Bacon giant Tulip is muscling in on the crowded ­premium sausage market with the launch of its first-ever branded sausage.

The Fuller Flavoured Sausage Company is a five-strong range of premium sausages made with freshly ground spices. The variants Pork, Toulouse, Cumberland, Thai and Sweet Chilli will go on sale in the mults from November. Tulip said the rsp would be in line with other premium sausages typically about £3 a pack. All meat used in the range is British-farmed.

Tulip said research had shown shoppers wanted sausages with a good, strong taste, but few brands currently focused on taste. "Nearly all other brands occupy the welfare or heritage space," Tulip brand controller Rob Stroud claimed.

In formulating its recipe, Tulip had focused on the key taste factors such as succulence, meatiness and seasoning, he added. "Uniquely, we are using freshly ground spices, which we believe gives a fresher, more rounded and impactful flavour."

To promote the brand, Tulip has signed up former rugby player and Celebrity Masterchef winner Matt Dawson, who also appears on packs. Dawson was "truly passionate" about the brand and the quality of the sausages, Stroud claimed, and would be "genuinely involved in how we can take the brand further." The launch would also be supported by significant promotional activity in retailers, he added.

Tulip's move into branded sausages comes after the company launched The Gammon Company, a branded range of gammon steaks with pour-over sauces, last year. The design for the Fuller Flavoured Sausage Company echoes that of The Gammon Company, and both ranges carry the same strapline, 'cook eat enjoy'.

Records with the Intellectual Property Office show that Tulip has also registered the trademarks Fuller Flavour Ham Company, Fuller Flavour Bacon Company and Fuller Flavour Gammon Company.

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