A SAUSAGE that combines the great British banger with baked beans was launched yesterday.

High quality sausage maker Manor Born, of Thirsk, North Yorkshire, is hoping to tickle the tastebuds with its pork and Heinz Baked Bean sausage - a tomato-flavoured pork sausage that contains baked beans.

It is the first time Heinz has granted a licence for its baked beans to be used as an ingredient.

Andrew Keeble, who runs Manor Born with his wife, Debbie, said: "We were trying to come up with a sausage that would appeal to children and adults alike, to provide a tasty and healthy meal solution.

"We felt that sausage and beans was such a great combination that we had to develop this new line."

It is billed as having 50 per cent less fat than a standard pork sausage, and Mr Keeble believes the sausage will prove a hit with children, parents and students, as well as revolutionising snacks and barbecues.

"The market appeal is very wide from students who want to minimise their washing up to people living on their own who wouldn't eat a whole tin of baked beans," said Mr Keeble.

The sausages arrived on supermarket shelves yesterday and follow the success of a Colman's Mustard sausage launched by the company last March.

No figures were available last night on what the deal could mean to Manor Born, in terms of jobs or turnover.

But the Keebles are known to be planning more sausages combining prime pork with household brand names.

The couple set up Manor Born in 1999. Based on Thirsk Industrial Estate, it now employs 16 staff, with a turnover last year of £1.6m. All its meat is sourced from nearby farmer Tom Bell.

It already supplies supermarkets including Sainsbury's, the Co-op, Tesco, Morrisons and Asda.