Sausage Making the most of sausages on your menus
Plus we reveal the 2013 Face of British Sausage Week. Find out who on page 12
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Sausages, ever wondered why they are on menus everywhere? From the school dining room to the gastro pub, from the NHS to top dining destinations sausages are omnipresent because they are a real staple of this country’s culinary identity. And it is for that reason that annually the sausage is celebrated during British Sausage Week.
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Looking at menus, the style of dishes where sausages feature is undergoing a change from simply served as a centre plate meat with mashed potato to more of a feature ingredient in pastas and risottos, stir fries and casseroles, pies, pasties and even in savoury scones and muffins.
I hope you enjoy the recipes and sausage features in this magazine. Please email me your sausage stories and serving ideas as we’d love to hear from you.
Tony Goodger Trade Sector Manager - BPEX
MEET A MAN WHO’S BIG IN SAUSAGES
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The Sausage King with Jimmy Doherty and friends
Stephen Plume is a big personality. At over six feet tall and with size 13 feet he fills a room, not just with his size but with his infectious passion for teaching maths, radio presenting, biking and, probably most of all, for sausages. Deputy Head of an East Anglia secondary school, Stephen is also ‘The Sausage King’. It all began about 12 years ago when Stephen, convinced that both the quality and the butchery skill of making sausages was in decline, decided to search the country for the best sausages he could find from the best butchers. Initially he set up a web site – www.sausagefans.co.uk – to gauge what others thought about sausages and invite people to recommend their favourites and where they’d bought them. Word of mouth, a small article in Stephen’s local paper and an interview on local radio quickly attracted attention. ‘Once that article was in the local press the word was out,’ explains Stephen. ‘The regional press picked it up, especially as this is such a big pig farming area and then the national press and before I knew what was happening I’d been dubbed ‘The Sausage King’ for my efforts to promote the British sausage.’ A keen biker, Stephen has used a variety of bikes on his regular ‘Sausage King’ adventures including a Honda CG125, Triumph Scrambler, Triumph Thruxton and BMW R1200 GS Adventure. The series The Long Way Down, with Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor, inspired him to get out on the road on his bike to visit butcher’s shops and sausage makers across the country. He’s also been invited to judge sausage competitions run by market towns across the UK.
The increased profile for ‘The Sausage King’ has led to some unexpected opportunities. Among these is his weekly Radio programme ‘The Foodie Fix’, broadcast every Thursday evening on the Framlingham community station, Radio Castle. The hour long programme is a mix of music, chat with a studio guest and conversation with the listeners about food and with Stephen at the helm, more often than not, sausages. ‘Doing the show is great fun. I’ve had so many interesting guests, from foragers to coffee roasters, pig farmers, bacon experts, butchers and of course loads of sausage makers and sausage chat.’ So what, in Stephen’s opinion, makes a good sausage? ‘Flavour is key for me but it’s also fundamental to know where the ingredients come from. I always want to see the Red Tractor if I’m buying a prepacked sausage and if I’m at a butcher’s shop I’d like to know where the pigs come from. I always remember how disappointed I was as a kid when I was out with my mum and I asked the butcher where his sausages came from and he answered “the wholesaler”. They were still great sausages though but these days I want more specific answers!’
‘I live in a pig farming area and there are so many amazing pig farmers as well as butchers who are keen to engage their customers. But it would be good if more chefs and pub owners explained more about the sausages they are serving. I know that the thousands of people who follow me on the web or through social media would be interested and more likely to purchase.’ ‘My ideal sausage is one that is full of flavour; the meat needs to be slightly coarsely minced and any additional ingredients well thought out and balanced throughout the sausage. That said, my sausage preferences change throughout the day, as breakfast is all about traditional plain pork whereas other meal times are great for speciality and some of the more innovative flavours that are now so widely sold.’ Stephen is a man who loves his food and lives life to the full, driven by a passion to inspire and a love of sausages. His favourite meal? ‘It has to be the classic with a twist – sausage and mash but the potato is mashed with a generous handful of grated cheese and a spoonful of mustard. Fantastic!’ You can find Stephen on twitter @sausagekinguk or on facebook – search for The Sausage King. For more information see www.sausagefans.co.uk
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Sausage
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*** Serves 10 Ingredients
Method
Nutritional Information
20 assured pork and leek sausages 4 tablespoons olive oil 500g cherry tomatoes 3 large leeks, sliced finely 2 cloves garlic, crushed 500g low fat crème fraîche 1kg pappardelle pasta 120g parmesan flakes
1 Preheat the oven to 200ºC. 2 Bring to the boil a large pan of water and cook the pasta. 3 Roast the tomatoes in a roasting pan for 30 minutes at 200ºC. 4 Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan and brown the sausages. Cook through and keep warm. 5 Fry the leeks and garlic in the remaining oil, until the leeks are softened, add creme fraîche and season with salt and pepper. 6 Add the sausages and tomatoes and stir into the pasta.
Per portion: Energy 3289kJ, Energy 842kcal, Protein 30.1g, Carbohydrate 65.4g, Fat 45.0g of which saturates 17.5g, Fibre 2.8g, Sodium* 1005mg, *equivalent as salt 2.6g
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Serve sprinkled with parmesan flakes and a side salad.
Per 100g: Energy 842kJ, Energy 201kcal, Protein 7.7g, Carbohydrate 16.7g, Fat 11.5g of which saturates 4.5g, Fibre 0.7g, Sodium* 257mg, *equivalent as salt 0.7g
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Global Sausage Entrepreneur Get up and go, a spirit of adventure, manufacturing skills and an up to date passport have made Charles a great sausage ambassador for this country. Tucked behind a large supermarket and opposite Newton Abbot Race Course is a small industrial estate, you know the sort of thing; a tyre and exhaust workshop, some overflow storage for the local carpet shop, a couple of start-ups and one of the UK’s most successful sausage exporters. This South Devon business is run by Charles Baughan, ex-Royal Marine and Global Sausage Entrepreneur. ‘My grandfather really started it all with a butcher’s shop in 1910 where he made sausages. My uncles then grew the business before it was sold in the 1960s but the sausage making bug was obviously there in my DNA,’ said Charles. ‘I initially followed my father into the armed forces and served with the Royal Marines, a career choice that gives you focus, the ability to think clearly in tough conditions and a sense of adventure: all skills you need to make sausages! ‘In 1998 the opportunity to join a local sausage manufacturing business came up, which I grabbed with both hands and 10 years later, my wife and I led a management buyout to become the owners of the business.’ The business’s trading area initially focused on retailers in the South West but their reputation grew quickly as exceptional sausage makers. ‘What I look for is a consistent pig with the right proportion of lean to fat ratio as this best suits my sausage-making ethos, which is based on mince and mix. It is also really important to me that the animals have been well respected and valued and
Charles Baughan on another ‘sausage ambassador’ mission!
in the main, have been farmed in the South West, though I do sometimes buy pork from East Anglia. We make over 20 tonnes of sausages a week, with a minimum 75% meat content. ‘The foodservice market is massively important for any food business nowadays and, along with exports, is probably driving my 20% year-on-year growth. I try to get out of the factory and visit chefs across the UK and in the global markets where I trade. Chefs are great innovators and I’m never surprised at the ways they cook and serve sausages. By meeting with them I am able to tap into this creativity and understand from them how they use sausages and what I can do to make my sausages even better. One trend I am seeing is a move towards pre-cooked sausages, as these enable chefs to get a meal to table more quickly.‘ Always the adventurer, Charles knew that if the British loved a good sausage so would the rest of the world. ‘I think sometimes we can spend too long looking at the market on our immediate doorstep, as opposed to looking at the bigger picture. I first started selling sausages into a few European markets, generally those where UK tourists visited for their holidays but quite quickly found that other markets, particularly those in the Far East and South East Asia, loved pork sausages. Around 70% of the meals consumed in some of these markets are eaten out of the home so there are always lots of opportunities to introduce consumers to interesting dishes from across the world and then to serve them in a local context. One meal I love is a breakfast in Japan where they serve two
of my Cumberland Sausages with a thick rasher of fatty streaky bacon and a potato and cabbage salad. ‘In the current economic climate businesses have been encouraged to think about exporting and I have been lucky enough to be helped into this by organisations such as UKTI (UK Trade & Investment) and BPEX, who represent pig levy payers in England. ‘I think I have helped markets across the world to discover Britain’s Greatest Sausages and at the same time have been to some wonderful places with trade missions and of course met some interesting people. ‘Sausages are not the only pork product we make. White Pudding, which we call Hog’s Pudding is a real heritage product made for centuries by West Country farmers’ wives, has been a real hit for us but the core of the business is sausage and besides the traditionally shaped version that is synonymous with sausages, we make sausage ‘planks’, ‘coins’ and ‘cubes’. Pellets to go in sausage rolls… you name it, so long as it’s sausage, I can make it. I just love sausage. ‘My favourite dish? Has to my wife’s slow cooked Mexican Bean Sausage Casserole with loads of lentils and beans.’
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Ingredients 10 good quality assured pork sausages, flavours of your choice 3 tablespoons capers 3 char-grilled artichokes 3 char-grilled red onions smoked olive oil – measure out the required amount for 10 1 small bunch of mixed fresh herbs 1 lemon, sliced
4 Allow to cool slightly then slice the sausages. Pack all the ingredients into a jar and top with smoked oil to cover, screwing the lids on tightly. 5 This can now be pasteurised in the combination oven using a special pasteurisation kit and program. Then they can be reheated to order or hot held during service. Serve with warm crusty bread.
Nutritional information Per portion: Energy 1115kJ, Energy 269kcal, Protein 7.3g, Carbohydrate 8.9g, Fat 22.7g of which saturates 6.0g, Fibre 0.8g, Sodium* 436mg, *equivalent as salt 1.1g Per 100g: Energy 789kJ, Energy 191kcal, Protein 5.2g, Carbohydrate 6.3g, Fat 16.1g of which saturates 4.3g, Fibre 0.6g, Sodium* 309mg, *equivalent as salt 0.8g
Method 1 To smoke the olive oil, put into a 1/3 gastronome and add a small bunch of mixed herbs and a fe slices of lemon for extra flavour. Smoke the sausages at the same time on a perforated tray positioned below the oil. 2 Soak wood chips of your choice then add to a smoking unit which fits on top of a combination oven range. Set the combination oven on convection mode 50ºC and smoke for about 30-40 minutes. 3 Remove the products from the oven, then colour up and cook through the sausages. This can be done in the combination oven at 200ºC or in a frying pan.
Sausage Confit Makes 10
starter sized portions
Recipe by Nick Bates, Development Chef
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Make the most of sausages and British Sausage Week: some views from the beyond the kitchen…
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For Phil Smith, owner of a popular hotel and pub in Winscombe, North Somerset, sausages are a key feature of his menu. Phil says: ‘We source sausages from two local butchers that we work very closely with. Quality is very important to us and our customers, so we always go and taste different products before choosing what goes on the menu. ‘Our location is one of our greatest selling points and it makes sense to use Somerset produce when there is so much quality meat produced on our doorstep. We state on the menu that our sausages are local and this appeals to our customer base, as well as helping our suppliers.’
The pub often features sausages, whether in the form of Toulouse, traditional pork sausage and mash or in a casserole, on the specials board. Phil adds: ‘Sausages are always a popular choice; however, it is important to select the right one for the job. That is why the sausages we serve as main meals are different to the ones on our overnight guests’ breakfast plates.’
Sausage Week is a great occasion and we are proud to celebrate it by promoting our local sausages. There is something really satisfying about knowing the sausages we serve have been produced within walking distance and come from animals that have been raised in the surrounding countryside.’
For Phil, British Sausage Week is a chance to increase interest and footfall. He says: ‘In honour of the week, we’ll be ordering a selection of different sausages to go on our specials menu.
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Fergus Howie
Pig Farmer, Sausage Maker and Foodservice Supplier
With over 45 years as pig farmers, the Howie Family know a thing or two about pork and what makes great ham, bacon and sausages, as well as a successful brand and business. The Howie’s, like many pig farmers, used to supply their animals to a third party who processed and sold them on into the retail and foodservice market, with them having little or no knowledge as to who was selling the pork, where it was being sold or who was buying it. However, this all changed in the early 2000s when a decision was taken to make the whole business both more sustainable, in terms of its viability and to create a brand that reflected the family’s own values in terms of the pigs they farmed and the pork and pork products they could manufacture and sell. By taking control of the whole supply chain they are able to farm a slightly bigger pig that yields more usable pork, which in turn means that they have more manufacturing meat for processing. This enables them to create a range of unique award winning products, including the current Meat Management Sausage of the Year 2013, the Olde English. ‘Our business is all about the customer and this begins with great products,’ said Fergus. ‘We supply both retail and foodservice and by doing this our name becomes fixed in the minds of the customer and gives the brand presence. ‘Our foodservice sausages have been developed by sitting down with chefs and listening to their views on what makes a good sausage. From that point we use
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between 70 and 80% Red Tractor Assured pork shoulder, a light flavouring of herbs or in the case of the Olde English, thyme, nutmeg, sage and pepper. We only use natural skins and never add any additional fat. In addition, we speak directly with each customer at least once a week and by undertaking our own distribution we can ensure high service levels for chefs and buyers. ‘The foodservice market is really important to our business model. We run an open farm policy, whereby chefs are invited to come to the farm to see the pigs and how we produce our pork products. Furthermore, the market gives us the opportunities for longer production runs of individual products and, because we produce both fresh and frozen sausage, manufacture in quieter periods to maintain factory efficiency. ‘The business sells sausages here in the UK and overseas in places such as the Middle East, Caribbean and South East Asia. British Sausages and British Back Bacon are not easily found in other areas of the world and are therefore sought after items in the right retailers and foodservice outlets,’ continued Fergus. ‘My own suggestions for chefs are to always reference on the menu or blackboard where the sausages they are serving have come from, ideally using the brand name to show that they have taken care in the sourcing of the products they
are selling. Great sausages are so very versatile, as they can be used right across the day from breakfast through to main meals at lunch and dinner, as well as graband-go snacks throughout the day. ‘Of course I love sausages and would urge chefs to think beyond sausage and mash and toad in the hole and to seek out some of the innovative recipes produced by BPEX. One that I really love is Spaghetti Bolognese made with sausage meat instead of beef’. And with that Fergus was off into the factory to personally supervise the next batch of award-winning Red Tractor assured sausages.
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Sausages *** Serves 10
Ingredients
Method
Nutritional information
20 spicy assured pork sausages 2kg potatoes 2 large onions, sliced 5 teaspoons Bombay potato spice mix 1kg fresh spinach fresh coriander vegetable oil
1 Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Place into a pan, cover with water and boil for about 15 minutes until soft. 2 Meanwhile, in a pan heat the oil and soften the sliced onion for 2–3 minutes. 3 Add the Bombay spice mix and cook for 1-2 minutes to fry off the spices. 4 Meanwhile, cook the sausages under a preheated grill for 12–15 minutes, turning occasionally until cooked through. 5 Drain the potatoes and crush lightly with a masher. Stir through the spiced onions, spinach and chopped fresh coriander to taste.
Per portion: Energy 2147kJ, Energy 515kcal, Protein 19.8g, Carbohydrate 45.6g, Fat 28.0g of which saturates 9.4g, Fibre 7.2g, Sodium* 1022mg, *equivalent as salt 2.6g
Serve the spicy sausages with the crushed Bombay potatoes, mango chutney and a crunchy salad of radishes, cucumber and coriander.
Per 100g: Energy 475kJ, Energy 114kcal, Protein 4.4g, Carbohydrate 10.1g, Fat 6.2g of which saturates 2.1g, Fibre 1.6g, Sodium* 226mg, *equivalent as salt 0.6g
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Sausages Recipe by Alan Paton, Executive Head Chef
*** Serves 10
Ingredients
Method
Nutritional information
30 pork and black pudding sausages 10 x 113g portions crushed potato 4 large carrot, cut into wedges, cooked 10 x 80g portions cooked curly kale 30 x thin strips of crackling (optional)
1 For the sauce, combine the sugar, sultanas, fat, vinegar and shallots. Cook over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved, then turn up the heat and reduce until thick and syrupy. Add the herbs, then set aside. 2 Cook the sausages in a hot oven for 9–10 minutes. 3 Heat the mashed potato. 4 Heat the kale and the carrots in boiling water.
Per portion: Energy 3721kJ, Energy 894kcal, Protein 26.5g, Carbohydrate 59.6g, Fat 60.5g of which saturates 21.1g, Fibre 7.5g, Sodium* 1462mg, *equivalent as salt 3.7g
For the sauce 250g xylitol or other sugar substitute 350g golden sultanas 300g small diced pork fat 250ml cider vinegar 4 shallots, diced 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary 2 fresh bay leaf, finely diced
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To serve, place a large quenelle of crushed potato in the centre of 4 large bowls, arrange 3 pieces of carrot on either side of the potato and spoon the kale onto the top of the potato. Arrange the sausages on top of the kale. Reheat the sauce, spoon it over the sausages and finish with the crackling.
Per 100g: Energy 751kJ, Energy 180kcal, Protein 5.3g, Carbohydrate 12.0g, Fat 12.2g of which saturates 4.3g, Fibre 1.5g, Sodium* 295mg, *equivalent as salt 0.8g
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It’s a fact - Sausages are good for business! Ever popular, good quality sausages really attract diners and innovative sausage dishes can make your menus sizzle. Make sure you’ re making the mos t of them!
The average price for sausage and mash within the Fast Casual, In-store and Leisure sectors is £8.06
Sausages feature dishes in of vey in a sur us 115 men
1,415
Using the name of the butcher, particularly whe re that butcher ha s a good local or regional reputati on, is a key selling tool on an increasing numbe r of menus
Pub operators are the least innovative when it comes to sausage dishes , preferring to stick to tried and trusted classics such as Sausage & Mas h
While many menus claim their sausages as being award winning, few actually state the award the sausages have won. We always suggest that you qualify the term ‘award winning’ with details of the actual award won
The average price for Mash Sausage & in a pub is
£7.47
innovative The most outlets, foodservice sausage in terms of Fast dishes, are nds. Here, Casual bra e more sausages ar ture in a likely to fea meal or pasta based otto or within a ris ient in a as an ingred h such classic dis let. as cassou
There are an Unsurprisingly, Traditional Pork increasing Sausage is the m number of ost common sausage menus used on menus, referenced however, there ar to sausages e an increasing num ber made with of more innovative pork from sausages now be ing named pig served such as M aple farms, a Smoked Sausage, practice Honey & Mustard Sausage and Blac which we k fully support Pudding Sausage, to name but a few
The average price for Mash Sausage & l te o in the h is sector £11.51
Source: Menurama [date tba]
Give customers more information about the sausages you serve and their ingredients. Give the dish an attractive and descriptive name. Customers are much more likely to choose a dish which uses enticing language and suggests how the dish tastes. Think about adding different sausages to menus and how they’re presented. From a classic pork sausage suited to traditional cooked breakfast, to highly seasoned varieties in a contemporary meal such as ‘Sausage Confit in Smoked Oil,’ there is a reason to limit your choice or indeed the way that you serve them. Put sausages on the ‘specials’ menu. Why not have a dedicated sausage menu that highlights the fact they are locally sourced and outdoor reared. Use British Sausage Week to promote your local and award-winning varieties!
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The Face of British Sausage Week 2013 Why have you got involved with British Sausage Week and what are the opportunities for chefs?
Do you think there’s room for more innovative sausage flavours in the catering sector?
What is your top tip for chefs looking to launch their own restaurant and how to make it a success?
Most chefs would agree that we have in Britain today a wide variety of excellent quality produce. To ensure this continues to be the case, we have to look after our butchers and ensure that we are using as much local produce as we can. British Sausage Week is a great way of reminding people of this and, of course, there’s also the added benefit that it’s an opportunity to taste more sausages than I ever thought humanly possible; while highlighting the magnificent variety of sausages there are across the whole of the UK.
Yes! I think continually playing around with flavours, textures and combinations is massively important. That’s the beauty of the sausage, it is so versatile that it adapts well to different flavour combinations and let’s face it, you can never have too many sausages!
The biggest advice I would give to anyone is to open with brilliance, not mediocrity. So rather than think ‘I’ll get there in the end,’ don’t open until you’re brilliant.
What is your favourite sausage dish? I like Boston Baked Beans using sausages. It gives you those big heavy, smoky, flavours with a delicious, big, fat juicy sausage in the middle of it. It’s full of great texture, great flavour and ultimately is proper comfort food. What is your ultimate British sausage variety? I like ALL sausages, anything with a bit of spice. I quite like Venison sausages sometimes but truthfully I tend not to have favourite dishes. As I am cooking all the time I’m always trying new things and that means my favourite changes all the time. What are your recommendations (for caterers) when serving sausages or sausage dishes? Always treat it like a good quality piece of meat, so buy the best quality sausage you can and don’t interfere with it too much. Make sure you’re allowing the sausage taste to shine through – let’s face it, sausage and mash with decent gravy is as good as it gets, you don’t need anything more than that. So if you use that as your mantra then if you’re cooking something like a sausage casserole use things which will complement the flavours of the sausage, not overpower it.
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You’ve got a successful range of beers, what do you think goes best with sausages or do you plan to launch a special sausage themed beer? The current range of beers have been developed to go with steak and all red meats, chicken and fish and curry and spicy food so you just need to match your sausage up with the right one. For instance, the lighter more traditional pork-style sausages wold go well with the chicken and fish beer and then as the sausages get heavier, move on to the steak and all red meats variety. Likewise the curry and spicy food offering will provide the perfect accompaniment to anything spicy. Have you ever made your own sausages? Yes I have What makes sausages such a big hit for pubs/restaurants and their customers? They are a great comfort food and I think where pubs and restaurants do well is if they promote that element of locality to their customers. If you can source good quality sausages from a local supplier, which has been produced using local ingredients, then that will be attractive to your customers.
60 second quick fire round Do you prefer sausages…? For breakfast or dinner? Both With Ketchup or gravy? Ketchup Grilled, fried or baked? Grilled Thick or thin? Thick In a sandwich or pastry? Sandwich
Sausage Week Simon Rimmer’s
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*** Serves 10
Ingredients 30 good quality smoky assured pork sausages 300g black pudding, sliced into thick rounds BBQ beans 2 x 350g tins mixed beans, rinsed 2 large onions, chopped 3 cloves 4 garlic cloves, chopped 2 medium sized fresh chilli, finely chopped 150g soft dark brown sugar 100g treacle 2 tablespoons smoked paprika 100g ketchup 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons malt vinegar 400g thick cut smoked bacon lardons The topping 7500g cooked new potatoes cut into chunks 200g butter 2 teaspoons chilli flakes 1 teaspoons smoked paprika 2 lemons (juice)
Method 1 Fry the sausages and black pudding in oil and butter until cooked and the black pudding is crispy. Keep to one side. 2 In a large casserole pan fry the bacon until crisp, then remove. 3 In the same pan fry the onion, garlic and chilli for 5 minutes until soft. 4 Put the sausages, black pudding and bacon into the pan along with all the other ingredients and cook for 20 minutes. 5 For the topping – fry the potatoes in butter, chilli and paprika and add the lemon juice. 6 Spoon the potato mix over the pork mix. 7 Place into a 200ºC oven for 20 minutes then finish under the grill for a crispy top.
Nutritional Information Per portion: Energy 3439kJ, Energy 826kcal, Protein 31.7g, Carbohydrate 52.4g, Fat 54.3g of which saturates 19.4g, Fibre 4.4g, Sodium* 2522mg, *equivalent as salt 6.4g Per 100g: Energy 881kJ, Energy 212kcal, Protein 8.1g, Carbohydrate 13.4g, Fat 13.9g of which saturates 5.0g, Fibre 1.1g, Sodium* 646mg, *equivalent as salt 1.6g
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Harper Adams University – promoting their own bangers! At agricultural university Harper Adams in Shropshire, supporting British Sausage Week is a great way of utilising meat reared on their farm. Catering manager David Nuttal, said: ‘Since we specialise in rural education it’s only natural for us to rear animals on-site for use in meals. With 2,500 meals served each day during term-time, we’re a firm believer in optimising the whole of the carcass. Making our own sausages and supporting British Sausage Week was a natural progression.
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‘Last year we produced a different hand-made sausage for each day of the Week and promoted them widely throughout campus on TV screens and promotional literature. They were a huge hit with our students, who are particularly interested in the farm-to-fork approach and sales in our ‘Graze’ café increased as a result. ‘This year we are planning to introduce even more diverse and exciting flavours – with added spice, international varieties and even our own take on the classic
Cumberland. Essentially, the promotion is easy to adapt, generates interest and drives sales – why wouldn’t we take part? Top sausage tip: Nothing beats a sausage for a great first meal of the day. We combine 14lb of pork mince, 2lb rusk, 4lb water and a bag of seasoning for the ultimate breakfast sausage. We also use natural sausage skins for an authentic taste.
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University of Chester tasting is believing! Of course, British Sausage Week isn’t just for universities specialising in agriculture, city centre campuses recognise its value too… Sausage tastings and competitions were used to help drive awareness of sausage meals by the University of Chester, which
rates British Sausage Week as a campaign that involves the whole campus. Catering operations manager, Paula Martindale, said: ‘We held a superb sausage tasting event to celebrate the wide avariety of tastes and flavours of sausages available in Britain. A butcher supplied us with three or four different varieties and students were encouraged to try the sausages and vote for their favourite. Everyone was intrigued to see which sausage came out on top!
‘In addition, we revised the menu to include classic dishes such as ‘Toad in the Hole’ and ‘Sausages in Onion Gravy’ and ran promotional offers for students looking for a quick snack. The most popular being a Sausage Bap and cup of tea for £1.50. The response was overwhelming and students, staff and visitors all enjoyed the sausage celebrations.’ Top promotional tip: Celebrate British Sausage Week with a memorable event to increase interest and footfall. Use bunting and colourful material to decorate the canteen.
Leeds Metropolitan – meeting demand for seasonality, variety and value Preparing around 2,000 meals each day and trying to cater for all tastes can be a difficult job, as campus services manager Louise Hartley knows all too well. She said: ‘We undertook a food survey last year and feedback highlighted a need for more varied choice, seasonality and value for money. Including a speciality food week on the catering calendar, such as
British Sausage Week, meant that we could tick these boxes and promote something different within food services. ‘We drummed up interest for the Week using posters and balloons and by offering students a different sausage dish at each campus. It was certainly a big hit with them, as we were able to provide a range of tasty meals at affordable prices.’
Top promotional tip: Use dedicated food pages, menu boards and food calendars to help increase awareness of the Week and your activity.
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Ingredients
Method
12 assured pork and apple sausages 90ml apple juice 2 large eating apples, cored and thinly sliced black pepper 2 sprigs fresh sage, roughly chopped or 2 teaspoons dried sage 1kg packet puff pastry egg mixed with milk to glaze
1 Preheat the oven to 180ยบC. 2 Slit the sausage skins, remove the sausage meat and place in a large bowl. 3 Add to this the apple juice, apple, pepper and sage and mix together. 4 Roll pastry out thinly and cut into 6-8 circles (about 12.5cm). Re-roll the pastry to make more if possible. Place a spoonful of the mixture in the centre. 5 Wet the edges with water and fold each circle in half, crimping the edge to seal. 6 Place on greased trays, brush with egg and milk and cook for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.
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Serve hot or cold with a large seasonal salad or slaw and a chunky fruit chutney. Note: You can exchange the apple juice for cider. Nutritional Information Per portion: Energy 2436kJ, Energy 585kcal, Protein 14.4g, Carbohydrate 43.6g, Fat 39.2g of which saturates 16.8g, Fibre 0.7g, Sodium* 836mg, *equivalent as salt 2.1g Per 100g: Energy 1176kJ, Energy 282kcal, Protein 7.0g, Carbohydrate 21.1g, Fat 18.9g of which saturates 8.1g, Fibre 0.4g, Sodium* 403mg, *equivalent as salt 1.0g
Makes 10 pasties
with 16
Pork Sausage
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Sausage
*** Serves 10 Ingredients
Method
Nutritional Information
20 Lincolnshire assured pork sausages 15ml oil 2 x large onions, chopped 4 x garlic cloves, crushed 3 teaspoons mild chilli powder 3 teaspoons ground turmeric 1kg long grain rice 1 litre stock 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes black pepper 8 spring onions, chopped (include the green part for added colour) 1 large red pepper, seeded and diced 200g button mushrooms, quartered 2 large courgettes, sliced
1 Cut each sausage into three pieces. 2 Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the sausages over a medium heat until browned. 3 Add the onion, garlic, chilli powder, turmeric and rice and cook until the rice is opaque. Add the stock, chopped tomatoes and seasoning. 4 Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. 5 Add the remaining ingredients and continue to cook, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. (If the rice isn’t quite cooked add some extra water/stock until soft)
Per portion: Energy 2986kJ, Energy 711kcal, Protein 23.0g, Carbohydrate 92.0g, Fat 27.9g of which saturates 9.4g, Fibre 2.8g, Sodium* 1139mg, *equivalent as salt 2.9g Per 100g: Energy 601kJ, Energy 143kcal, Protein 4.6g, Carbohydrate 18.5g, Fat 5.6g of which saturates 1.9g, Fibre 0.6g, Sodium* 229mg, *equivalent as salt 0.6g
Serve with a mixed salad.
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Sausage
*** Serves 10
Ingredients
Method
1kg Toulouse assured pork sausage 800g assured pork belly, cut into 3-5cm cubes 2 x 300g tin cannellini beans, drained 2 large onions, sliced 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 10 large tomatoes, quartered 4 sprigs of fresh thyme or 2 tablespoons dried thyme black pepper to taste 500g fresh breadcrumbs 40ml olive oil
1 Preheat the oven to 180ÂşC. 2 Heat the oil in an oven-proof casserole dish, add the diced pork belly and lightly brown. 3 Add the onions and soften. 4 Add the garlic and fry for around 1 minute. Do not allow the garlic to brown. 5 Add the tomatoes, thyme, cannellini beans and black pepper. Cover and place in the oven a cook for 1 hour. 6 Meanwhile, either fry or grill the Toulouse sausages and keep to one side. 7 After cooking the pork for an hour add the Toulouse sausage to the dish, cover and place back in the oven for a further 20 minutes. 8 Remove the dish from the oven and scatter the bread crumbs on the top, cover and return to the oven for 20 minutes.
Recipe by David Bates, Executive Chef – Food Manufacturing Business
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Finally remove the lid and brown the top in the oven for a further 10 minutes. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes or chunky bread. Nutritional Information Per portion: Energy 3325kJ, Energy 797kcal, Protein 35.5g, Carbohydrate 58.3g, Fat 46.8g of which saturates 15.8g, Fibre 7.3g, Sodium* 1346mg, *equivalent as salt 3.4g Per 100g: Energy 708kJ, Energy 170kcal, Protein 7.5g, Carbohydrate 12.4g, Fat 10.0g of which saturates 3.4g, Fibre 1.6g, Sodium* 287mg, *equivalent as salt 0.7g
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Sausages are serious business So says Stephen Rossides, Director of the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) Have you ever wondered what the Red Tractor Pork logo means on the front of a pack of sausages? Well, besides standing for all the assurance values of the Red Tractor Pork standard (see back cover), when it comes to sausages, it means that they have been manufactured to a high quality product specification that has been produced by the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) and are independently audited to ensure that consumers are getting a consistently high quality product. ‘Among the key objectives for the BMPA are to maintain and promote high product and professional standards in the British meat industry and to help the meat industry to meet its environmental, social and economic responsibilities,’ said Stephen. ‘And we do this in a variety of ways including owning and managing the BMPA Standards for a range of products including bacon, ham, fresh pork and of course sausages.’ ‘Sausage manufacturers have to firstly achieve the British Retail Consortium (BRC) Global Standard for Food. The pork they use must come from pigs that comply with the BMPA’s Animal Welfare and Slaughter Module and then the Pork must comply
with the BMPA British Quality Assured Pork Module before they’ve even started to make a sausage’, Stephen continued. ‘Only then can they progress to implementing the BMPA Processing Standard and Product Specifications for the Production of British Quality Assured Pork Sausage. Tough? Yes, but absolutely necessary for us to set a standard that ensures a great sausage for every customer buying a pack that carries the Red Tractor Pork logo. ‘The BMPA Pork Sausage standard provides details of the exact cuts of meat that are allowed and those which are excluded, as well as a minimum permissible meat content. It sets limits for the amount of salt that can be added and the ultimate characteristics for the finished product. In addition, manufacturers have to be able to prove traceability, from farm to fork, for their raw ingredients and production batch codes as well as undertaking and recording organoleptic testing to ensure product consistency, all of which is monitored by third party audit and includes at least one unannounced audit each year to give the consumer the confidence of the assured supply chain they seek.
‘With 87% of households buying sausages and a market worth £737.3 million per annum, this is big business and we need to ensure that consumers have every confidence in the sausages they are buying, that’s why I’d always urge them to look out for the Red Tractor Pork logo. Of course sausages are also really important in the foodservice market and I’d like to see more foodservice businesses being licensed for the Red Tractor and using Red Tractor Assured Sausages on their menus, thereby extending the messages of quality, consistency and manufacturing standards to consumers when eating out.’ ‘As for my favourite sausage dish, you can’t beat a sausage sandwich’ said Stephen. There are an ever increasing number of catering butchers and foodservice operators who are now licensed for the Red Tractor. For more details on the BMPA Sausage Standard, visit www.bmpa.uk.com and follow the link to the standards.
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GIVE A FORK
ABOUT YOUR PORK The Red Tractor* Scheme stands for: ASSURANCE Rigorous standards are observed throughout the supply chain.
TRACEABILITY All Red Tractor pork can be traced back to Red Tractor farms.
PEACE OF MIND Red Tractor pig farms are inspected at least four times a year.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN The flag in the Red Tractor pork logo guarantees its country of origin.
*Red Tractor is one of a number of assurance schemes available to inform consumer choice.
A BPEX publication BPEX is a division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board: www.bpex.org.uk For more information visit www.porkforcaterers.bpex.org.uk Email: tony.goodger@bpex.ahdb.org.uk Follow us @porkforcaterers
Š Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board 2013. All rights reserved.
If you like this magazine you might also like our street food inspired publication Word on the Street. Visit www. porkforcaterers.bpex.org.uk to download your free copy.