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The History of Musk’s

History of Musk's Musk's Sausages
James Musk’s Newmarket recipe has been passed down through the generations and remains a closely guarded secret.

James and Elizabeth Musk founded Musk’s in 1884, Elizabeth 10 years James’s senior was already a butcher and our 137 year old recipes is almost certainly much older! Having lived in the nearby Stechworth they moved o Newmarket and opened Musk’s. They started to sell their own brand of sausages that were made with a secret range of spices and it still remains a closely guarded today. Elizabeth Musk initially mixed the ingredients in their Stetchworth farmhouse on her kitchen work-top which was then rushed to Newmarket to be made into sausages.

The reputation of these Newmarket sausages spread and the Musk’s shop became a successful butcher, moving in 1905 from Market Street to a prime location on Newmarket High Street.

HM the Queen grants our warrant in 2005.

At the start of the 19th century our sausages were so highly sort after that Musk’s, then managed by Louis Frederick Drake, received our first Royal Warrant in 1907 granted by George (Prince of Wales later to be King George V.)It was converted to the King’s Warrant in 1911 as suppliers of Pork Products. The villagers of Stetchworth claimed that both pork and sausages were regularly shipped to Buckingham Palace and Balmoral Castle by train.
The business was then inherited by Louis Frederick's son Louis Gilbert Drake and he received further Royal Warrants in 1929 from Edward, Prince of Wales (later the Duke of Windsor), and 1965 from the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother .
The Musk’s shop finally shut it’s doors on 26 May 1979 and the secret recipe was sold to Amanda Clarke who, with her manager Mrs Waddilove, established a new delicatessen in The Rookery. This shop in turn was sold in the early 1990’s to Lord Ronaldshay, who must be given credit for building the present factory. He split the factory from the shop selling the latter to George Vesty. When Lord Ronaldshay moved back to Yorkshire the recipe was sold on to Chris Sheen, who still produces Newmarket sausages to the original recipe from a modern factory on the north side of town. A further Royal Warrant was granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2005 with deliveries being made to Sandringham in Norfolk over Christmas each year.

History of Musk's Musk's Sausages

Historical Dates

1860

1860

James Musk born in Stetchworth, s. Robert Musk (d.1891) & Lucy Henson Musk (d.1902)

1884

1884

James Musk marries Mrs Elizabeth Drake (neé Cooper). Trades from Market Street, Newmarket

1905

1905

The shop moves to Newmarket High Street

James Musk dies of pneumonia (13.12.05) – buried Dullingham church

1907

1907

Royal Warrant granted by George (Prince of Wales later to be King George V)

1911

1911

Royal Warrant converted to King George V

1929

1929

Royal Warrant granted by Edward, Prince of Wales

1965

1965

Royal Warrant granted by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother

1979

1979

Shop in High Street closes. Recipe purchased by Amanda Clarke

1984

1984

Jane Waddilove receives Royal Warrant from Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
The shop moves to Newmarket High Street

 

1993

1993

The Earl of Ronaldshay buys the company

1996

1996

Factory unit opens in Goodwin Business Park. Delicatessen sold to George Vesty

1999

1999

Company bought by Chris Sheen as a stand alone brand

2005

2005

H.M.Queen Elizabeth II grants her Royal Warrant.

2012

2012

Newmarket sausage granted Protected Geographical Indicator status (PGI).

2017

2017

Introduced new packaging highlighting Musk's quality, PGI status and of course the royal warrant.

2018

2018

Move to a bigger modern production facility at 7 Acorn Business Centre, Newmarket

2025

2025

New reduced packaging with better sustainability credentials and enhanced instore visibility and fully recyclable tray.

Musk’s have been a favourite of the Royal family for generations, having been the proud holder of four Royal Warrants since 1907.

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