Sausages & friends ….

Who doesn’t love a sausage?!  Whether they are the award-winning Old English pork sausages that I have used or a veggie alternative, there is always a happy hum in my house when we have sausages for supper!.

I think my enjoyment of these familiar friends is based around childhood – they are a staple of many children’s lives.  I remember at my elder son’s 1st birthday party giving him a pile of cocktail sausages and watching how happy he was just to pick them up in his little fingers and stuff them in!  My younger son would definitely include them in his ‘death-row supper’ and both boys think they are the absolute key to any BBQ!  Forget any kind of specially marinaded meats, chargrilled vegetables or fancy fish kebabs – BBQs are meant for sausages!!

My family feast recipes aim to give ideas to use for the weekends, family suppers or friendly gatherings.  They are seasonal, use easy to find ingredients and, I hope, will be a helpful & delicious way to make your busy life a bit more simple.  Most can be frozen too so if you are able to cook double and freeze half, then you are already ahead for another day!

Old English Sausages with roasted squash, apple & crispy kale

The flavours of Autumn combining the meaty depths of this sausage mix along with the soft sweetness of roasted squash and apple.  The crispy kale gives a great texture and crunch to the dish.

Serves 4 Prep time : 10 mins Cooking time : approx 30/40mins

1 red onion, halved and sliced
1 small squash/half a larger one, peeled, seeded and cut into small chunks
2 eating apples, cored and cut into small chunks
1 leek, thinly sliced
8 award-winning Walter Rose Old English Pork Sausages (or alternatives, based on your own choice)
Olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon runny honey
1 or 2 teaspoon English Mustard (to taste)
3 large handfuls of shredded kale (removing any stalks)

 1. Heat oven to 220oC/top oven of an Aga/similar.

2. In a large tray, roast squash chunks in a little oil for approx 10 mins, to soften.

3. Add sliced onion, leeks, apple & mix spices with oil, salt & pepper and pour over all the veg making sure it is all well coated.

4. Brown off sausages and then add to vegetables.

5. Roast in oven until sausages are fully cooked and nicely browned (approx 35/40 mins). This can be covered and kept on one side/in the fridge until you are ready to eat. Bring back to room temperature before continuing with recipe.  If freezing, roast veg & sausages until almost cooked, cool, cover and freeze.  Defrost thoroughly before continuing with recipe

6. Rub a small amount of oil in your hands through the shredded kale and then sprinkle on top of sausage & veg. Put back into oven for a further 5 mins.

7. Finally, when ready to serve, mix together vinegar, honey & mustard and drizzle over the roasted mixture.

You can play around with the vegetables you add to the this recipes, to suit your tastes or what’s in the fridge!  Mini potatoes, sweet potatoes and celeriac  would work well and cauliflower or broccoli florets can be added mid way through cooking.

For more ideas and recipes – come and join me at my regular cooking demos. Informal groups of up to 8 people, around my kitchen table, tasting and chatting. A 2 course lunch/supper is included along with welcome coffee & homemade cakes, recipes to take home and lots of inspiration!

"So pretty"