Luckily they weren’t bloodcurdling yells, but squeals of joy as a group of Walcha Preschool students were learning about sausage making from butcher Jonathon Cross.

The group watched with great interest as the meat was minced, piped into casings and twisted into sausage links.

When Mr Cross asked the children who would like to be a butcher and make sausages, he was overwhelmed with the response as nearly everyone put their hand up.

Walcha Preschool co-ordinator Zoe Herbert said the excursion was organised after two children Hugo Blomfield and Freddie Street have been playing butcher shop at preschool.

They and others have set up a pretend butcher shop, preparing “meat” and selling it to their peers.

The excursion was an extension of this play-based learning.

After catching the bus back to preschool, it was time for a barbecue lunch where the children got to eat the sausages they had watched being made.