here and like their sausages really spicy,” Jamie explained.

“We made them a Red Devil, which has a kick to it, but they came back and wanted something hotter.

“They’re selling very well so far. There’s a lot of people who like a bit of spice.”

But it’s not just your sausage that could benefit from the flavour.

“It’s got a strong oil,” Mark added.

“So you can add that to your gravy or put them on your roast potatoes to add a bit of zing.”

The Crescent-based butchers prides itself on its range of sausages, from the 1910s original recipe to modern favourites such as caramelised onion, plus a series of guest flavours.

Creating new flavours really adds to the job satisfaction for Jamie and Mark.

“It’s a good feeling coming up with new ideas and seeing customers enjoy them,” added Jamie.

“We bounce off each other and come up with new suggestions and see how we can add to them.

“Butchery is a passion. For us it’s not just a piece of meat, it’s an artform and a way to express ourselves.”

Set to launch next will be a Shropshire Blue and Port flavour which Mark jokingly calls a ‘cheeseboard sausage’.