MUNCASTER Castle saw the return of the Sausage Festival on the May Bank Holiday weekend. 

Thousands flocked to the historic site to enjoy food, live entertainment, and everything else that the castle is famous for.

There was a range of food vendors serving their take on the popular food staple. 

Customers could enjoy Jamaican, South African, Turkish, and also locally inspired food. 

Whitehaven News: A sausage dog A sausage dog (Image: Muncaster Castle)

Sausage makers battled it out with one another to be crowned the overall champion of the year. 

People were able to vote for their favourite sausage with a ballot paper provided by Muncaster Castle. 

Whitehaven News: People enjoy the attractions People enjoy the attractions (Image: Muncaster Castle)

The event proved to be a major success and staff at Muncaster were delighted with just how well the event went. 

Ewan Frost-Pennington, of Mucaster Castle, said: "We've had a fantastic time, the entries from the sausage makers were really good this year. 

Whitehaven News: Vendors prepare the food Vendors prepare the food (Image: Muncaster Castle)

"The competition was fierce, and we've had a lot of good feedback about the quality of the contestants. 

"We've had a lot of people come along and it looks like it's going to be a record year for us. 

"We've had excellent feedback, although it was bad weather on Saturday and our lawn is now very muddy, people have seemed to see the positive side of it and embraced it. Sometimes when you get a rainy day here people can get a bit grumpy, but they all seem to have embraced it which was nice. 

Whitehaven News: An aerial shot of the festivalAn aerial shot of the festival (Image: Muncaster Castle)

"We had the usual attractions like the bird display and Weapon's Hall, which had its busiest day ever on Saturday. 

"We've had the castle open and the gardens looking their best but on top of that, we've had lots of wonderful food vendors and sausage makers, along with Taste Cumbria and Crafted in Cumbria."

This year Muncaster Castle made a point of encouraging people to bring along their dogs. 

They held a Sausage Shaped Dog Competition which proved to be a success. 

Whitehaven News: The crafters' market The crafters' market (Image: Muncaster Castle)

Mr Frost-Pennington continued: "The competition was one of the most popular things and it's been really nice to have so many dogs here. 

"On Sunday all three of the winners were sausage dogs."