WOULD you be able to tell the difference between horse meat and beef? We went out on the streets of Ipswich to find out.

Ipswich Star: People in Ipswich were invited to try beef sausages then compare them with horse sausages in a blind taste test to see if they could tell which was which. Ashley Hart tries the samples.People in Ipswich were invited to try beef sausages then compare them with horse sausages in a blind taste test to see if they could tell which was which. Ashley Hart tries the samples. (Image: Archant)

The ongoing controversy surrounding the discovery of horse in some beef-based ready meals shows no sign of abating but we wanted to know what people really think about the issue.

Ipswich Star: Ugis Miltinas (left), with reporter Elliot Furniss, tries a horsemeat sausage.Ugis Miltinas (left), with reporter Elliot Furniss, tries a horsemeat sausage. (Image: Archant)

We took to the streets of Ipswich to find out if people would be prepared to try Berwickshire’s Kezie Foods finest horse sausages.

Shoppers were given a blind taste test, presented with a tasty beef banger bought from a nearby supermarket and a slice of grilled horse sausage.

Most were able to spot the sausage made from beef, but the overall response to the horse meat variety was largely positive.

Ryan Davidson, 22, from Chantry, quickly identified the unusually-flavoured sausage.

“I think the worst thing is knowing that it’s horse – if it was in a shop you wouldn’t know any difference, would you?” he said. “Then again, what’s so bad about horse?

“It’s alright, it’s just the name puts you off – I watch my horses win on the telly, I don’t expect to eat it.”

Will Keeble, 15, from Blaxhall, was happy to take part and said he would eat pretty much anything.

He added: “There’s not much difference. I would probably say the beef is the nicest. I’ll try any food.”

Stephen Sugrue, 18, of Stratford St Andrew, said he would be putting a pack of horse sausages “straight in his basket” if he spotted them in the supermarket.

“I prefer the beef but I think the horse is nice,” he confessed. “I think if people were told it was horse, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Ashley Hart, 43, of Ipswich, was unable to identify the horse sausage and said he thought the news coverage of the scandal had been “blown out of proportion”.

He said: “It’s very strange – it’s rare for me to try something I don’t like the look of or know. They’re not bad.”

Andrew Johnstone, 45, and Julie Hendry, 55, were visiting Ipswich for the day and Julie said she found the horse meat “a lot heavier and more coarse” than the beef.

She said: “Flavour-wise it’s fine, it’s just heavier. I’ve not knowingly had horse before.”

However, George Ohugbe, 42, from Ipswich, was quick to identify the horse sausage and immediately said it was “not nice” and that he certainly wouldn’t be trying it again.

n Would you buy horse meat for your family? Write to Your Letters, Ipswich Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN. E-mail starletters@archant.co.uk