The Great British Banger

greatbritishlife.co.uk/food-and-drink/six-of-the-best-sausages-from-yorkshire-6382782

JUNE 2014

Lishman’s of Ilkley Thanks to David Lishman there is now, officially, a Yorkshire Sausage (it’s hard to believe, but there wasn’t such a thing until very recently). Welcome to Yorkshire and David, a butcher from Ilkley, led a series of Yorkshire-wide street sampling roadshows and events where over 3,500 locals helped choose the official winning Yorkshire sausage. You can find the recipe on the Welcome to Yorkshire website and the sausages in David’s shop, naturally. How good are they? Put it like this: he’s even made them for the Princess Royal. lishmansonline.co.uk

 

Cumberland sausage: This is a hefty, chunky sausage that’s easily identified, as it comes in a continuous spiral that is usually bought by length, not by weight. Spiced with pepper, this a flavorsome sausage, and an excellent all-around choice.

Gloucester sausage: As the name implies, it is made with Gloucester Old Spot Pork, nicely flavored with sage.

Lincolnshire sausage: It’s all herby and meaty, often heady with sage and sometimes a little thyme.

Manchester sausage: This herby sausage contains cloves, ginger, nutmeg, mace, and white pepper.

Marylebone sausage: Expect mace, sage, and ginger in this traditional London butcher’s sausage.

Oxford sausage: Savory with sage, a touch of marjoram, lemon, pork, and veal, this is a nicely refined sausage.

Pork and apple sausage: The apple in this pork sausage opens itself up to using cider in the mix, thus creating a lovely moist sausage much loved in the West Country.

Square slicing sausage: Also known as Lorne, it’s made from a mixture of pork and beef. Conveniently, this sausage sits very well in a sandwich and is often found on the breakfast plate.

Suffolk sausage: This coarse sausage is similar to Lincolnshire.

Tomato sausage: with its distinctive red color and light tomato flavor, it’s always a favorite with children.

Yorkshire sausage: Expect a sausage spiced with cayenne, a pinch of nutmeg, white pepper, and mace.

One would never get away with arguing that boerewors is a traditional English sausage. But it has become extremely popular in the UK and it pops up regularly in the most unlikely places.

It always contains coarsely ground beef, although lamb or pork, or a mixture of both can be added. With up to thirty percent fat, it is spiced with toasted coriander seed, black pepper, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Salt and vinegar is used as a preservative and it is packed in sausage casings in a continuous spiral similar to the Cumberland sausage. Boerewors must contain at least 90 percent meat, no offal or meat pulp.

Traditionally braaied over coals, without pricking the casing, it slips neatly into a ‘boerie roll’ which gets smothered with a tomato and onion relish. Alternatively it is eaten together with pap and relish.

The Dorset Arms on the Buckhurst Estate is home from home to the very popular Buckhurst Park sausage.

Growing up on the family estate Lord De La Warr  was ‘immensely fond’ of a  local sausage made by an artisan butcher Frank Hill in the village of Tunbridge Wells.  He was taken over by Dewhurst Butchers who then stopped making what he believes is the finest sausage in Great Britain.

Prompting Lord De La Warr to start his search for the recipe. This involved a long time  spent experimenting with different combinations of herbs used  from a list given to him by Frank Hill’s daughter after he had passed away. Finally once he found the perfect mix, he asked Speldhurst Quality Foods to make the sausage for him.

I was introduced to that ‘perfect English sausage’ during a leisurely breakfast at a small country Inn in the South Downs.

After which I went looking for the traditional craft butchers who came so highly recommended.

Michael Courtney family butchers can be easily found on North St in Midhurst. They offer a range of artisan gourmet sausages that will keep one busy for a long time.

I suspect my innkeeper, tells a very good story and has layed on a bit here and there. But I have not been disappointed.

There is also a well stocked deli counter. Local cheese, chutneys and biscuits.  Pates, olives,  Italian and German salamis, cold meats, home cooked ham, sliced to order and homemade scotch eggs.

Pies, sausage rolls and quiches.

I am not sure how you make gluten free sausages. But Harry’s Hampshire sausage not only tastes great, it’s also gluten free.

One of a range of artisan sausages made in small batches in Hampshire. Having a well earned reputation for their premium quality,  distinct flavour combinations, high protein and a low fat content.

After five generations of sausage making, Harry’s has upcycled a traditional recipe adding new natural flavours  with watercress, juniper, rosemary, lavander  as well as taking out that pesky gluten.

Challenging you to taste the difference.

One of the most popular and well known  sausages in the UK is the Lincolnshire sausage.

They are traditionally made with coarsely chopped or ground pork mixed with binders, seasonings and preservative using sage as the dominant flavouring.

As one would expect the sausage originates in Lincolnshire and every year the city of Lincoln holds a competition to see who can make the best Lincolinshire sausage.

Generally held in October the Lincoln Sausage Festival takes place in the setting of the medieval Lincoln Castle and its cobbled streets.

 After a few duds I have studiously avoided the sausages in the local supermarkets.

Rather choosing  to explore further afield. Searching for the perfect sausage and the Master Butchers who prepare them, using carefully guarded family recipes.

Which is why I was a bit taken aback to find a Cumberland sausage in Lidls that tastes as good as any.

The artisan Collins sausages made by Rawlings of Cranleigh date back to a tried and tested recipe which was used by Mr Collins over a hundred years ago.

Good quality pork, fresh seasoning and bread rusk, combined in such a way that the end product is succulent and tasty, keeps the customers coming back for their most popular variety.

A family run business their extensive and ever changing sausage selection includes Old English sausages with black pepper and sage, Pork And Leek, Pork And Local watercress, Local Lamb and Mint, Garlic & Chilli as well as Black pudding and Wild Mushroom.

All the sausages sold in the shop are made on site in a dedicated sausage area, to guarantee taste and freshness.