A prominent Yorkshire food manufacturer has launched a nationwide campaign encouraging football fans to bury sausages in their gardens to secure an England victory in tomorrow’s World Cup semi-final against Argentina.
Bedale-based food firm HECK! has introduced a limited-edition “England’s Lucky Sausage” retail pack featuring the slogan “bury a banger to bring it home.” The tongue-in-cheek marketing drive follows a broadcast on BBC Radio 1’s Going Home drivetime show, where hosts Jamie Laing and Katie Thistleton discussed the traditional British folklore of burying a pork sausage the night before a wedding to ensure clear weather. Laing noted on air that the superstition worked flawlessly for his own wedding to television personality Sophie Habboo.
During the broadcast, Thistleton questioned whether the cultural superstition could translate to sporting success, asking: “Could this whole sausage thing that you’re obsessed with where you bury a sausage the night before your wedding and you get good weather -could that work for the football? Could we bury a sausage the day before the England game on Wednesday and could that help England beat Argentina?” Laing agreed, encouraging listeners to “bring good vibes to England” by following suit.
In response to the broadcast, HECK! dispatched a courier to deliver a batch of premium sausages to Broadcasting House in Central London today, enabling the Radio 1 production team to perform their own burying ceremony ahead of Wednesday’s match.
The independent family business has a history with the ritual. Last year, the company launched its “Bride’s Lucky Sausages” line following a viral social media trend sparked by Emmerdale actress Mica Keeble. Ahead of her wedding to HECK! co-founder Roddy Keeble, she buried a sausage on the estate grounds to guarantee dry weather, resulting in a completely sunny wedding day. The resulting online footprint grew rapidly, leading North Yorkshire wedding venues like Thief Hall to partner with the brand to place lucky sausage packs inside bridal suites for superstitious couples.
”We know our superstitious sausage burying works so we are happy to join the Radio 1 campaign to help do whatever we can to bring England a win,” said Jamie Keeble, co-founder of HECK!. “We’ve already had our own sausage burying ceremony today in the hope it helps and we are calling on the rest of the country to get behind the team and bury a sausage.”
Fans looking to investigate the brand’s unusual match-day preparation or its core product lines can find further details at the company’s central digital hub, www.heckfood.co.uk.
