Super sausages

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Posted at 4:30PM, 23 March 2009 by Carol Wilson - Food writer

Not all that long ago the choice of sausages was limited to pork or beef and possibly tomato, if you had an adventurous butcher. But now the sky's the limit when it comes to sausages, with enterprising manufacturers and butchers creating a huge range of innovative speciality sausages, such as pheasant and wild boar, duck and orange, beef and ale, venison and calvados, pork and Stilton, lamb and rosemary, pork, whisky and thyme and pork and banana - to name just a few!

We've certainly come a long way since good old 'bangers' and mash. Nowadays there are hundreds of sausage varieties, including those made with organic and rare breed meats, which are steadily increasing in popularity and which have given rise to sausages appearing in sophisticated gourmet-style dishes. In the last few years sausages made from exotic meats such as kangaroo, impala and ostrich have also become available.

Despite all these weird and wonderful flavours, my personal favourite is Cumberland sausage

Yet, despite all these weird and wonderful flavours, my personal favourite is Cumberland sausage, which is still considered the meatiest type - a chunky, coarse-cut sausage spiced with black and white pepper, it's traditionally made in a continuous spiral and is sold by length rather than weight.

I always look for top-quality plump sausages with a high meat content (80% or more) and natural skins. Cheap sausages are best forgotten about; their low meat content is bulked out with skin and gristle, cereal, water, colourings and flavourings - not very appetising!

Tasty and versatile sausages can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks and they're delicious eaten hot or cold, particularly at picnics and barbecues. Sausages make inexpensive filling meals too. I like to try out different types of sausage in Toad in the Hole, sausage rolls and Scotch Eggs and they're also very tasty casseroled with cider or beer. Never prick sausages - they should be cooked slowly (to ensure that the skins don't burst) until cooked through, but still juicy and succulent. By the way, in Britain, sausages got the nickname bangers because they used to contain so much water they exploded when fried!

We certainly love sausages - an astonishing 5 million are consumed every day in the UK. There's a national sausage week as well as regional and national competitions to find the best sausages in Britain, culminating in the 'Champion of Champions' award for the supreme sausage. What's your favourite sausage?

Comments

James

23 March 2009, 6:09PM
James

Go mexican - toad in the mole made with pork & chilli sausages.

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Nicola

24 March 2009, 7:54AM
Nicola

Mmmmm, I love sausages! Any type really...Im not that fussy! Either with mashed potatoes and peas, with onion gravy or in a casserole. Sometimes even in a pie!

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Suzanne

24 March 2009, 1:13PM
Suzanne

The best sausages I've ever eaten are made by Superquinn supermarkets in Ireland, handmade on the premises using top quality Irish pork, seasoned to perfection, absolutely amazing. I love them and miss them now I live in the UK.

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Ermintrude75

24 March 2009, 7:46PM
Ermintrude75

We have an excellent local sausage maker - Pickering's - who do an incredible range, everything from Thai-spiced to game to traditional pork. They also do gluten-free sausages. My favourite are the Norwich sausages, made with Colman's mustard and Woodforde's Wherry beer, but frankly nothing from Pickering's has ever disappointed me! Also worth a mention is local butcher Spurgeon's who do an award-winning traditional pork sausage. And I'm having sausage casserole for dinner! Yum :)

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robert

25 March 2009, 4:25PM
robert

My butcher makes the most fantastic sausages- really meaty and lots of different flavours. This month its pork, black pudding and bacon which is very tasty and perfect in a breakfast bread roll

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Juniper

29 March 2009, 12:02PM
Juniper

In an effort to save some money and put off a massive food shop, I've been 'recipe building' with clearing out our freezer ... this resulted in a sausage hot pot that I cooked last night, complete with sausages (of course), left over roast beef, tomatos, chilli, beef stock, dried onions (am awaiting my new veg box!) and garlic. Very tasty. I love sausages, but only the good quality ones ...

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CloClo

29 March 2009, 6:25PM
CloClo

My favourite are the pork and leek one from waitrose. They're are wonderful in toad in the hole. But then, for a sausage sandwich, there's richmonds thicks ones.

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JanetR

30 March 2009, 10:50PM
JanetR

My family like the tesco home brand they are very nice

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cherrytree

1 April 2009, 2:50PM
cherrytree

I live in Cumbria and have made these comments in various places. We are working hard to get Cumberland Sausage protected status like Stilton cheese, Parma ham and Melton Mowbray pork pies. The apologies that go under the name of a Cumberland sausage in supermarkets are a disgrace. Up here, every butcher makes his own, always to a secret recipe. The Cumberland sausage has erbs, is very peppery and crucially is sold by length. Each butcher sells it from long long coils hung up in the shop. The sooner this delicacy is protected the better.

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Alison

2 April 2009, 5:17PM
Alison

I'm living in Toronto at the moment, and last night I had pasta with the most beautiful sausages from a local butcher. They were bolognese sausages, thick and fat and full of herbs, tomato and red wine, as well as really good quality pork. First good sausage this side of the Atlantic!

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feefeescotty

28 May 2009, 4:09PM
feefeescotty

We love Richmond Irish Recipie you can't beat them on a breakfast, in a casserole or with good old fashioned mash!!

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ACTINIA

11 July 2009, 11:51PM
ACTINIA

The best sausages available are made by a Lancashire butcher trading in St Annes on Sea, Paul Edwards, they are without a doubt the best I have ever come across for taste, texture, and sheer desirability when cooked, "give me 16 of your finest please Paul " thats Saturday and Sunday sorted! then "!!!!

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