SAMPLE SAUSAGES IN LOWER SAXONY

The German state has a long history of pig farming, making it great for sausages. There’s no official trail, but this route takes in a couple of sausage hotspots that are easily linked up by train or car. The winters are wet here, but if you’re keen to sample sausage dishes involving kale, you’ll need to time your trip for after the first frost in November.

GETTING STARTED: Begin at the farmers’ market in Göttingen with an eichsfelder feldgieker, an air-dried sausage. Next, head north to Braunschweig for bregenwurst, a fatty pork sausage that used to contain pig or cattle brain (now forbidden) and is eaten with stewed kale. In Hannover, order knipp, a delicious mush of pork-and-oatgroats sausage served with bread or potatoes and a fried egg. DON’T MISS: Butcher Karen Klemme, at Hannover’s historic indoor market. She stocks an impressive selection of regional and international sausages.