Bangers a smash !

A Scottish sausage has proved a huge success in the United States after it sold out within five minutes of appearing on a shopping channel.

More than 19,000 Galloway pork sausages were snapped up by American viewers after they appeared on QVC. TV producers immediately placed an order with Buccleuch Foods of Castle Douglas for about 50,000 more.

A spokesman for the Dumfries and Galloway company said the response in the US had been "amazing".

The initial 800 boxes - each containing 24 sausages - were bought up for $34.75 each. Neil McCole from Buccleuch Foods said the demand had been unprecedented.

"I've not seen anything like this before - it was amazing," he said. "We were confident they would sell well as people love them in Scotland but we never imagined they would go within just minutes. It's great that they proved such a tasty addition to QVC in America - it only goes to show that the great Scottish sausage is a hit wherever it's eaten."

Mr McCole said Scotland had a wealth of great foods to be proud of. "It's great that we are able to help get the word out about Scotland and the great foods we have on offer," he said.

"Scotland is already renowned around the world as a great place to visit and we want to ensure people also know that it's a great place to come and eat too."