BRILLIANT BANGERS
Taken from this month’s Cotswold Life magazine
The humble sausage gets an upgrade for autumn
As I write, the rain, that started in the early hours is just getting heavier and my road has now turned into an impromptu river. Definitely time to admit we are not getting the Indian summer we all felt we were entitled to this year. Time to admit defeat and put the BBQ away.
If you, like me, struggle to make that psychological shift from summer to autumn, there’s one food I’ve discovered can help ease the transition – sausages. Yes, really! You might have barbecued the life out of them all summer to stuff into cardboard-like finger rolls for the masses, but now you can really enjoy them – Cumberlands with mash and onion gravy; thick cut pork sausages stuffed into toad in the hole; chipolatas chopped into tomatoey pasta.
You see, no matter how refined we think our tastes are, we have more of a penchant for sausages than we might readily acknowledge. Why? For one, they are the ultimate delicious comfort food; two, they are genuinely affordable and three, they are just so versatile. What’s not to love?
But, before you think I’m talking about a ubiquitous shrink-wrapped package of pork fingers, I would just add that not all sausages are equal. This is something I have discovered over time – from my days of growing up in the area when my autumn highlight was the hot dog slathered in mustard and onions at the Tewkesbury MOP fair to my dealings with local pork producers today, I now realise that what goes into a sausage is directly related to the amount of pleasure I derive from it.
That’s why I would say that the only place to buy sausages is from a local butcher or a producer who makes their own. Somewhere you can ask about the ingredients and trust the answer! They are definitely the one food I would say it’s not worth cutting corners on - pay that bit extra and you’ll really notice the difference.
There are plenty of producers in the Cotswolds who pride themselves on their award-winning, home-produced sausages, but finding your favourite is a bit like supporting a football team – once you’ve picked a side, it’s very difficult to be persuaded elsewhere.
The variety of sausages and recipes is immense, so, why not venture out during UK Sausage Week from 28th October-3rd November and try some of the local contenders - you might just snag a new favourite!
The Cotswolds is full of award-winning butchers putting their own spin on sausages but it would take a whole magazine to tell you about them all! So, for the purposes of this feature, I’m going to focus on one of our favourite suppliers at Warner’s Supermarkets, Todenham Manor Farm, which do an impressive, ever-changing range.
As well as the core sausage varieties (Pork; Pork & leek; Chipolatas), the butchers at this popular farm, shop and butchery like to shake things up a bit with new recipes every now and again. Here are some of the current sausage varieties for autumn:
SAUSAGE SAMPLING
Hawkestone Cider sausage: hot on the heels of the success of Jeremy Clarkson’s popular farm show and new pub opening, Todenham’s butchers developed this new recipe using Clarkson’s own label cider. Created by soaking apple and pork in Hawkstone Cider, it gives the sausage a lovely moist texture and sweet appleyness.
Boerewors: otherwise known as South African Farmer’s sausage, this newcomer to the range requires a lengthy process to make. It is made in a traditional spiral shape, with a secret blend of spices - the only thing the Todenham butchers have divulged is that it includes cinnamon!
Cheese & Marmite sausages: this is such an obviously good flavour combination, I wonder how anyone hasn’t come up with this recipe before! It does what it says on the tin – pork sausages embellished with cheese and marmite – the perfect thing for a sausage sandwich!
Black Pudding & Pork sausage: when you have on-site butchers with years of experience, you can create daring recipes like this! Definitely not oner for the squeamish but just imagine those weekend breakfast fry-ups…
Find out about the latest seasonal sausage recipes by contacting the farm at todenhammanorfarm.co.uk.